Out and About with Dena Wood

When I heard that Bluegrass singer Mark Holt will be performing at the Grain House Grill during the upcoming Mule Mania! Days I recognized it as the perfect opportunity to interview Grill owners Nathan and Dawna Krekula. The fact that my visit was perfectly timed so that I could enjoy my favorite Bacon Bleu Burger with their specialty beer-battered Sidewinder fries was a calculated bonus.

The Krekulas moved to Dayton about three years ago and live with their four children, ages 10 - 16, on 25 acres just north of town. Nathan, a former Army medic and current part-time defense contractor, has spent much of his adult life working away from home and saw the restaurant as a way to change that. The Grill is very much a family endeavor with Dawna out front, Nathan in the kitchen and the kids plating food and busing tables.

"It's been really great for the family," said Dawna. "We're all here together. The kids have been involved from the ground up."

Chief cook and bottle washer, Nathan, says that running a restaurant has been a long-standing item on his bucket list. "I think I cooked my first egg at two. I would take culinary courses at the community college during the summers in high school while everyone else was out having fun," he said.

For years, he has cooked for large family gatherings, weddings and parties and often received feedback that he should start a restaurant of his own. When the Grain House Grill became available he took the opportunity to make that dream a reality.

Krekula said he was repeatedly advised to change the restaurant's name when he took it over from the former high-end steak and wine establishment but he feels the name is wellsuited to the area and was up to a challenge. The fact that they took ownership in February, made things even more difficult. "People say if you can make it through the winter, you can make it," said Nathan, who is pleased with the steady monthly increase in business.

Nathan's goal is to serve Washington-based American cuisine that is priced low enough that it can be enjoyed by the community at large, not just tourists. Pulled pork, brisket and hamburgers are Grain House Grill specialties. The Grill's homemade BBQ sauce - available in spicy or smoky -- is applesauce based and the meats are smoked with apple and pear wood from Warren Orchards. The beer on tap is from Chief Spring's Fire & Irons Brew Pub, just down the street. The Krekula's support of community extends beyond just the food. Several prints from local artist Steve Henderson line the hallway and Nathan hopes to add some of Nick Page's photographs as well. "If we have room to display local artwork, we'll do it. In a small community, we all need to help each other out," he said.

Nathan said he also welcomes the use of the establishment for fundraising events. Recently, the Columbia County Fair Board did just that. "They invited all their friends down to eat, then they waited tables and I cooked the food. They got to keep all the tips as well as 10% of the sales," he said.

Nathan said his next step will probably be to use the Blue Mountain Station to bottle his frequently requested BBQ sauces. His "big dream" would be to build a log cabin style restaurant on the west end of town with smoke pits out back, plenty of parking and a gas station. "In the Army they teach you to have lofty goals. If it sounds impossible, you should reach for it," he said. In the meantime, they'll keep selling burgers and brisket on Dayton's Main Street.

Seattle-based Bluegrass singer and songwriter Mark Holt will be performing at the Grain House Grill on July 18 at 5 p.m. - which is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to the Bacon Bleu burger (or try some brisket or pulled pork) if you haven't already. And if you stop by during the afternoon slump, take the opportunity to ask for the stories behind the tattered flag and the signed photos of celebrities (Ashton Kutcher, Bruce Willis and the Twilight cast to name a few) that adorn the walls. You won't be disappointed.