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The conversation continues on the Inlander Facebook page, and stay in touch with us at Inlander.com/Health&Home.
BY ANNE McGREGOR
Mister Rogers was all about getting to know “the people in your neighborhood,” and that’s also what makes putting each issue of Inlander Health & Home together so much fun. For this issue, Inlander staff writer Eliza Billingham met up with chef Victor Lewin, owner of Locos in Spokane’s Hillyard neighborhood (page 54). His fascinating family history stretches from Scotland to Texas, while his culinary influences span much of the globe. Lewin shares a recipe — and it’s a doozy — for the most scrumptious chili dog you’ve ever seen.
Then there’s Spokane designer Sadie Lake, whose projects have a tendency to wake her up in the middle of the night with an insight. She helped the family featured on this issue’s front cover to design and build a kitchen for their new farm in the Glenrose neighborhood (page 10).
Two of the happiest local pub owners we’ve ever encountered are Courtney and Mark Haney. Find out more about how they’ve intentionally crafted a venue for getting to know your neighbors (hint: there are no TVs) at Bardic Brewing in Spokane Valley (page 60).
And our intrepid writer, John Grollmus, reveals all you’ll need to know to embark on a fall weekend getaway to meet some of our neighbors north of the border (page 44) in Panorama and Invermere, British Columbia.
Cheers!
MADISON PEARSON is the Listings Editor and Digital Lead at the Inlander and also regularly contributes to the Arts & Culture section of the paper. As a self-proclaimed lover of all things midcentury modern, writing about the stunning renovation of the Anderson House designed by Spokane architect Bruce Walker for this issue of Health & Home was a dream come true.
JOHN GROLLMUS is a local restaurateur, adventure/travel writer, backcountry ski guide, and regular contributor to the Inlander’s Snowlander series His story on a roadtrip to Panorama and Invermere, B.C. (page 44) combined travel, adventure and restaurants — some of his favorite things. He was particularly excited to visit the Shangri-La of sausage, Konig Meat & Sausage Co. in Invermere.
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Health & Home is published every other month and is available free at more than 500 locations across the Inland Northwest. One copy free per reader. Subscriptions are available at $3 per issue: call x213. Reaching Us: Editorial: x262; Circulation: x226; Advertising: x233 COPYRIGHT All contents copyrighted © Inland Publications, Inc. 2024. Health & Home is locally owned and has been published since 2004.
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The first Spokane Symphony Pops performance of the season is dedicated to the musical legends of New Orleans who pioneered the genre of jazz and paved the way for the musicians who came after them. Jazz trumpeter Byron Stripling’s iconic program pays tribute to Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt, Mahalia Jackson and others through electrifying takes on classic NOLA tunes. For those looking to dance in their seats at Spokane’s Fox Theater, this one will have you moving and grooving until the saints go marching in. Sat, Sept. 28 at 7:30 pm, $50-$106, Fox Theater, foxtheaterspokane.org
Winter is on its way to the Inland Northwest, and there’s no better time to start redecorating and renovating your interior than when the weather gets too cold to bear. This three-day event features more than 300 exhibitors that are ready to help you curate the home you’ve always wanted. From kitchens and baths to closets and garages, this show has experts on-site who can give you advice and sweet deals on everything needed to turn your wildest dreams into a stunning reality. Fri, Oct. 11 from 12-8 pm, Sat, Oct. 12 from 10 am-7 pm and Sun, Oct. 13 from 10 am-5 pm, $10-$12, Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, spokanehomeshows.com
After being out of print for more than a decade, a masterful history of the land and people of the Palouse is back in print, and just in time for its 30th anniversary. Celebrating Palouse Country: A History of the Landscape in Text and Images contains plate after plate of luminous photos by John Clement, many newly chosen for this edition. Clement has a gift for capturing every season’s often hauntingly beautiful light to show off natural and human-made elements of the diverse Palouse landscape. Also included are countless historic photos and maps.
What is a happy surprise in such an eye-candy of a book is Richard Scheuerman’s carefully detailed and fascinating text, much of it updated for this version. Starting with a primer on the region’s geological origins, he delves into seemingly every aspect of the region’s human and natural history, from the native plants and animals to Indigenous peoples, later settlers and farming. Ever wonder where the wheat varieties grown on the Palouse hailed from? Scheuerman has you covered.
“I’ve always had an interest in geology and natural history, and in preserving the beauty of the area for the next generation,” Scheuerman says. “These are topics of high relevance to us today in a time of climate change and food production issues globally.”
As a former teacher and later the head of the master’s in arts and teaching program at Seattle Pacific University, Sheuerman’s text is packed with verbal imagery, a worthy partner to Clements’ photography. The two count Palouse
historian and rancher Alexander C. McGregor, who writes a new foreword, as a member of their “three amigos.” Scheuerman says credit also goes to Linda Bathgate, editor in chief at Washington State University’s Basalt Books, for suggesting a new 30th anniversary version while they were out driving the roads of the Palouse as part of another project.
— ANNE McGREGOR
It’s once again time for the ultimate showand-tell on home design in the Inland Northwest, so clear your calendar for two fall weekends and plan to tour all 16 showplaces as part of the annual Fall Festival of Homes.
“We are excited by how much participation we’ve gotten,” says Tawny McKenzie, communications and events director for the Spokane Home Builders Association. Home prices range from about $500,000 up to $2.2 million. Builder sponsors this year are Lennar and Grit & Timber Properties, with nine other builders also participating, along with five home design and staging companies.
To keep everything on the up-and-up, the Spokane show is judged by a team from Idaho, with winners in various categories announced on Sept. 26. The show opens to the public on Sept. 27, and attendance is free!
For locations, go to fallfestivalofhomes.com. — ANNE McGREGOR
A kitchen remodel that’s designed to be practical, rugged and still beautiful
STORY BY ANNE M c GREGOR
PHOTOS BY ALICIA HAUFF
In the spring of 2020, Andrea Walker Warren and her husband, Matt Warren, found themselves in Munich, contemplating moving back to the United States.
After spending years working for Microsoft and living in cities in the U.K., Europe and Asia, the onset of the pandemic had left the couple, like many others around the world, feeling uncertain and pondering “the meaning of life.” They wondered about exchanging their cosmopolitan lifestyle for something simpler.
“In Europe, you get out of a city, and all of a sudden you’re in the countryside. We did a fair amount of hiking, and being out in those more rural landscapes and seeing the sheep and the cows, and it was like, what if we tried something like that?” Matt says.
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They chose Spokane over Seattle to be closer to Andrea’s family and began the hunt for a house. “We thought, let’s see if we can find something with a little bit of space and then kind of see what we can do with that,” Matt says. “And so, between then and now, we’ve got 30 sheep and four goats and 30 chickens and a lot of learning.”
Finding a space to experience farm life was actually surprisingly easy for the couple. They had a wish list they shared with their real estate agent: They wanted a home with some acreage and easy access to urban amenities like the airport, downtown, shopping and coffee shops. And because Andrea would be working her tech job from home, the location had to provide reliable access to excellent internet connectivity.
In the end, they bought the only house they toured.
Their new home was a Glenrose farmhouse, circa 1934, replete with 1980s and ’90s renovations, situated on nearly 10 acres. Rather than immediately embarking on changes to the house, the couple decided to wait and see “how it lived,” Andrea says. They easily identified problems, but ultimately ended up feeling stumped on how to fix the house. “We needed a third party to help us figure out how we could lay it out in a way that maximizes the space given our lifestyle,” Andrea says. ...continued on page 14
Spokane designer Sadie Lake says the house posed unique challenges as the couple did not want to alter the original footprint, though it contributed to an awkward layout. “I was like, OK, this is funky,” Lake says.
On one side, the kitchen space was constrained by stairs and a brick fireplace, while on the other side, it was hemmed in by a long, narrow hallway leading to the back door.
It was a puzzle. “When I take on a new project, I’ll wake up at 2 am thinking about it,” says
Lake, who says she’s very invested in creating kitchen spaces that are not only visually appealing but, more importantly, logical and practical. “I’ve worked with so many people on projects where you can see that someone designed this — and I don’t mean to imply that it’s always a man — [who] doesn’t cook and doesn’t bring in their own groceries.”
During a sleepless night, Lake realized that removing the wall between the hallway and the kitchen would add a critical three-and-a-half feet of width (as well as 20 feet in length). The extra width provided space for a center island that, with some clever design configurations by Lake, ended up with a uniform walkable space all the way around.
On one side of the island, a baking zone incorporates large drawers for mixing bowls and a lift for a stand mixer. On the other side is the “clean up zone” with a large farm sink, as well as built-in containers for trash, recycling and compost. Near the range is a pullout for spices and oils, and a gallery rail for hanging towels.
New chairs and upholstery updated an existing table in the dining area, located a couple of steps below the kitchen.
• Miele double ovens, warming drawer and dishwasher
• Thermador refrigerator
• Cafe induction cooktop
— Fred’s Appliance
• Alabaster (walls)
• Balanced Beige (trim)
• Accessible Beige (coffee zone cabinets)
— Sherwin Williams
• Millennia Collection by Canyon Creek
• Colors: Olive (kitchen cabinets), cocoa (island cabinets), plus stain and light distressing over the top
— Hive Kitchen and Bath in Spokane
• Gordon Gamelin Homes, Inc.
With a functional U-layout at last in place, Lake worked on the finishes. The wood cabinetry was distressed and topped with a glaze to reflect the patina of a hardworking kitchen. The kitchen floor in particular was designed to stand up to rugged use.
We want to use this kitchen.We
don’t want it to just be beautiful.
“It’s actually exterior cement pavers,” Lake says. “They’re coming in and out of the door with boots on, they’ve got this huge sheepdog, so just the natural ‘lived-in-ness’ of that ends up looking really intentional, versus driving you crazy because there’s grime in the corners every once in a while.”
Noting that they took inspiration for the project from an Italian vacation villa, Andrea adds, “We want to use this kitchen. We don’t want it to just be beautiful. We want it to live well and not be too precious. And so if there’s nicks in the doors, scratches on the marble, that’s part of the patina… and we think it’ll get better with age.”
...continued on page 19
Life is sweet now because we can just focus on living in the space.
The couple lived in the house while the renovation was underway, doing much of the work themselves. Matt baked sourdough bread, brewed kombucha and, with no prior experience, tended the growing collection of farm animals. Along the way, a baby boy was added to the mix.
“Life is sweet now because we can just focus on living in the space,” Andrea says. “We can host Thanksgiving, we can have friends over, my girlfriends can pop over for a glass of wine. Matt can test out his next focaccia recipe. It just feels like it’s always been that way.”
And that’s what Lake loves to hear.
“It’s sometimes the biggest compliment at the end of a project to feel like it should have been that way the whole time. We definitely know the design is right for the space if it feels like that’s how it would have been if you could have done it perfect from the start.”
Follow the farm on Instagram @windridgefarmspokane
It’s a pretty basic need: You gotta eat. But sometimes you can’t eat it all. The easy solution is to cover your bowl of leftovers and pop it in the fridge. But over the course of a year, reeling off yards of plastic wrap to cover all those bowls just isn’t cool. What to do?
Spokane mother-daughter duo Kim and Aimee Cash were happily making crafty items and selling them at area events, mostly because it gave them an opportunity to spend time together when Kim had an inspiration.
“I wanted some bowl covers,” she says.
“She had a vision of the old plastic shower-cappy ones like her mom and grandmother used,” Aimee says. But those plastic-coated ones had to be hand washed and even then quickly fell apart. Beeswax fabric bowl covers also didn’t wear well and also required hand washing.
After a search for a fabric that was durable, machine washable and kept food in the bowl fresh while still preventing odors from seeping out into the fridge, Kim says she happened upon the perfect thing — an antimicrobial polyester material with a special lamination. They sewed up a few covers.
“We took them to one of our craft fairs, and people went crazy for them,”Aimee says. “The Spokane community just really embraced the bowl covers.”
The duo now create all the designs for their fabric, which is then custom manufactured. The exact fabric is a trade secret, but it lasts a long time. “Mom and I are still using our first covers from 2013. They can be washed hundreds and hundreds of times,” Aimee says.
Choosing fabric designs is a collaborative process. Sort of. “We disagree all the time,” Kim says. “We just go ahead and get whatever the other person wants.” Adds Aimee, “We have different aesthetic tastes, and it’s actually a strength with the two of us having different styles.” The duo’s adept at responding to customer requests including adding gender-neutral prints and even catthemed fabrics — “Cats do very well, but neither Aimee nor I have a cat!”— Kim says.
Aimee preps the raw fabric, and Kim sews up the covers on her vintage Husqvarna machine. “She’s sewed to the moon and back,” Aimee says. The covers come in assorted round sizes, and also rectangles for 9-by-13-inch pans. Though the covers are offered in boutiques and coops on the West side, for now Eastside shoppers can find them on Etsy at SemiSustainableGoods.
“It’s really gratifying to make a product that is useful, sustainable and having a positive impact on the environment,” Aimee says.
— ANNE McGREGOR
Designer Chelsey Nilson invigorates an aging midcentury home on Spokane’s South Hill
STORY BY MADISON PEARSON
PHOTOS BY KAT SKYE
Unbeknownst to many, Spokane hosted a prolific group of modern architects in the mid- to late 20th century. This talented group designed myriad midcentury buildings that still stand, including the Parkade, Avista Headquarters and even the lemon-lime Shadle Park water tower.
What’s lesser known is the cache of stunning midcentury homes they built across the city during the same period. It takes a little searching to find the Anderson House that Spokane-grown architect Bruce Walker tucked into a quiet cul-de-sac on the South Hill. Walker, the man behind the Spokane Opera House, the Ridpath Motor Inn and Temple Beth Shalom, designed the house for his friends, Judith and Ted Anderson.
Designer Chelsey Nilson of September House has a soft spot for midcentury homes, so when the Anderson House’s new owners asked her to help them update the 1965 home, it was a dream come true. “The homeowners wanted to preserve the original charm of the home as best they could while still making it usable for a modern lifestyle,” Nilson says.
Akey element of midcentury architecture was bringing the outdoors inside.
“Midcentury homes often have big windows and straight lines,” Nilson notes. The Anderson house has an abundance of those big windows, often stretching from floor to ceiling. The exterior is vaguely reminiscent of Japanese architecture, with its narrow plank cedar siding continuing from the exterior right through to the interior walls. It’s an unusual concept that underscores the connection to nature.
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“Your eye is immediately drawn outside when you’re inside,” Nilson says. “That’s my favorite part because I think nature is so important to life, and so to feel like you’re connected in that way is by far my favorite thing about homes like this.”
An immediately obvious nod to nature is the lava rock fireplace that rises 20 feet to the living room ceiling, which is finished in wood planks. The rockwork is also preserved in a koi pond built by Judith Anderson just outside the dining room window.
“Most people would have done away with the rock, but they embraced it,” Nilson says. Tones from the dark rock are repeated in accents around the room, though Nilson went with lighter-colored fabric for upholstered pieces.
In the kitchen, Nilson and Hug Construction devised a plan to retain the striking, original white globe light fixtures
and wood paneled walls while removing worn out cabinetry. They also nixed a kitchen peninsula that closed in the space.
Creating an airy space was achieved by adding a new window as well as a large sliding door to bring in more natural light. Nilson tucked a bright breakfast nook in the corner, perfect for a morning cup of coffee. Nearby, custom topographic artwork featuring the Napa Valley by local artist Ben Joyce adds energy and color to a mostly brown and white setting.
Like many custom homes of its time, the Anderson House’s layout is sometimes, for lack of a better word, funky. In the primary suite, a key consideration for the homeowner was making room for a shower and a full bathtub. But the original bathroom was small, and as Nilson calls it, “interesting.”
The designer was undeterred. “I love a challenge,” she says. “I was gonna get her this bathtub and a shower.”
Shrinking the closet allowed room for the expanded bath,
...continued on page 26
Nilson relished the opportunity to update the Anderson House for a modern family. “I’m so honored and so grateful because this is where my passion is,” she says. The new homeowners are only the third to ever live in the Anderson House and, at least for now, it’s been spared the fate of numerous other old homes.
In recent years, midcentury homes and buildings across the country have been torn down in favor of newly built homes, most prominently in California where the midcentury homes were once plentiful.
If
you’re doing renovation and design inspired by midcentury, you’ve got to pay attention to the character.
and Nilson took the opportunity to add a bit of color in tilework inspired by the ocean. The blue is repeated in the primary bedroom’s blue and cream accent rug.
Throughout the house, Nilson supplemented new furniture with pieces sourced from local retailers including Howard House and Teleport Vintage. A brass bar cart in the dining room and a rattan dresser in the master bedroom bring back that 1960s charm.
“If you’re doing renovation and design inspired by midcentury, you’ve got to pay attention to the character,” Nilson says. “People forget about the warmth and attention to detail that these architects put into every home they designed.”
In 2018, Spokane lost two homes created by prominent architects to demolition. One was designed in 1953 by Warren Heylman for his friend, businessman John Hieber. Heylman went on to design the Spokane International Airport, and partnered with Hieber on the Parkade.
The other was designed in 1965 by Ronald Sims, lead architect of the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, for J. Birney Blair, a prominent television ad man who would later become president of KHQ.
Both homes sat on the edge of the Manito Golf and Country Club.
“It shatters my heart when I see them go,” Nilson says. “To be able to get my hands on [the Anderson House] and do everything with intention and keep it thriving is really important to me.”
Dramatic relief for those battling depression and OCD may come from therapy using magnetic fields
BY CARRIE SHRIVER
Transcranial magnetic stimulation sounds like — and looks like — something you’d find in a science fiction movie, but it’s a real treatment option. This noninvasive therapy uses strong magnets to create an electromagnetic pulse to stimulate nerve cells in the brain.
People with treatment resistant depression, depression with anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are finding welcome relief with transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS.
“We’ve had an increase in depression and anxiety since COVID,” says Laura Berg, a clinical social worker and therapist at Revive Counseling. Medication “helps some people, but some people need something else, so it’s really needed at this time.”
With TMS therapy “we’re seeing about an 83% improvement rate of depression symptoms and about 62% in remission,” Berg says.
Bill Voss, who holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, knows the power of TMS firsthand.
“I have been dealing with depression most of my life. In 2019 [I] had a bad depressive episode and had to take off from work,” Voss says. “I tried so many different medications and psychotherapy, and nothing really worked.”
Then TMS was recommended to him. “It brought me out of my depression because it’s a more effective treatment,” Voss says.
He was so affected by his experience that he delved into the research about transcranial magnetic stimulation, and wondered why the treatment wasn’t more widely available. In 2020 he opened River City TMS.
So, how exactly does transcranial magnetic stimulation work?
“It uses electromagnetic pulses to enhance the network in the brain to support our neurotransmitters and receptor sites — the brain’s superhighways — to better and more effectively transport dopamine, serotonin, and all those things that
...continued on next page
make us happy,” says Colleen Moore, a nurse practitioner who runs the TMS program at Northwest Neurological.
“Basically, a magnetic pulse creates an electric pulse in the brain. You’re not magnetizing the brain, it converts to electricity in the brain. The brain runs on electricity,” says David Greeley, a neurologist with Northwest Neurological.
People with depression essentially may have parts of their brain “shutting off,” and as the depression worsens more areas of the brain shut down, he explains. Think of it “like somebody living only in their living room and they don’t go outside. It’s the same way your brain is living within a very small space.”
Insurance coverage requirements for TMS treatments vary. Some companies require a failure of one to three antidepressant medications (meaning the patient didn’t achieve a greater than 50% improvement with an adequate dose and time on the medication), while others don’t require any medication failures.
For patients successfully treated with TMS who experience a relapse after a year, insurance will generally cover another round of therapy as long as there was improvement the first time around.
To begin TMS therapy, as with any other medical treatment, clinicians review their patients’ health history and after getting clearance, treatment can commence. First, the brain is mapped using the TMS machine to find the primary motor strip on the brain’s left side for proper placement of the magnet. During treatment the patient sits in a reclined position while a cushioned magnetic coil is placed against their head.
River City TMS and Northwest Neurological both use NeuroStar machines. These were the first to receive FDA approval, and in April 2024 they became the only machines authorized for treatment of people between ages 15 and 18.
“The way we [use] our machines is highly regulated,” Greeley says. “They’re very clean, safe, and [a] secure space.”
The treatment regimen for major depressive disorder follows a relatively intense schedule: Patients have 36 consecutive sessions (that’s every day except on weekends), each lasting about 20 minutes. There’s no special preparation required before the treatment, nor any restrictions after the appointment.
Moore notes that at the beginning people are concerned about the length of time involved, but by the conclusion of their course of therapy, patients are worried about the sessions ending, including not seeing the people they’ve connected with nearly every day for seven or eight weeks.
As for the patient’s experience, “It feels like a tapping, up and back from your
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, Kiira Tietjen says most of her training and career focused on medication management combined with therapy for depression. But she was frustrated.
“I was just seeing people that weren’t getting better. I came across TMS and it is really a game-changer for people that have been on so many medications and are just stuck.”
In addition to helping those for whom medications haven’t worked, Tietjen, who uses the Neurostar machine at her practice, New Chapter TMS, says the treatment offers help to those who may be reluctant or unable to take antidepressant medication.
“For pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, there are no systemic implications,” because the treatment is confined to the brain itself, she notes.
Tietjen says TMS may help another group that’s restricted from taking antidepressant medications: pilots.
In October 2023, Joseph Emerson, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms, tried to seize control of the flight he was on from Everett to San Francisco, forcing an emergency landing in Portland. He later revealed he had been reluctant to seek medical therapy for depression due to Federal Aviation Administration flying restrictions on pilots who are taking antidepressants.
Tietjen says a condensed one-week protocol of TMS that’s currently under investigation might provide an option for pilots and others, particularly those in the military, whose jobs restrict use of antidepressant medications.
“Can we get a pilot in? Can they take a week off work for the condensed burst of treatment and go back to their work without having limitations they would have with medications?” she says. “This is a completely different way to approach your depression… We’re going to do some physical therapy on your brain. It is all in your head. Your brain is literally not working the way that we want it to be.”
— ANNE McGREGOR
eyebrow area [in] the skull or the scalp. But it doesn’t hurt,” Voss says.
The treatment may also produce a tingling, warming sensation, and some patients develop a headache during the session. Fortunately, most of these effects subside with subsequent treatments. It’s
– Kelli Stangel, RN, BSN, CHPN, Hospice House Manager
worth noting that for some people, the side-effects of antidepressant medications are often not temporary and can include a whole host of unpleasantness like insomnia, dry mouth and weight gain.
“The first [antidepressant] medication that you take is effective about 27.5% [of the time], and by the fourth medication it goes down to 6.9[%]. As the likelihood of medication [working] is decreasing, the likelihood of the side-effects increase,” Berg says.
How do patients know the TMS treatment is working? The first thing most people see improving with TMS therapy is their sleep. Following that, anxiety and worry begin to decrease, and then “there’s a whole cascade of positive benefits [after that]. People respond quicker to TMS than antidepressant medication or therapy,” Voss says.
“It snowballs around session 20. People get better even faster. It seems like the more treatments you get, the more likely you are to respond,” Voss says.
Berg is amazed by the transformation in clients who are suicidal before TMS treatment. After TMS, “they find a purpose to live, and then that suicidal ideation goes away. People say they’ve never experienced the excitement that they can feel after TMS,” she says.
The positive effects of TMS can last 12 months or longer, especially when
combined with the healthy habits people develop when feeling better, like more social contact.
Like any treatment, TMS isn’t appropriate for everyone.
“At the moment we’re cautious of individuals who have metal implanted in their cervical spine, their scalp — such as a cochlear implant, in the skull, or stenting,” says Chris Cox, a physician assistant at River City TMS. “If there is a cardiac pacemaker that’s within a certain distance from the coil we would defer to a cardiologist. And then anybody with a seizure disorder.”
The FDA has approved TMS for treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and smoking cessation. There are numerous other conditions that early research has shown may potentially improve with TMS therapy, including migraines, traumatic brain injury, concussion and substance abuse disorders. “New research is coming out all the time,” Voss says. “Researchers all over the world are putting these magnets on different parts of people’s heads to see what is affected.”
Magnets “have a lot of secrets that we still haven’t unlocked in the common sciences,” Cox says. “A lot of people [with depression] suffer in silence because it’s stigmatized in our society. Having a treatment that not only works but it’s more effective than any antidepressant brings great hope not only to our patients, but our city.”
The NWN Foundation supports medical and behavioral health services for underserved populations.
One goal for the foundation is offering payment assistance for transcranial magnetic stimulation treatments to help patients whose insurance doesn’t cover the therapy for depression. The foundation is also offering support for research using TMS to treat migraines, traumatic brain injuries and dementia — areas that show promise but are not currently approved by the FDA.
After launching a website in July, the foundation is beginning to seek financial assistance. One area of interest to researchers is treatment of substance use disorders, and in particular, fentanyl abuse.
“It’s a big deal. It’s impacting our community members,” says Colleen Moore, a nurse practitioner at Northwest Neurological, who’s on the foundation’s board of directors. “TMS and lots of other treatments that don’t involve medications have the opportunity to really reduce the burden on our community [and] improve the quality of life of community members,” she says.
“There’s potential, through the foundation, to run machines in the community [for ailments] that I can’t [treat] out of my private practice,” says Dr. David Greeley, a neurologist with Northwest Neurological and also a foundation board member. Speaking at his office on Spokane’s West Third Avenue, he says, “We have two or three people sleeping on our lawn today. It would be nice to be able to help [the people out there] as much as we help the people in our office.”
The foundation has three machines in storage that nonprofit organizations, like behavioral health or methadone clinics, could utilize. “We’d be able to serve a lot more people,” Greeley says. Learn more at www.nwn.foundation — CARRIE SHRIVER
Sometimes our furry companions know exactly what we need.
BY ROBERT SLACK
Rather than seeing ourselves as pet “owners,” I think the more accurate description of the human-animal bond is that we’re their guardians. This little vocabulary shift offers a better way to underscore the precious gift of being “natural helpers” that pets offer to their human companions.
During my veterinary years in Spokane, I found that there is one particular time of life when this natural helper role is especially valued. It’s when we humans find ourselves separated from our own kind, our own species. I’d like to share some examples. One morning while examining Max, a rowdy terrier, for his annual vaccinations, his elderly guardian confided in me that she’d recently experienced the loss of her husband to a chronic illness. She said Max was the only other member of their small family left to share her sadness. Max’s bond with her husband was strong, and this shared grief helped her deal with those difficult early days of loss.
I once had the pleasure of talking with several men who were inmates at a local correction center. They were involved in training dogs for adoption. They felt their work with pets gave them a feeling of being valued, not only by the correction center but also through their relationship with pets. They knew when they were granted parole or released from the center they would welcome a pet into their lives, helping them in their early days of freedom. Similarly, I’ve talked with a number of folks struggling with addiction. They too needed a “friend” when leaving their treatment center and having a pet — a natural helper — made them feel more confident in their early struggles to live a sober life.
On one occasion, a client coming through the doors of my veterinary clinic told me of a time when she needed to find work to supplement the family’s income, to put food on the table and help pay the mortgage. Her husband had a job that
took him away from home for long periods of time making it difficult for them to care for their two young boys. Work kept her away when they came home from school each day. But these latchkey kids did not come home to an empty house. Lassie, their Labrador retriever, greeted the boys with great canine enthusiasm, making their empty house feel more like a home.
This “canine career” of being a natural helper covers so many different situations, and I’ve heard stories about many of them. These feelings of isolation are not rare. I think we all have moments in our lives when we feel the ache of separation from our human world and, if we’re lucky, we may serve as a guardian to a pet who helps us through those times of darkness.
Robert Slack is a retired veterinarian who lives in Spokane. He’s the author of Tails: Curious Stories of the Human-Animal Bond.
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BY E.J. IANNELLI
When a cartoonist draws a picture of someone reclining on a couch with a figure seated behind them, pen and notepad in hand, we all know that represents a therapy session. But contrary to stereotype, even Sigmund Freud, whose psychoanalysis practice helped popularize this image, wasn’t always a fan of sedentary conversation.
In her book Walk and Talk Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide to Incorporating Movement and Nature into Your Practice, clinical social worker and therapist Jennifer Udler recounts the time Freud took a cathartic four-hour stroll with the composer Gustav Mahler.
“Mahler was going through a very difficult time. His wife was cheating on him. He had all kinds of health problems. And after this walk, he composed at least the beginning of his 10th Symphony,” she says.
“Sadly, he died before he finished composing it. But it speaks to the idea that we can process information, thoughts and feelings as we’re walking. And we also have this element of bringing more creativity into ourselves when we’re moving.”
As the title of her book indicates, Udler is both a practitioner and advocate of what’s commonly known as walk-and-talk therapy, an approach that swaps the office and the couch for the forest and the park bench. It’s central to the work she does at Positive Strides Therapy, the Maryland-based practice that she founded more than a decade ago.
Walk-and-talk therapy, as she points out, is not a radical concept. Humans have been having ambulatory chats since the advent of language itself. In recent years, though, it’s been gaining steam as a recognized and requested therapeutic modality, a trend that was
...continued on page 38
likely accelerated by the public health precautions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Udler, one reason for the increasing popularity of walk-and-talk therapy is its ability to create a more equitable relationship between therapist and client. Two individuals strolling side by side in a neutral outdoor space presents a very different mental image from the Freudian couch.
“It kind of takes the edge off,” she says. “Clients don’t see that power differential that you might see in an office setting. There’s this feeling of, ‘We’re in this together.’”
The modality also taps into what Udler describes as “the healing power of nature.”
“You wouldn’t believe the things in nature that can be so helpful and supportive for people. Maybe they’re dealing with grief and loss and see the flowers blooming in the spring, and they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s a whole cycle.’ Even the weather can parallel people’s moods and make them feel comforted.”
That anecdotal experience is supported by a 2020 study in the Clinical Psychology Review that found the advantages of “added mutuality, freedom of expression, mind-body holism, interconnectedness with the natural world, and practitioner well-being” when talking therapy took place in natural outdoor spaces.
Liberty Lake therapist Mary Ward, who lectures in the children’s studies program at Eastern Washington University, echoes Udler’s idea that nature can act as a “co-therapist.” When she and her
clients take to the trail or visit a park, Ward encourages them to tune into their surroundings in an almost meditative way.
“We’ll do a lot of pausing and taking a breath and noticing what’s around us, just connecting to where we’re at in the present moment and how we feel,” she says. For clients who might be dealing with depression or anxiety, this “built-in opportunity to practice mindfulness” can often bring added balance and calm to a session.
Ward has also seen clients of all ages, and particularly young children, respond well to the simple act of moving. The modest exercise involved in even a basic outing can be uplifting and imbue clients with a sense of accomplishment. Positive experiences like those motivated her to develop Walk Through It, a mental health intervention program designed for college campuses and based on the walk-and-talk modality.
“There’s the release of endorphins that’s going to instantly sort of boost your mood and energize you physically and mentally and emotionally. That can be really impactful when you have been stuck, [because] any kind of mental health issue can really affect your confidence,” she explains.
For all its benefits, outdoor therapy does come with a few extra considerations.
Walk This Way...
A common one is weather, which is solved by either dressing appropriately or moving that day’s session indoors or to an online platform like Zoom.
A potentially trickier one is confidentiality. Both Udler and Ward say that conscientious walk-andtalk therapists should be upfront with their clients about the risk of being seen and have appropriate strategies in place to deal with it. Just as with a traditional indoor therapy session, the important thing is that the client feels safe and at ease.
“We really take it at their pace,” Ward says. “My job as a therapist, and as a walkand-talk therapist, is to meet you where you’re at and get you to a place that feels comfortable.”
How did walk-and-talk therapy get its start?
It’s hard to pinpoint a single, definitive origin for a practice that began quite casually. Many practitioners, including Jennifer Udler, cite Thaddeus Kostrubala’s The Joy of Running (1976) as an influential consideration of exercise in relation to therapy.
Are the walks challenging?
They’re only as challenging as you want them to be. Walk-and-talk therapists generally tailor their sessions to their clients — whether it’s a short, relaxed stroll around a city park or a long ramble on a rural hiking trail. For exercise buffs, some therapists do cater to the more demanding side of the outdoor therapy spectrum, like jogging or even climbing.
Do you have to wear special clothes?
Not unless your preferred walking route calls for it. In most cases, your everyday casual attire is fine.
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What if someone sees me walking with my therapist?
Inside or out, ethical therapists follow a code of conduct that maintains strict client confidentiality. That means they won’t tell others what you’ve discussed or that you’re even a client. Since they can’t guarantee complete anonymity when you’re outdoors, individual therapists often have a tool kit for gracefully handling those situations. If being spotted by someone you know is a sticking point, be sure to discuss the issue with your walk-and-talk therapist beforehand.
What happens in inclement weather like rain, show or excessive heat?
Simple! Just move that session indoors or online. Walk-and-talk therapy is usually framed as an alternative, not an all-or-nothing proposition. Provided your therapist is game, die-hards can also dress appropriately for the weather and continue their session outside.
— E.J. IANNELLI
Favorite service: Sculptra - I love the boosted skin quality
High school: New Canaan High in Connecticut
Pets: 2 dogs Killi and Rae
Coffee order: Matcha from Indaba
Current Favorite skincare product: I alternate between C.E. Ferulic and Alto Advanced for brightening and skin cancer prevention
Bucket list trip: New Zealand - May need 2 months off Favorite Restaurant: Cochinita
Favorite service: Dysport (bye bye wrinkles)
High school: University High School
- Spokane
Pets: 2 dogs Koda & Tuck
Coffee order: Iced caramel sauce latte from New Love
Current Favorite skincare product: P-Tiox! My skin is glowing
Bucket list trip: Italy & Greece
Favorite Restaurant: Wooden City
KENNADIE
Favorite service: Dermaplane + Hydrafacial
High school: Mt. Spokane High School
Pets: Boxer/Pit named Ca$h
Coffee order: Caramel americano (Half flavor) from Daily Habit
Current Favorite skincare product: SkinCeuticals Phyto Brightening Treatment
Bucket list trip: Maldives
Favorite Restaurant: Vieux Carre Nola Kitchen
Favorite service: Microneedling w/ Stem Cell Growth Factors
High school: Riverton High SchoolRiverton, Wyoming
Pets: A sherprador named CeCe
Coffee order: Iced coconut Mocha, yum!
Current Favorite skincare product: AlphaRet Peel Pads
Bucket list trip: Maldives
Favorite Restaurant: My Kitchen! I love to cook!
For 34 years, Partners INW — formerly Spokane Valley Partners — has been working to provide the community with essential items such as food, clothes and diapers to support and empower those struggling financially.
“Our agency started as kind of a grassroots movement in the Valley,” CEO Cal Coblentz says. “Initially it was a community center, but it was started by a network of churches and politicians and business owners to meet the critical needs of families that were struggling.”
For a number of years, Spokane Valley Partners mainly focused on serving residents in the Spokane Valley area, but the recent name change reflects its growing outreach in the Inland Northwest.
beginning to strengthen our partnership, so we’re taking on some of the responsibilities that they have done in the past so that they can do new things and we can help support them,” Coblentz says. “So we became the lead agency for Spokane County for the emergency food contracts.”
Partners INW also has a diaper bank, which distributes about 300,000 free diapers each year throughout 15 counties in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
PARTNERS INW 10814 E. Broadway Ave., Spokane Valley partnersinw.org
Coblentz says that the food bank has seen significant growth over the past few years, serving about one-fifth of the county’s population last year, and also taking over three Washington State Department of Agriculture contracts that were originally at Spokane’s Second Harvest.
“Second Harvest and Partners INW are
“If you know anything about diapers, they’re extremely expensive — it can cost 100 bucks a month depending on what stage your baby is in,” Coblentz says. For families already struggling to afford food and rent, the additional cost can be a huge burden, leading to a cascade of issues, including putting families in a “health crisis [in which] maybe they don’t change the diapers as often because they don’t have replacements. Or they can’t go to day care because they don’t have diapers,” Coblentz says. “That’s a real crisis that isn’t supplemented by any kind of program, state or federal, as far as helping people with diapers, so we took that mission on in 2018.”
The organization also provides services to help with medical expenses, rent and
utility costs. The clothing bank provides a wide range of free clothes.
Find more info on donating food, clothing and hygiene items as well as ways to volunteer at partnersinw.org.
1509 W. College Ave.
Working to provide Spokane residents with essentials for daily life, Our Place Community Outreach is a food and hygiene bank with services that are open to all. In addition to the food and clothing bank, Our Place assists with Avista bills for those in the West Central neighborhood, runs a bus pass program and offers laundry services. “About 90% of our clientele are in homes, but they’re on the margins, just one electricity bill or one emergency situation or one rent increase from being homeless,” Executive Director Tracie Swanson says. “Everything we do here is aimed at keeping people in their homes, and we’re doing our best to reduce the homeless population in Spokane by providing services that will keep people in their homes.”
For more information on volunteer or donation opportunities, visit ourplacespokane.org.
3102 W. Whistalks Wy.
For nearly 60 years, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (SNAP) has been working to provide low-income individuals with resources and connections that create lasting opportunities. SNAP offers a variety of resources to assist those working to achieve or maintain home ownership, including assistance with loans and home repairs. The organization also offers energy conservation and weatherization advice. The Women’s Business Center provides help with consulting, training and financing for entrepreneurs. More information can be found at snapwa.org.
10275 N. Atlas Rd., Hayden
Formerly Kootenai Humane Society, Companions Animal Center is a no-kill shelter for cats, dogs and small animals, such as birds and rabbits, that can be adopted. Companions offers low-cost spaying and neutering services for pets, as well as low-cost vaccines and microchipping services. There’s also a food pantry for low-income pet owners in Kootenai County, providing cat and dog food for up to five animals in a household once a month. The Safe Haven for Pets program is a partnership with Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center, allowing clients who are living in a shelter or housing program that doesn’t allow pets to place their animals into a foster program. To donate and for more information on Companions Animal Center, visit companionsanimalcenter.org.
There’s been a tremendous uptick in travel abroad since the lifting of COVID-related restrictions. So much, in fact, that it’s impossible to browse the internet without coming across an article about certain popular destinations experiencing a backlash from the locals regarding tourists. While it’s always exciting to travel to other countries, it’s sometimes easy to forget that here in the Inland Northwest we can easily do just that without flying anywhere but by simply driving to Canada.
With COVID restrictions a thing of the past, one no longer needs to download the Travel Canada app, or show proof of vaccination, or make a reservation at the appropriate border crossing. These days you can simply grab your passports, load the family into the car, and head north.
Better yet, you can easily travel to a destination where people are happy to see you and your tourism dollars. One such community, which is bursting at the seams with activities for everyone, is just a five-hour drive from Spokane. It’s found in the Columbia Valley and specifically in the communities of Invermere and Panorama, British Columbia.
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Late summer/early fall is a great time to make the journey to avoid the cold and dark winter months and fully capitalize on all the area has to offer. Of course, five hours can be a long time to keep the whole family happy in the car, so luckily there is a great midway stop to break up the trip.
Just over three hours from Spokane is Cranbrook, B.C., population about 20,000. A fantastic stop for lunch is the HEID OUT RESTAURANT/FISHER PEAK BREWING. The large, airy space provides great options inside and out, and the menu features locally sourced foods including everything from its famous Baked Potato Hot Dog to a Char Siu Prawn bowl. With a huge variety including vegan and gluten-free options, there’s sure to be something for everyone.
As the largest community along the way with plenty of options to eat or stay, Cranbrook’s also a great place to do your shopping if your lodging has a kitchen.
Driving farther north, the scenery just gets bigger and better as Highway 93 delivers you into the Columbia Valley nested between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains.
Traveling past picturesque Columbia
Lake, you encounter the beginning of what becomes a seemingly endless array of one of the Valley’s biggest attractions: golf courses. The courses are so abundant there is even a COLUMBIA VALLEY GOLF TRAIL that includes 10 courses within a 40-minute drive, all located near the highway. Those aren’t the only courses though. A short drive off the highway — past Invermere and on up to Panorama Mountain Resort — leads to one of Canada’s top-rated courses, Greywolf.
While it is a fantastic ski destination in winter, Panorama does not lack for fun in other seasons. There is an abundance of lodging options, from rooms in the recently updated APPROACH HOTEL to multi-bedroom condos with full kitchens, all of which include access to the expansive pools and hot tubs. All options are conveniently available through a central reservations system.
The resort itself offers scenic chairlift rides, recently expanded mountain biking trails, mini golf, tennis, hiking and much more. For thrill seekers, this season Panorama has added the Wild Rider Mountain Coaster and Timberline Traverse aerial ropes tower.
Just minutes from the resort, Toby Creek Adventures offers incredibly scenic ATV tours accessing waterfalls and the surrounding mountain peaks as well as shuttle-accessed downhill mountain biking
and a top-notch mountain bike skills park.
If it’s whitewater you seek, check out one of Kootenay River Runners quick trips right next to the resort on the picturesque Toby Creek. For a scenic hike, track down the trails at RITCHIE’S POINT just outside the town of Wilmer, where you can wander endlessly while surrounded by some of the most breathtaking views you’ll ever experience.
With so much going on up at the mountain, one could almost forget to visit Invermere, but that would be a catastrophic failure. A classic small Canadian town, Invermere sits right on the shore of Lake Windermere and offers something for everyone.
For fun in the sun while splashing around, take the family straight to lakefront Kinsmen Beach right in town. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, head a few steps up the hill to the Station Pub, the locals’ favorite for some delicious grub.
…take one of their guides so you learn about… the more than 250 bird species that call the Columbia River Wetlands home.
For the adults in the crowd, make sure to stop in at the Taynton Bay Spirits tasting room located just below the pub. With friendly and knowledgeable service, this place is almost like a candy store for grown-ups. Sample a wide variety of spirits distilled on-site — from Canada’s No. 1 vodka to Taynton Bay Spirits’ own line of tea-infused ready-made cocktails or even a Caesar made with the amazingly tasty pickle infused vodka.
If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, a great activity is a paddle on the Columbia River with COLUMBIA RIVER PADDLE From here you can jump on a paddleboard or kayak and float from Invermere to Radium for about a four-hour tour. You can choose to go self-guided, but it’s highly recommended to take one of their knowledgeable guides along so you learn about the history of the area and in particular the more than 250 bird species that call the Columbia River Wetlands home. You’re virtually guaranteed to see bald eagles, osprey and maybe even a heron or two. A pro move for the tour is to stop by Valley Foods in Invermere and put together a delicious lunch from their nearly overwhelming variety of grab-andgo prepared foods along with unique beverages you won’t find back home in the states.
If a more sedate option is appealing, you can easily spend an entire day wandering the picturesque streets of downtown Invermere, stopping into any of the myriad shops and restaurants. Kick
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the morning off with coffee and a pastry at the bakery, and then it’s time to shop.
For a taste of Canadian Western art, visit Art on 9th. If you came to town unprepared for adventuring, you can find any gear you might desire at the Inside Edge or Valhalla Pure Outfitters. Looking for a unique gift for someone you left back home? Stop in at Three Bears for a selection of uniquely Canadian items or head to TREASURES IN THE WIND and get lost in over 3,000 square feet of upcycled junk, vintage jewelry, clothing and collectibles.
When your wandering eventually leads to hunger, pop into the Spice Hut for deliciously aromatic East Indian cuisine or grab a sandwich from the world class deli located inside one of my favorite butcher shops anywhere, König Meat & Sausage Company. Hopefully you brought a cooler on your trip because you’re going to want to take home a variety of their incredible house-made sausages.
With so much to do and so many delicious places to visit in town, on the mountain or in the surrounding areas, you’d best plan for a very long weekend, because no matter how much time you allow, you’re going to leave already planning your next visit to experience all the things you missed on this trip.
Downtown Spokane’s Boo Radley’s “puts a smile on most people’s faces.”
BY SUMMER SANDSROM • PHOTOS BY YOUNG KWAK
Across from the fountain at Riverfront Park, you might notice a collection of fun oddities and decor in the windows of the colorful gift store Boo Radley’s.
“We’re a quirky little gift shop where you’re going to find kind of an offbeat gift for anyone in your family or for friends,” says owner Jen Menzer, who bought the store from founders Kris and Andy Dinnison in 2022. “We’ve got some traditional things, like we do have Spokane-themed magnets, postcards and T-shirts, but then we also have some off-the-wall, funny, humorous gifts.”
232 N. Howard St. shopbooradleys.com
Boo Radley’s also has a small candy aisle right next to its large assortment of toys and plushes, along with some quirky home and kitchen items that make great gifts for people of all ages. The store occasionally carries oddities like Sonny Angels, Japanese figurines that have recently taken the internet by storm. Menzer says the shop has sold them for the past two decades, but with the figurines’ increasing popularity, Boo Radley’s holds product drops every few months, often resulting in a line down the street.
Upon walking in, you’re greeted with a collection of unique gifts and apparel in the center of the store, with quirky cards, unique mugs and sarcastic socks lining the walls.
Keep walking down the aisle, and you’ll find an array of games and puzzles, books about monsters, horror, mystical topics like tarot and astrology, fandom books and cookbooks, and an array of other humorous reads, along with some unique home decor and lights.
Menzer says the store has changed since it opened 31 years ago. There are far fewer gargoyles and tapestries in the shop now, but the overall goal of Boo Radley’s lives on.
“It’s always had the same intention — to bring a smile to someone’s face and to provide something that you won’t find at a big-box store in Spokane,” Menzer says. “People should come in if they’re looking for something different and if they just need a little pick me up. I think Boo Radley’s puts a smile on most people’s faces.”
808 W. Main Ave., third floor
Next door to Nordstrom in River Park Square, Whiz Kids carries an assortment of specialty toys that you won’t find most anywhere else. The store originally opened in the mid-’80s, relocating to River Park Square in 2015. It was purchased by Kathleen and Julia Lara in 2022.
“Because we’re a specialty retailer, we do try to buy things that are geared more towards the specialty market. You may see some similar stuff, but we try to carry higher-end stuff too,” says Kathleen Lara, adding that among the store’s most popular items are plushies, including small stuffed animals for younger kids and larger ones for all ages.
222 S. Washington St.
Harboring a wide assortment of wines from around the world while also maintaining a focus on ones crafted in the Northwest, Vino! is great for those looking to expand their palate. Vino! hosts weekly wine tastings, as well as events with winemakers and wine dinners. The store also has a Wine of the Month Club. Start with a bottle of wine for $15 a month or expand your horizons through one of five price levels. At a cost of $50 annually, Vino!’s Connoisseur Club provides an added 15% off every bottle of wine you buy for a year. To join Vino!’s club or to buy a membership as a gift, visit vinowine.com.
6320 N. Ash St. and 2915 E. 29th Ave., Suite C
For 21 years, The Urban Canine has been providing a wide selection of natural pet foods and unique collars, toys, apparel and fun treats for your four-legged friends. In addition to essential items for dogs and cats, find a variety of specialty items including natural shampoos, as well as supplements to help with digestion, joint issues, and skin and coat, all designed to keep your pups healthy. CBD products intended to help calm down anxious pets in general or during particularly loud holidays like the Fourth of July are also in stock. Need some boots to keep those cute paws safe during the hot summer months or a water bottle to keep your dog hydrated on a hike? Find those and much more at one of The Urban Canine’s two locations.
Locos’ chef Victor Lewin brings Texas brisket and hospitality to the Hillyard neighborhood
BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM • PHOTOS BY YOUNG KWAK
“After all is said and all is done, it’s just me and you.”
Victor Lewin can pull Willie Nelson lyrics from thin air, like this one from the country legend’s ode to friend ship “Me and You.”
“There’s no such thing as a stranger,” Lewin says. “There’s just me and you — it goes back to Willie Nelson. That chord really made a difference to me, like making sure that we’re wel coming everybody.”
Lewin is the chef and heart behind Locos, a Texas comfort food spot in Hillyard’s United Building. The antique bank is now a modern-day food court that also hosts Bellwether Brewing and Derailer Coffee.
Originally from Waco, Texas, Lewin’s Southern hospitality prioritizes good food and good friends to share it with. His restaurant Locos is a spinoff of The Grain Shed, a local brewery and bakery that champions high quality Palouse grain and Dolly Parton merch.
Locos leans into Lewin’s background with barbecue, brisket and burgers, but a similar respect for ingredients. Quality meat from nearby ranches, local veggies, and a smoker, griddle, or broiler set just right mean dinner’s gonna taste good. Once guests get to the table, Lewin would rather people talk to each other than fuss over food.
“Once everybody sits down at the table to eat, there’s no classes,” he says. “I feel like that’s something that’s pretty Texan. You know, come in out of the weather, get something to eat, share a story, tell a joke, sing a song, listen to music.”
Lewin is well over 6 feet tall, with a long braided ponytail and a low baritone voice sweetened by a Southern drawl. He’s known for hitting up the antique shops up and down Market Street and bringing back random accoutrements like mini trains, Kiss figurines and a real leather saddle. (He offered to wear a luchador costume for this photoshoot.)
Locoschef/ownerVictorLewin
experiencing new cultures, and sitting around a table with friends and family and other people’s friends and families... I’ve been very fortunate to experience a majority of cultures without traveling to those countries.”
Lewin’s Scottish grandfather was a pastry chef who inspired Lewin with the time and technique he invested in mastering a culinary skill, plus his ability to adapt to his surroundings.
Lewin grew up in Texas to a mother from Scotland and a father from Chile. In central Texas, he had friends from Vietnam, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
His grandfather would spend summers with them in Waco and would “get a sunburn on his bald head, then go back to Scotland with a tan and a new bolo tie,” Lewin says. “He was an honorary Texan. He loved Texas and was just enamored with the wide open spaces and the countryside and the abundance of barbecue.”
Even though you can take a man out of Texas, you can’t take Texas out of a man. When Lewin and his mother moved to Denver, Lewin took a job at an Italian deli. The teenager was front row to salamis and formaggi he had never heard of, but he was also taken care of as part of the family. He fell in love with Italian hospitality, which wasn’t a far cry from the Southern generosity he was used to.
“It was really neat to be able to try all this new stuff that I’d never seen before — these amazing cured meats coming out of Italy, these really delicious cheeses, and then hands on learning how to make sausage,” he says. “But then, there was always something cooking. We never went hungry. Part of the job was to make sure we were well fed.”
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INGREDIENTS:
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup dried hibiscus flower
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 red onions
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine water, sugar and vinegar in a pot and bring to a boil. Steep Hibiscus flowers in hot brine for 20 minutes.
2. Shave red onions thin. Sprinkle with salt.
3. Strain the brine.
4. Put onions in a container and pour the strained brine over. Let sit 24 hours.
Serves 4-6 people
INGREDIENTS:
For red aromatics puree:
• 8 oz. dried guajillo chili
• 8 oz. dried ancho chili
Locos chef Victor Lewin says the Texas Chili recipe he shares here is simmered for 24 hours. But if you don’t want to take on that challenge, feel free to pop open your favorite can of chili and top with the beautiful Hibiscus Pickled Onions.
Or, Lewin says, “If they want it simmered for 24 hours, they’re gladly welcome to come in here and try it.”
• 8 oz. dried chili New Mexico
• 4 oz. dried chili negro
• 1 large onion
• 1-3 garlic cloves
• 1 large bunch cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. dried marjoram
• 2 oz. fresh oregano
• 1 Tbsp. allspice berries
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2 to 4 cloves
For chili powder, combine:
• 1/2 cup ground dried Chili New Mexico
• 1/2 cup ground dried Ancho chili
• 1/8 cup ground cumin
This makes more than you’ll need, so save the remainder for another time.
REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
• 3 lbs. ground beef — coarsely ground, not too lean
• Salt
• 2 white onions
• 1-3 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon, plus dried oregano, allspice, and clove as desired
• 3 Tbsp. masa, approximately
• Apple cider vinegar, to taste
PART 1:
1. Make “red aromatics,” a blend of chilies, herbs, spices, garlic and onion.
2. Soak dried guajillo chilies, dried ancho chilies, chili New Mexico and chili Negro in water until plump.
3. Pull the stems and take some or all of the seeds out, depending on desired spice level.
4. Add rehydrated chilis to a big pot of water with onions, garlic, cilantro (with the stems), marjoram, fresh oregano, cumin seeds, allspice berries, and cloves. Simmer until tender, up to six hours.
5. After simmering, puree in a blender.
6. Strain out the seeds and the pulp through a fine colander. Set aside.
1. Brown ground beef in a large pot and season with salt and chili powder. Sweat down until a lot of the fat is rendered out, continually seasoning it with chili powder.
From Victor: You wanna do this over low heat, not super blasting high. You really want those flavors to develop. You don’t want to burn your chili powder because it’ll taste bitter and not very pleasant
2. While the beef is browning, small dice the onions and chop the garlic fine.
3. Add onions to beef to sweat the onions in the fat that comes out of the beef. After the onions are sweating, add the garlic, being careful not to burn it.
4. Once the beef is seasoned, the onions are soft and the garlic is aromatic, put a little bit of water in the pan to deglaze the bottom.
5. Add a little more chili powder, then add the red aromatics puree.
6. Simmer. While it’s simmering, add cinnamon, dried oregano, allspice, and clove to taste.
From Victor: At this point, use these spices somewhat sparingly. Add just enough to make the chili a little more aromatic.
7. The base should be thin, but not as thin as water. To thicken, add small spoonfuls of masa one at a time. Whisk constantly to activate it and thicken. Continue to add masa until desired consistency is achieved.
8. Simmer for up to 24 hours.
9. Before serving, adjust salt and chili powder to taste. If a brighter flavor is desired, add a little bit of apple cider vinegar.
1. Lewin prefers Texas Hot Links and grills them to give them an appetizing char mark.
2. Toast hot dog bun heavily. Lewin especially likes Pioneer Rolls by Franz because “they hold up and they’ve got a nice bite to them.”
3. Put hot dog in bun and load up with your favorite toppings!
In addition to Texas Chili and Hibiscus Pickled Onions, Lewin also enjoys topping a hot dog with sour cream, pickled jalapeños, “and then, as you know, I’m a good Texas boy — I gotta have Fritos on everything. I put Fritos on the damn thing, too.”
— RECIPES COURTESY OF VICTOR LEWIN
Later, Lewin moved to Seattle to pursue cooking even further. He spent hundreds of hours cleaning carrots and leeks for fine dining restaurants.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of my career chasing the Michelin stars like everyone does,” he says. “I realized that the customers in the dining room have no connection to me. I don’t get to know their name. I don’t get to know their story.”
Lewin found more purpose as an executive chef at Microsoft. The Seattle campus had plenty of young, hip employees who wanted to eat healthier than typical cafeteria food, plus a huge population of Indian employees. Lewin and his team learned to make authentic Indian curries from scratch for hundreds of lunches each day.
“Indian food, it’s fun to cook,” Lewin says. “The more exposure you get to cooking something, the more it challenges you, and the more depth and flavor you can create and figure out. I don’t think that a chef should be a one hit wonder. They should be able to interpret almost anything.”
Lewin and his family eventually moved from Seattle to Spokane for a slower pace of life and a better chance at opening his own business, though it wasn’t clear what that would be.
From Scottish baking and Italian sandwiches to fine dining and mass-produced curry, it gets harder and harder to put Lewin in a box. He’s a Texan who absolutely loves the snow in the winter. And even though he’s currently settled on selling barbecue, it turns out he’s a pit master who often prefers eating plants.
“Truth be told, I cook a lot of meat here. But in my personal life, I don’t eat it every day,” he says. “I’m completely comfortable cooking plant based, vegetarian, vegan, whatever.”
No matter who you are or what you eat, Lewin wants you at his table. He’s the perfect chef for The United Building’s mission to create a welcoming gathering place in Hillyard. The working-class neighborhood had lost some of its luster in recent decades. But Lewin is helping create a beloved third place, a second living room, for his neighbors to share life, ideas, and some good jokes.
“We want to be a place where you make up, break up, and everything in between,” Lewin says.
In deep sepia paint on a white wall, a woman in a flapper gown ignores the gaze of an enamored admirer. The mural’s painter, wellknown Spokane artist Daniel Lopez, named the woman Magnolia.
She’s a patron saint of the restaurant underneath Hotel Indigo on the west end of downtown Spokane. That restaurant used to be Magnolia American Brasserie. But now it has a new owner, new chef and new, simpler name — Doña-Magnolia, or “Lady” Magnolia.
Doña-Magnolia opened in March and is one of Spokane’s newest fine dining spots, helmed by chef Manuel Montijo, who’s also new in town. Montijo, who trained at the now-closed Oregon Culinary Institute, spent years in fine dining in Portland and is excited to open his first restaurant in Spokane.
French,” Montijo says. “I always find that [when] you have no restrictions to guide your menu, you can play around and do a little bit of everything.”
Montijo isn’t exaggerating. For appetizers at Doña-Magnolia, you can try deep-fried risotto balls called arancini, a plate of tuna and salmon ceviche, or spicy Szechuan dumplings. For dinner, try rosé pasta, a New York steak, sausage fried rice, green coconut curry or grilled salmon tacos.
110 S. Madison St., Spokane donamagnolia.com, 509-862-6410
Mon-Thu 7 am-10 am and 3-8 pm; Fri-Sat 7 am-9:30 pm; Sun 7 am-8 pm
Montijo was handpicked by co-owner Fredy Martinez, who also owns Molé Restaurant in Kendall Yards, to curate an experience inspired by international flavors and modern flair.
“We wanted to make it a little bit different, as opposed to just being
If that’s not enough, Montijo aims to rotate the menu every three months or so.
Doña-Magnolia is already proving to be a popular pre-show dinner spot before concerts at the Fox Theater, which is just across the street. The restaurant can comfortably seat about 100 people, but it’s best to make a reservation beforehand to make sure you can get to your show on time.
For those with a little more chill time on their hands, Doña-Magnolia’s happy hour is every day from 4-6 pm and offers 10% off the entire menu, including drinks.
— ELIZA BILLINGHAM
1307 N. Hamilton St., Spokane
Open daily (except Tuesday) 10 am-8 pm
Mike Oehm opened Paper St. Coffee Co., a coffee and sandwich shop a few blocks north of Gonzaga University’s campus, last year. He’s transformed the spot into something unexpected and a little crazy, with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek — not completely unlike the original Paper Street Soap Co. of Fight Club fame.
The thrifted or handmade furniture inside Paper St. is mixed, sort of matched and almost all for sale. Pulp paperbacks line shelves, plus a Shots and Ladders drinking game, a Lego Batmobile set, and a Prohibition-era briefcase filled
with cocktail accoutrement — all also available for purchase.
If there’s one thing the former Brooklyn Deli employee is serious about, it’s his sandwiches. Most of the two dozen-ish sandwiches at Paper St. take inspiration from Brooklyn’s menu. Each lunch sandwich is served with chips and a spicy pickle spear made in house.
But if you’re there before lunch, grab a killer bagel breakfast sandwich or Belgian waffle pops for a fun twist on a brunch classic.
Even if your meal doesn’t come with a pickle, you can still buy a whole pickle on its own for $2.50. These things are seriously good, thanks to co-owner Bryan Toston’s decade of pickle expertise. (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
909 W. First Ave., Spokane Open daily 7 am-2 pm
What’s better than breakfast food and a socially acceptable way to day drink?
Breakfast food, a socially acceptable way to day drink, and great service.
Downtown Spokane recently welcomed Rosie’s Restaurant, a new brunch spot adjacent to Hotel Ruby on West First Avenue. The newest addition to the Ruby Hospitality group is named after owner Jerry Dicker’s mother. The space was previously home to Incrediburger & Eggs, and more recently, the Spanish tapas restaurant de España. But now it’s a convenient spot to grab a breakfast burrito or Caruso’s sandwich (another Ruby eatery), plus it offers a 15% discount to guests staying in the next-door hotel.
A fast-casual model means guests order at the front counter, find themselves a seat, and then enjoy food delivered to their table. Diners can get food to-go or can stay at the restaurant for as long they like. Convenience without commitment. (CASSANDRA BENSON)
309 E. Lakeside Ave., Coeur d’Alene Tue-Sun 11 am-9 pm
About six months after opening the first Afghan restaurant in Spokane, Nasrollah and Samira Mohammadi of Emran Restaurant and Market have opened a second location in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The restaurant can seat about 100 people and also provides take out and catering services.
The menu is similar to Spokane’s, featuring central Asian favorites like kebabs, curry, a sweet and savory rice dish called pulao, and Afghan dumplings called manto.
The new Coeur d’Alene location doesn’t have a market like the expanded restaurant in Spokane does, but it’s sure to bring lots of new flavors and experiences to North Idaho nonetheless. (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
Bardic Brewing and Cider offers up craft beverages and plenty of cheer in Spokane Valley
STORY BY WILL MAUPIN • PHOTOS BY ERICK DOXEY
In the middle of a shopping center at the bustling intersection of Sprague and Sullivan, Courtney and Mark Haney have managed to carve out a cozy space for the area’s craft beer and cider community.
“We really try to go for the kind of old world cozy living room. We don’t have TVs. We’re family friendly. When we’re working, our kids are here,” Courtney says.
In a part of Spokane Valley that is dominated by national retailers and chain restaurants, Bardic Brewing and Cider fills a void with its warm, locally made atmosphere. As two community-minded people, bringing a cozy environment to the neighborhood is important to the Haneys.
Courtney moved to the area when she was 8 years old, and Mark’s been here his whole life. He laughs about not getting out much when he says, “I was born and raised about 200 feet away from where I live now.”
More than just having roots in the community, the community was there when the Haneys needed it most. When they opened their location at the Sullivan Square Shopping Center, they had no idea that in three months the world would grind to a halt because of a pandemic.
“The community has been fantastic. We had a lot of people that would come specifically to support us. I remember having winters where our patio, we had heaters and people were in their parkas and bringing blankets and sitting out there with cold beer,” Courtney says.
In the years since, Bardic Brewing and Cider has become part of the fabric of that community that came to support them in those early days. Events like weekly trivia on Tuesdays or the Lego weekends every few months help bring people together for more than just beer or cider. There are even some opportunities for neighbors to get involved in the production side of things as well.
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“We’ve got a gal, she is like two blocks that way, who has a little orchard on her property, and we go pick her apples and turn that into cider. And I’m about to launch the community cider, which is when people bring in whatever fruits, vegetables or herbs that they grow and then we turn that into a cider. It’s always very weird,” Courtney says with a laugh.
Unlike many breweries that focus on the beer and push cider to the side, the two share the spotlight at Bardic Brewing and Cider. With around 16 options on tap on any given day, the split is usually close to 50-50 between beer and cider.
“We’d go to local breweries, and I’m not as much of a beer drinker, so I would have one option all the time. It was the same option a lot of times, no matter where we went. It was a good option, but it gets old after a while,” Courtney remembers.
That experience informs how Courtney approaches Bardic’s cider offerings. Rotating options bring variety, whether that’s easy and floral like the vanilla lavender cider or hot and tangy like the Carolina Reaper and ginger, but she also keeps some familiar favorites on tap for those looking for a more traditional cider.
“My goal is to always have something sweet, something dry and something in the middle,” Courtney says.
While Courtney is working to make the cider, Mark is busy brewing the beer, and if some of her ciders sound adventurous, wait until you hear about his beers.
As our interview pivoted to the brewery side of the operation, when asked to describe their preferred styles, Courtney wondered aloud if they even had an IPA on tap at the time.
Mark reminded her that they did have
one IPA on tap, an 18 percent ABV one, but an IPA nonetheless, before adding that they’d released an even stronger 22 percent IPA previously.
“I like to keep the beers here kind of in the English, Irish, Scottish style. I do love a good IPA, I just don’t make many of them, and they are absolutely everywhere. So I tend to stick with the maltier, richer, stronger beers. There are usually at least a couple of them that are double-digit ABVs up there,” Mark says.
On the other end of the spectrum are their nonalcoholic offerings, including homemade sodas like orange cream and root beer.
“My goal is to always have something sweet, something dry and something in the middle,”
Those aren’t only meant for the non-drinkers or the designated drivers, they’re a popular pairing for kids to go with their homemade pizza or ice cream.
“Root beer floats are a thing for sure,” Mark says, before returning to the strong stuff and adding, “Russian imperial stout float is, yeah… that is a thing.”
It’s that creative, adventurous and welcoming approach that has helped Bardic Brewing and Cider endear itself to the Spokane Valley community that the Haneys value so much.
Julie Wolter, the dean of Gonzaga’s rebranded School of Health Sciences, is all about taking the road less traveled
STORY BY E.J. IANNELLI PHOTOS BY ERICK DOXEY
There are what you might call “traditional” paths in academia that advance in a very linear way. A person on one of these paths might go from undergrad to high-level administrator without ever having stepped outside the university system.
By that standard, Julie Wolter is far from traditional.
Wolter, who was appointed last year to lead Gonzaga University’s freshly rebranded School of Health Sciences, spent her early career working in rural health care. After obtaining a master’s degree from Western Washington University in speech-language pathology, she took a position in that field near Boise, Idaho.
“I worked a lot with pediatrics and children who had developmental language disorders, which also affected their ability to read and write,” she explains.
What concerned her was that some of the children’s language disorders had gone undiagnosed or untreated because the care network in these rural communities was lacking.
In one instance that Wolter cites as being pivotal to her own professional development, a 5-year-old boy was preparing to enter kindergarten, yet his speech was still mostly limited to echoing others’ words. She quickly realized that he hadn’t been receiving essential language interventions for his autism spectrum disorder.
“I saw that there was limited training, education and even knowledge about how best to help [the demographic] that we call a schoolage population. That really was the impetus for me to return to school to get my Ph.D. to study and to educate others on best practices and supporting that particular population.”
So Wolter returned to the halls of academia, but this time with a focus on, in her words, “how to translate research to practice” — that is, finding ways to ensure that what was being taught and studied in the university would ultimately have real-world impact.
“A really important piece to me,” she says, “was that I had the clinical education that informed the academic side of things.”
Later, during a decadelong stint at Utah State University, Wolter sought to lower some of the circumstantial barriers to education that faced aspiring speech-language pathologists, known in health care circles as SLPs.
Within the university’s Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders and Deaf Education, she augmented the SLP program to offer “very high-quality, highly experiential learning with intensive immersion” to students who might have been restricted by traditional classroom-based learning.
The goal, she says, was to “essentially convert in-person training that was only in the summers ... into full, year-round distance access programming, where they would stay in their rural communities and serve and do their clinical rotations in those communities.”
That was followed by a move back to her home state of Montana in 2015. In Missoula, where Wolter rose to become associate vice provost for innovation and online learning at the University of Montana, she built on her prior work in Utah.
In particular, she wanted to ensure that other marginalized populations, such as tribal communities, were getting the health care professionals they needed.
To that end, she secured a $1.25 million U.S. Department of Education grant with a view to funding students “to be able to stay, serve, graduate and then become clinical specialists in those communities where there were severe critical shortages.” One of the program’s graduates went on to fill a 20-year vacancy in a rural Native American school district.
Along with programs like these, Wolter conducted research that had practical implementation in mind. A multiyear study she carried out through the National Institutes of Health was partly intended to be a resource for legislators tasked with crafting policies on screening young school-age children for dyslexia and developmental language disorders.
That track record of outward-looking programs and projects would become prelude to Wolter’s new role as dean of Gonzaga’s School of Health Sciences, where
she aims to continue that approach through strategic collaborations, joint research and community-focused initiatives.
With one year now under her belt, she’s already able to point to some key milestones that will set the stage for the nearand long-term. For example, a partnership between Gonzaga and the University of Washington will pool teaching resources, so med students as well as those in human physiology, public health and nursing will have access to expanded course offerings.
“The mission of Gonzaga is very focused on cura personalis, care of the whole person, and how we serve the underserved,” Wolter says. In her view, that institutional philosophy dovetails with her own desire to “create new opportunities for new interdisciplinary connections with the community and to expand health science programming into the areas that are needed in this community and region.”
I have always seen my role as being about mentorship.
And there’s one other important part of her professional journey that Wolter considers nontraditional.
“I have always seen my role as being about mentorship, specifically in the area of women leaders,” she says. “That is maybe a path that hasn’t been as clearly developed ahead of me, and I’ve needed to be that person to forge forward.”
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