Atlanta. Sonoma County. New Orleans. Chicago.
So far, 25 places have made it into Reedy Press' series Unique Eats and Eateries of [insert name of impressive culinary scene here].
The three most recent additions to the series are Savannah, Georgia; Washington, D.C.; and Spokane, Washington.
But mastering a city's food scene is no small feat. So when Reedy Press picks a city, they also seek out local experts to write each book. When they decided to publish Unique Eats and Eateries of Spokane, they immediately knew which author to call: Adriana Janovich, current associate editor of Washington State Magazine and previous food editor at the Spokesman-Review.
As a newspaper food writer, Janovich covered everything from restaurant openings and closings to signature dishes, local chef profiles, and culinary techniques. Her in-depth knowledge of dining out in Spokane made her the perfect person to introduce newcomers to "the people and stories behind the food" — the tagline of the entire Unique Eats series.
Janovich chatted with the Inlander about all things food in Spokane, which is in a condensed Q&A below. But anyone in Spokane will get the opportunity to ask Janovich their own questions during her next book talk at Shadle Park Library on July 27 from 3 to 4 pm.
There'll be plenty of free parking, books for sale and restaurant recommendations — from Janovich, surely, but also from the community of eaters in Spokane who support a food scene that's now earning national recognition.
INLANDER: Why is it important to write about food?
JANOVICH: Food is everything. It is political, it's science, it's health, it's nutrition, it's culture, it's people. There are gender issues. It's family. And then, of course, there's the storytelling part that I think brings people together just like food itself does. So to me, food is every beat. Plus, it's also fun. Everybody needs to eat. So it really unites us.
When did you start writing about food?
My background is in newspapers — I spent just over 20 years in newspapers throughout Washington state and had a variety of beats like general assignment, religion, education, and then the food beat or the restaurant beat. I had been interested in food and cooking in restaurants for as long as I can remember. I often looked for stories that featured food, such as making tamales at Christmastime or preparing Sunday soul food dinners in a church basement when I was a religion reporter, even if I wasn't officially on the food beat. But it really wasn't until I became the food editor at the Spokesman-Review that I really got the opportunity to dive into the culinary world full time. I loved covering Spokane restaurants and bars and chefs and menus and signature dishes and food and drink trends.
Was there anything that surprised you about the culinary scene in Spokane?
For some reason during my time at the Spokesman — almost six years — I covered a lot of openings and trends, but there were some longtime restaurants I had never been to. One of those was the Suki Yaki Inn. I knew it had been around a really long time and that a lot of industry folks would hang out there after shifts, so it was a Spokane institution. When I was trying to put together the list of restaurants or food establishments that would be in the book, the list was really long — there were about 200 places I wanted to include, but the publishers set the limit at 84. So one of the hardest things was whittling down the list. But Suki Yaki kept coming up in conversations. It was one of the last places I visited when I was doing research for the book. It was near deadline and I included it in the book. The book was due in early September, and I think it was in November that I saw the news that the restaurant was going to close in December. That just really surprised me because it had been around since the late '40s or early '50s, and I did not anticipate it closing. So I emailed the publisher right away and luckily I was able to swap that one out for another one. But that surprised me. I had just not expected a place that was this Spokane institution to close.
What do restaurants do for a city?
It's the city's second living room. It's a gathering place, whether you go alone or with friends or as a couple. It's where we celebrate life's milestones, right? You go out to dinner when you graduate or when you have a birthday or an anniversary, or just after work to blow off some steam. They foster community, and I feel like they nourish your body and your soul. It's a huge service that they provide for cities.
Do you feel like Spokane is missing anything or has any areas to grow food-wise?
I am half Polish and half Croatian, so I would love to see a Polish restaurant or a Croatian restaurant. I have not stumbled upon either of those in Spokane, but I don't know that we're missing those things if we don't have a huge population of those ethnicities or backgrounds. Personally, I could use a place to go for pierogi that I don't have to make myself. But that's a selfish answer. I think there's so many cool and just really interesting restaurants that Spokane has that maybe other places don't, like a Twin Peaks-themed windowless tiny bar [the Baby Bar]. Maybe other places do have a restaurant in a train, but I still think that that's really neat. And the Flour Mill houses several restaurants, and I think that's really neat. Another place I went for the first time was the Skyway Cafe at Felts Field. Learning about the history there and watching planes take off and land — that was something I learned. It is so popular on weekends, and their cinnamon rolls are so popular. People who have lived here longer know about it. And another place that comes to mind is Feast World Kitchen. The idea of a nonprofit restaurant that uplifts immigrants and refugees, that has a changing menu and changing chefs almost every day of the week and is really like a community service — when we talk about what restaurants do, that one uplifts people and it connects people. So that's a really good example of restaurants building and fostering community. ♦
Find Unique Eats and Eateries of Spokane at Auntie's Bookstore, Atticus Coffee and Gifts, and Indaba Coffee on Riverside Avenue.
Adriana Janovich: Unique Eats and Eateries of Spokane • Sat, July 27 at 3 pm • Free • Shadle Park Library • 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. • spokanelibrary.com • 509-444-5300
