Morsels

• Claim 52 is making a big move to the former WildCraft Cider Works 232 Lincoln Street building. And the brewery — known for its decadent THICC smoothie-like beers as well as refreshing kölsches — is recruiting kitchen support from Seasoned, an endeavor led by Garrett and Felicia Kirsch. The Kirschs are hanging up their aprons at NorthWest Burgers in PublicHouse (close date April 26) to focus on dishing up a culinary experience at Claim 52’s new spot, which opens May 2. Garrett and Felicia — both alumni of Lane Community College’s one-year culinary program — told Eugene Weekly that the menu for the new building will still have some Claim 52 favorites from the Willamette Street kitchen menu (birria tacos, nachos and tater tots), but they’re also cooking up some updates. In addition to a beer-forward menu, they plan to offer a six-course culinary meal that pairs dishes with Claim 52 beers (or wine and nonalcoholic drinks).

• Speaking of breweries making big moves, Oakshire Commons opened at 416 Main Street in Springfield April 1 (no April fooling here). Oakshire said in a press release that the new spot will feature 20 taps of the brewery’s beers, as well as some local ciders, kombucha and non-alcoholic drinks. Downtown Springfield isn’t just getting a new place to drink beer but also a pizza spot. Starting April 25, the beer house will sell square pan pizzas, similar to their Portland Beer Hall, according to the press release.

• Gluten free bakeries are on the rise in Eugene-Springfield. For years Elegant Elephant Baking Company (120 Shelton McMurphy Boulevard) has been a gluten-free space, (and won for presentation and hospitality at Chefs’ Night Out), but the cadre is growing. Read in this issue about Fig & Bean Bakery, and soon downtown Springfield will have its gluten-free bakery. Estelle Bakery plans to open in the former Lovely spot at 3rd and Main Street. Owner Rachel Rossi tells EW that she hopes to hop up later in April (so keep an eye on the Estelle Bakery Instagram). For now, the menu will feature pastries and savory galettes along with coffee from Wandering Goat. She’s starting as a bakery for now but she hopes to expand the space to offer brunch and a wine bar with desserts

• Dim sum lovers rejoice, Spice N Steam, in addition to its brick-and-mortar restaurant on West 11th Avenue, has opened a food cart. Steam Station Mobile at 725 Olive Street features its handmade dumplings and buns.

Are you a local eatery, food cart or beverage producer with a tidbit of food news? Send it to Chow@EugeneWeekly.com for inclusion in one of Eugene Weekly’s quarterly Chow issues.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!