Meet Us At the Lake

Chelan, a favorite home-away-from-home is still growing up – one vineyard at a time

Don’t Miss These Local Favorites Local Myth Pizza, 122 S. Emerson St. This pizzeria is absolutely treasured by locals. Try one of Art Sill’s unique, signature pies and you’ll see why. Cinnamon Rolls at Stehekin Pastry Co., Stehekin Absolutely the BEST cinnamon roll you will ever eat: as big as the plate and covered in cream cheese frosting. Biscuits & Gravy at B.C. MacDonald’s, 104 E. Woodin Ave. This family-owned restaurant and bar also has a full-service espresso shop, so you can order a skinny latte with your favorite morning comfort food. Homemade Pie at Blueberry Hills Farms, 1315 Washington St. They make their huge, luscious pies from fruit grown on their sun-drenched family farm. Mmm, mmm, good. Wine at Red Apple Market, 310 Manson Highway Red Apple stocks all of the local wines and then some.  Homemade Salsa at Orondo Cider Works, 1 Edgewater Dr., Orondo, orondociderworks.com. Made fresh from homegrown tomatoes that are redder than anything you’ll see in a grocery store. The recipe’s a secret, so you’ll be coming back for more. Ice Cream Cone at Alpenhorn Café, 7600 S. Lakeshore Rd., alpenhorncafe.com. After a long day out on the boat, nothing beats a towering cone from The Alpenhorn. Fish and Chips at Campbell’s Veranda Grill & Pub, 104 W. Woodin Ave., campbellsresort.com. Fresh-cut cod dipped English-style in the house’s special beer batter. Served with homemade coleslaw.

If you haven’t been to the Chelan Valley in the last five or six years, your next visit may hold some surprises. Lake Chelan and the surrounding area has matured. Infused with the energy of a young, local wine culture, the area is developing into a well-balanced blend of tradition and modernity, farming and tourism.

When Lake Chelan suddenly comes into view, as your car enters the glacier-carved valley on Highway 97, it’s a breathtaking sight — no matter how many times you’ve seen it.

About when you hit the 50 miles per hour speed limit change, to the left is a recognizable landmark that locals simply call “Pat and Mike’s” a mini mart, but most importantly, it’s a marker of where the highway cozies up to the lake itself. And right about here, on the right side of the road, a little stone house-turned-winery overlooks the road — a house made from the very same rocks blasted out of the Knapps Hill Tunnel on Highway 97 between Entiat and Chelan, and now aptly named Tunnel Hill Winery. This diminutive structure has turned into a hub of activity for its fourth generation owners, Guy and Rachel Evans.

The winery is snuggled up against another Evans family venture — The Sunshine Market, which Guy Evans’ father, Denny Evans, started in 1991 as a fruit stand under a tent, only nine years before what Guy terms “the downturn of the apple industry” in 2000.

The little stone house represents one kind of change — a shift in how some farm families have handled the changes in their industry. Rather than sell large quantities of fruit, historically apples, cherries and pears, to a distributor, the Evanses embraced their heritage and provide a direct marketing experience to consumers. They also represent another kind of change — the switch from growing the standard crops of apples and cherries to growing wine grapes.

Tsillan Cellars, further down the road, is the best representative of the trend toward winemaking in Chelan. Tsillan Cellars is one of Chelan’s most visible wineries, with Tuscan-style architecture and sweeping hillsides covered in vines. Former-Bellevue resident Bob Jankelson is the owner of this winery, which has been producing since 2003. “The winery is an expression of my love for all things Italian,” says Jankelson, a former dentist, who spent many years teaching in Europe. “Despite the fact that I’ve been to so many beautiful places, I’m still enthusiastic about the beauty of Chelan.” His enthusiasm is infectious. He hopes to begin a multi-million-dollar project with the Evans family and other neighboring landowners, which Jankelson says will be “a world-class destination featuring environmentally friendly cluster development.” The project will include a village market featuring fresh, local and organic goods, including artisanal breads, cheeses and, of course, wines from both Tunnel Hill and Tsillan. But besides the wineries, other attractions will include an Italian-style resort and spa, and single and multi-family condominiums that will be designed to complement — not encroach upon — the 110 preserved acres of farmland. But while these grand schemes are coming to fruition, Jankelson has another Italian treat for visitors — Sorrento’s Ristorante, an authentic Italian restaurant at the winery owned by San Francisco chefs Jerry and Gennaro Criscuolo.

Campbell’s Resort at the mouth of the lake is a local pride and joy. A permanent fixture on the lake since 1901, this summertime destination resort is one that families have been frequenting for generations. It’s not hard to see why, with its 1,200 feet of waterfront and close proximity to historic downtown Chelan. Like the multi-generational guest list, the resort’s management is multi-generational, too: Campbell’s has been managed by four generations of Campbell men and their families. And each generation continues to expand and streamline the business. Visitors will find this apparent in the $3 million renovation that took place in the spring of 2008. Such regular updates are all part of the effort to keep Campbell’s a treasured historical landmark as well as a contemporary tourist destination, much like the city it resides in.

Right across the street from Campbell’s, pedestrians can access Riverwalk Park, a one-mile loop surrounding the narrowest part of the lake which funnels down into the Columbia River via Chelan Falls.

As the third-deepest lake in the United States, in one of the deepest gorges in North America, Lake Chelan would flood valuable waterfront properties during every spring thaw if it weren’t for the dam that releases water and drops the lake level down each winter. The water level is always back up in time for summer.

A highlight of any Lake Chelan visit is a trip aboard one of the Chelan Boat Company’s three lovely “Ladys.” Catch a ride aboard the Lady of the Lake II, the Lady Express or the Lady Cat to the head of the lake and the tiny village of Stehekin.

Along the way, the lake’s incredible 55-mile length may remind passengers of long Puget Sound ferry rides, but her narrow width allows passengers to see private waterfront cabins and lakeside resorts like Kelly’s and Watson’s.

Stehekin is a paradise for many of its inhabitants — a tranquil place free of televisions and other modern “distractions,” and rich in character. The Courtneys are one of the oldest families in the area. They own the Stehekin Valley Ranch, known for its stately Norwegian Fjord Horses and delicious bakery — which, by the way, makes the world’s best cinnamon rolls.

Stehekin also boasts the Stehekin Valley Lodge right at the boat landing. Along with a restaurant and general store, the lodge offers visitors an easy transition from water to land, as well as a place to wait for a shuttle or boat while taking in the view from the deck and enjoying a beer, glass of wine or another beverage.

If you head out past Pat and Mike’s on Highway 971, you’ll come to Karma Vineyards, a newer establishment. Karma is making a name for itself through its close proximity to the lakeside highway and for its pleasant outdoor dining experience. While dining outside, you’ll see that behind the winery, the Karma Kanyon residential development is under way with lots for sale, allowing owners to share in that laid-back winery atmosphere.

Another winery with a flair for the eccentric is Nefarious Cellars owned and operated by Dean and Heather Neff — red wine maker and white wine maker, respectively. Nefarious Cellars has few gimmicks, except friendly Golden Retriever Lucy and clever rhetoric stamped on its bottle labels. “People come to us because they like our wine. They like our view of the lake, and they also get to meet us,” she says with a laugh. “It’s almost a guarantee, because we’re the only ones who work here.” The Neffs channel most of their energy into their winemaking and tasting room experience, so their plans right now are to continue focusing on their wines. As for anything new — Heather says people can look forward to a new red blend that will be available in summer 2009.

The Valley is also home to a selection of retail stores scattered in Chelan’s historic downtown area that have been there for years. With the exception of a few restaurant shuffles here and there, most of the storefronts remain pretty much the same.

Staff writer Shyla Clark has a confession. She’s actually from Lake Chelan — born and raised. So, yes, she knows a bit about the area, and those cinnamon rolls in Stehekin really are the best in the world.

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