A talon-ted crew

Neskowin’s Hawk Creek Café is on point

By Sabine Wilson

For the TODAY

When approaching the Hawk Creek Cafe, you are immediately greeted by beautiful architecture with robust wooden framework, accented by the classic Hawk Creek-red, splashed along the porch by the outdoor umbrellas.

Inside, the aroma of made-from-scratch wood-fired pizzas greets you, followed by delicately dressed seafood and grilled burgers. Along the walls, the woodwork weaves in lovely, exposed brick to produce a cozy and warm feel.

Many lovingly refer to the Cafe as “Neskowin’s living room,” so when it changed ownership from Frank and Genie Ullrich to Josh Johnston and Jim Hall, there were pretty large shoes to fill.

Owners of Independent Restaurant Concepts, Johnston and Hall have a profound understanding that every business has its own culture.

“The Hawk Creek Cafe is a magical place,” Johnston said. “It’s the heartbeat of the community and the last thing we wanted to do was come in and do anything to mess it up.”

Both men come from an entrepreneurial background but at the root of it, are close friends that fill in the puzzle pieces for one another, making for a successful business that operates with heart.

“We were both working on building our own businesses but we made an agreement that if each of our business ventures didn’t work out, then we’d try building something together,” Johnston said.

That was more than 17 years ago. Now, IRC has eight brick-and-mortar properties and even has an off-site catering company and consulting arm.

While mostly focused in Portland, the company has expanded to the coast with the addition of the Hawk Creek Cafe, a transition that happened somewhat serendipitously.

“It kind of fell in our lap,” Johnston said. “Frank and Genie share the same accountant with us and when they were deciding to pass on the torch, they were nervous about someone else carrying it. Our shared accountant told them, ‘I know the perfect people.’”

With Johnston and Hall’s successful background in ensuring the continuity of beloved businesses like Produce Row Cafe, established in 1974, Paddy’s Bar and Grill, established in 1979 and even Cadillac Cafe, run by the original owners for 30 years before being passed down to IRC, the partners were well equipped to handle coming into a new space with complete respect for the history that preceded them.

“We got out here and I posted up for three weeks and rented a place so I could learn about the community and understand it a bit better,” Johnston said. “We of course maintained the staff but we also wanted to learn the business and understand how it operates so we can appreciate and honor what Genie and Frank worked so hard to build in the community.”

As many know, Hawk Creek Cafe produces delicious wood-fired pizzas, so one of the first changes included adding more pizza staples to the menu, including the delicious “Truffle Artichoke,” which has a pesto sauce spread topped with fresh, evenly melted mozzarella, sprinkled spinach, parmesan and mushrooms, then drizzled with truffle oil and tender artichoke hearts, all on house-made dough.

Another new item is quickly rising to cult-favorite status.

“We also added the truffle cheese bread,” Johnston said. “It is now one of our more popular items and is only growing.”

The base is a garlic cheese bread that is fired in the wood stove. By the time it gets to your table it is drizzled with hot honey, truffle oil and garnished with green onions. And to add another layer of flavor, it is served with a marinara dipping sauce.

“We’ve had a big year of learning,” Johnston said, “and we can’t wait to get more in touch with all that the customers want.”

Another exciting announcement is that IRC has ventured into improved outdoor seating.

“We expanded the patio this year and we’ve also invested in a tent to cover the deck,” Johnston said. “It will go over the umbrellas so that everyone will still be able to use the lights and heaters, allowing for comfortable outdoor seating.”

While change is always scary at first, the partners work hard to keep their fingers on the pulse of what the loyal clientele of Hawk Creek Cafe want; and they can’t wait to get to know the community even better.

“If you see a bright red golf cart with the Hawk Creek Cafe logo on it driving around, that’s someone in my family or Jim’s,” Johnston said. “Please wave and say hi. We love the village and community and would love to meet you.”

The Cafe on Hawk Creek is located in Neskowin at 4505 Salem Avenue and is open from noon until 8 pm, Sunday through Thursday and noon to 9 pm Friday and Saturday.

For more information, go to cafeonhawkcreek.com.