On Tuesday, June 3rd, Stone Soup PDX Cafe opened at 7400 NE Glisan Street, marking the culinary training nonprofit’s return to direct customer sales after closing its downtown storefront at the start of the pandemic. The cafe will serve breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Starting in July, Stone Soup’s operators expect students to begin staffing the cafe as they learn food service skills in a 12-week program geared toward individuals who have recently experienced housing insecurity.
Cafe ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 2nd
Stone Soup PDX’s Executive Director, Ellen Damaschino, thanked the supporters of the cafe during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 2nd. Her appreciation extended to a collection of project supporters, including local business Montavilla Station, located blocks away off SE Stark Street and 80th Avenue. After brief remarks and a certificate presentation by the East Portland Chamber of Commerce, Damaschino welcomed guests into the corner storefront for samples of some of the caffeinated drinks and pastries on the shop’s menu. The counter-service cafe offers several tables for dine-in customers, or they can take their coffee and food outside, where they can enjoy limited outdoor sidewalk seating. This relaunch of cafe dining is a significant step for the organization, which was forced to cut its customer-facing program due to nationwide challenges. Serving customers in the cafe is in the nonprofit’s roots — sustaining people through both sides of the food service industry.
Stone Soup PDX opened in its original location on NW Everett and Broadway in 2019. They operated primarily as a cafe and training kitchen until COVID-19 forced a shift in the group’s operations. “So it slowed down a lot during the pandemic, and that is when we really kicked up the Community Meals program,” recalled Damaschino. “We make about 1,500 meals a week for the community. Those are for places like shelters, mental health facilities, and transitional housing. So exactly the places that our participants come from.” That shift enabled the organization to establish a production kitchen on SE Powell Boulevard, where program participants spend four weeks preparing meals that volunteer drivers deliver to Portland locations.
A year ago, the organization closed its Downtown location, and in late 2024, they began working from the Beacon at Glisan Landing building on the corner of NE 74th Avenue and Glisan Street, starting with educational programs. In that work, participants receive basic instruction and engage in weekly “check-ins” with the support services coordinators, who work to ensure students have the necessary supplies to succeed in the program. With the cafe now serving customers, students will soon have the option to train in either the NE Glisan Street commercial kitchen or the SE Powell Boulevard location for a four-week segment. This bifurcated path allows students to choose which skills they intend to strengthen. The cafe work will provide students seeking restaurant employment with hands-on experience in a functioning commercial kitchen serving walk-in customers, complete with associated expectations and workflow but guided by the support of instructors.
Stone Soup PDX plans to introduce a new role within the organization that will focus on supporting students as they transition out of the program and enhancing connections between individuals and employment opportunities. That position will also help alums as they find their post-training position in the workforce and begin to secure economic stability, sustaining permanent housing and self-confidence. Through a continued relationship with the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, links from the association’s site will bring potential employers to a directory of Stone Soup graduates, showing the job seeker’s relevant skills. Program operators believe this will become a significant enhancement for students progressing through the program, improving their chances of securing employment and applying the newly acquired culinary skills.
Stone Soup PDX culinary training kitchen
The nonprofit encourages people to support Stone Soup by visiting the cafe as part of their morning routine or grabbing some of the shop’s soups and sandwiches for a quick lunch. They also expect the pastries to become a welcomed pleasure throughout the day for those looking for a sweet treat outside of mealtimes. All proceeds support the workforce training program.
Correction: A previous version of this article listed the operating days as Tuesday through Thursday. They are open Tuesday through Friday. Montavilla News regrets this error.
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This weekend, Montavilla businesses will host two days of events along NE Glisan Street, featuring music, vendors, and activities. It starts on Saturday, May 31st, with the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association’s (METBA) 2025 Spring Block Party from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on NE 70th Avenue north of NE Glisan Street. Then, on Sunday, June 1st, Wildcard Barber and their adjacent businesses will host a Pride Month kickoff block party from noon to 5 p.m., with flash tattoos inked by Austin Fillmore and free gender-affirming hot towel face shaves.
The 2024 MEBA Spring Block Party booths
METBA’s event is part of its Spring Fling 2025 celebration and will create a mini street fair with three musicians scheduled by the street activation nonprofit Curbside Serenade. Seven vendors and activity booths will line the block party site, including many neighborhood establishments from around the district.
The May 31st music schedule starts at 10 a.m. with performer Jake Soffer, and then, at 11:15 p.m., Jet Black Pearl takes the stage area. Maeve Steir will close out the live performances with a set starting at 12:30 p.m. More information about the first block party can be found on the METBA.org page.
Wildcard Barber and NightOwl Custom Apparel recently took tenancy within the building that hosts Hinterland Coffee at 7112 NE Glisan Street. The three businesses are collaborating on a June Pride Month party to celebrate the global recognition of LGBTQ+ culture and identity.
Austin Fillmore posts previews of the flash tattoo options at the artist’s website, awwwsin.com. These pre-designed permanent body art designs speed up the inking process, allowing for walk-in service. This vendor is a fitting event for Wildcard Barber to host, as it recently took over the former Highway Tattoo storefront at 7110 NE Glisan Street.
The business owners on NE Glisan invite people to attend their block parties this weekend, marking the cultural start of summer in Montavilla.
Driving west on Northeast Glisan in Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood, you’ll pass a car wash, restaurants, bars, and a strip mall. It’s far removed from the fertile agricultural valleys surrounding Portland. Yet two blocks north sits Montavilla Mini Farm, producing high-quality vegetables from under 6,000 square feet of carefully cultivated soil.
At roughly 6,000 square feet of plantable space, the Montavilla Mini Farm is a masterclass in efficient farming. It’s also a pleasant sight when walking through the northeast section of Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood. (Bryan M. Vance/Stumptown Savings)
In early May, rows of garlic, onions, and overwintered collards thrive, while seedlings of arugula, radishes, beets, and kale emerge from the soil. The farm maximizes every inch of this sunny side lot to grow diverse crops year-round.
“I do a lot of crop rotation,” said Alyssa Perry, the farm’s owner. “I’m strategic about what I plant. I did a lot of learning about what certain plants take out of the soil, and what plants put back in.”
The farm began eight years ago when Perry and her husband relocated from Wisconsin, where she had already developed a passion for growing food.
“In Wisconsin, I transformed first part of the backyard, then the entire backyard, and then the front yard, all to garden,” Perry said.
Wisconsin’s harsh winters shortened the growing season. Perry wanted to live somewhere with milder winters and extended growing opportunities. Portland, in USDA Hardiness Zone 8B, offered that chance.
Upon arrival, Perry found the perfect spot to realize her vision.
“Where the farm is now was just a big grass-fenced-in area,” Perry said. “We’re like, ‘it’s perfect.’ There’s no big trees right here. So it gets a ton of sun, and it’s just the perfect space for the garden.”
But calling it a garden understates what Perry has built: a small farm in the heart of one of Portland’s largest residential neighborhoods. Using organic methods, meticulous planning, and learning from setbacks, she’s created a thriving urban agricultural space.
“The first year that I ever tried to grow stuff, it went terrible,” Perry said. “I got tomato blight, which makes you have to burn the soil. I got huge worms through all of my melons. It was just bad.”
Montavilla Mini Farm owner/farmer Alyssa Perry tends to rows of onions in early May, 2025. In between sessions with her personal training clients, you can often find Perry working her field. (Bryan M. Vance/Stumptown Savings)
Rather than giving up, Perry saw these challenges as learning opportunities.
“I think that’s kind of a fun journey to figure out, become an expert on a different crop year after year, especially as something goes wrong,” she said.
Between sessions with her personal training clients, Perry tends her field —weeding, transplanting, and seeding crops in a continuous cycle.
Her efforts are paying off. The Montavilla Mini Farm will offer 36 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) slots for 2025, during a 16-week season running from July through October. For $380 ($23.75 weekly), members get a box of freshly picked produce. Perry harvests each member’s share the day before pickup, ensuring maximum freshness and quality.
Each box, roughly the size of a large paper grocery bag, contains 6-8 different types of vegetables. While not certified organic, Perry adheres strictly to organic growing methods, using only neem oil and diatomaceous earth for pest control. Her meticulous crop rotation means she only needs to apply fertilizer about once every three years.
One of the ways Perry maximizes her farm’s output is by utilizing vertical farming. By growing vining plants like beans, squash, and more on trellises, she can grow more produce per square foot than with traditional methods. (Alyssa Perry/Montavilla Mini Farm)
Buying directly from Perry ensures that this small-scale farm continues to thrive and supports a vibrant local agricultural economy. Customers get to know the person growing, harvesting, and packing their produce —all at a price that compares favorably with organic stores and markets.
“The love that people show me is very palatable,” she said. “Like 90%, 95% of the time that I am out working, somebody will walk by and stop and tell me how beautiful it is or thank me for having it in the community.”
That’s part of what keeps Perry going. It all comes back to a simple mission: expanding access to high-quality, affordable produce.
You can reach Alyssa Perry and the Montavilla Mini Farm on Facebook and Instagram. There are still open slots in this year’s CSA, but space is limited.
Crosspost: Bryan M. Vance lives in Montavilla and is the editor/publisher of Stumptown Savings, an independent news outlet focused on helping Portlanders shop smarter. Subscribe to Stumptown Savings to get the best Portland grocery deals sent to your inbox each Thursday morning.
This article was originally posted on Stumptown Savings and republished on Montavilla News in cooperation with that publication. Montavilla News does not publish paid content.
On Saturday, April 26th, people can support the House of Dreams nonprofit, which provides shelter and care for abandoned and homeless cats, by buying plants and vegan baked goods. The annual fundraiser, held at 7634 SE Morrison Street, runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and attendees can purchase outdoor or indoor plants, decorative pots, and garden art. The event will also feature vegan baked goods and raffle prizes.
The House of Dreams began in 1999 and has remained an all-volunteer nonprofit organization. They house elderly and medically special-needs cats in a free-roam, no-kill shelter. Operators allow felines who are not adopted to live out their lives at the shelter. The 501(c)3 registered group depends on donations to support the ongoing care of their cats, many of whom are senior or feline leukemia-positive (FeLV+) animals. Event operators say all proceeds from the sale will go directly to the care and shelter of the cats at House of Dreams.
People walking back from the 19th annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade, which runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., could stop by the sale to extend their outing and help a community organization. However, those who can not attend this fundraising event but want to support the organization’s efforts can visit the group’s website, kittydreams.org/support-us, to contribute in other ways.
Tréla Greek Kitchen opened at 6000 NE Glisan Street on December 16th, 2024, and introduced weekend brunch service the following March. By summer, the restaurant owner’s parents will open Yiayia’s Greek Sweets shop in an adjacent space, serving the dessert items made for Tréla, along with Greek beverages and soft-serve ice cream. Since opening, people have flocked to the casual fine dining restaurant’s dinner service, in part due to built-up demand and generational Greek food traditions expressed with a mix of imported and local ingredients.
People first learned about Tréla in 2023 with a fundraising campaign and some early reporting. The group received substantial praise for the concept, with its proximity to the Greek Orthodox church 30 blocks west on NE Glisan Street and its revival of a cuisine disappearing from the Portland restaurant landscape. “One of the reasons there’s not a lot of Greek restaurants right now is because my father’s generation had restaurants, and none of the kids wanted to take over. So once they retired, they just shut down one by one,” explained Tréla owner Napoleon Tzakis. Although Tréla is new, its origin comes from the experience of family-run restaurant culture, with Napoleon’s parents having a long history of feeding the public. Now, their children have this new space, with Anthony Tzakis running the kitchen, Katerina Tzakis overseeing the front-of-house operations, and Napoleon leading the group. The road to opening this next generation of Tzakis-run restaurants started with working alongside their parents, but launching their own place took years of hands-on work and a supportive property owner.
Left to right: Anthony Tzakis, Katerina Tzakis, Napoleon Tzakis, Helen Tzakis, and Denny Tzakis
Napoleon Tzakis recalled signing the lease in November of 2019, with hopes to open in a reasonable timeframe dashed by the pandemic. The building needed substantial work to convert the location from decades of bar operations into the warm dining space that the team envisioned. The building owners took on initial updates as part of the lease agreement. However, the property management is out of state, and that caused delays in renovating the space. By the time they could step into the building, a significant amount of time had passed. “We took possession, and it was our turn to do work. I would say about 85% of the work here is DIY (do it yourself), me and my brother with a couple friends did it,” said Napoleon Tzakis. They next encountered delays from a contractor’s issue installing the commercial exhaust hood in the kitchen, which is a critical part of opening and is often part of fire suppression system certification. Despite the delays in opening, people packed the restaurant nightly from the onset. Napoleon Tzakis attributes some of that early success to the delayed opening. “When we opened, they were excited for us to finally be open. It wasn’t like we just showed up out of nowhere. They knew we were coming, and I think that really helped with the popularity of this place.”
The public support pleasantly surprised Napoleon Tzakis, but his brother Anthony Tzakis was not shocked at all, seeing as this area has such a strong Greek community. Thursday through Sunday dinner service remains well attended, and the restaurant recommends reservations after 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome whenever they can accommodate them, and they offer bar seating where people can order from the full menu. They are open for dinner starting at 4 p.m. every day except for Tuesday and may consider opening every day if demand remains high. Napoleon Tzakis explained that the new brunch service from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays is the only expansion he expects beyond dinner, not seeing a demand for lunch service in the area.
The Greek brunch service is still evolving and features items like traditional Greek Loukaniko sausage, Bougatsa Greek custard pie, Greek yogurt, and an assortment of other brunch items with a Greek touch. People are still learning about the new meal time at Tréla, making it an accessible drop-in option for people wanting to become familiar with the restaurant, as the 80 available seats fill up fast for dinner.
They also offer a bar with imported Greek spirits and a selection from Washington, Oregon, or Utah. “We try to have a Greek liqueur in all of our cocktails, and then our mocktails use Roots Divino, a Greek non-alcoholic liquor,” explained Napoleon Tzakis. “The reason we picked Utah is because me and my brother were born in Utah. We still have family there. Then Oregon and Washington, obviously, because we’re here in the Pacific Northwest.” The regional adherence to the bar’s assortment sometimes bewilders brand-loyal drinkers. However, it is part of the owner’s commitment to supporting other small businesses and sourcing locally whenever not importing from Greece.
Diners will find many traditional Greek dishes on the menu relying on fresh and lightly seasoned meats from local suppliers. They are also known for the fresh pita bread, and dips made in-house daily. They produce 150 to 200 pitas for dinner service, seasoned with local honey and dry oregano to give it a distinct Greek flavor. Visitors also appreciate their calamari due to its rigorous preparation. “We buy whole calamari, cleaning, cutting, and seasoning ourselves. That’s very time-consuming. We’ve tried buying the pre-clean stuff, and they’re just kind of rubbery; we don’t want to lose the quality of the calamari, so we’re continuing to clean our own,” said Napoleon Tzakis. “I think that’s something people should definitely try. I would say it’s one of the best things on the menu.”
For head chef Anthony Tzakis, traditional cooking methods are at the core of how he runs his kitchen. “We try to preserve the heritage here in Portland. Not only our family’s but all the Greek families that we grew up with,” explained Anthony Tzakis. “A lot of recipes my dad passed down, and my grandparents used to cook. We want to try to make it a rustic, old-world feel. Greek food is very simple. It’s more about the little details that make it unique, the preparation and the care you put into making a simple dish.” Two sous-chefs, Caleb and Emmet, support Anthony Tzakis in the kitchen with four line cooks, prep cooks, and a dishwasher rounding out the back-of-house staff. They have a solid starting menu but will work with seasonally available ingredients to keep the offering fresh and the staff passionate. “I want to bring new things, and I want to make the kitchen excited to cook,” remarked Anthony Tzakis.
Helen Tzakis married into the restaurant business but had already absorbed the cooking traditions handed down through her family traditions. “My mother taught me. We learned how to do bread, all the pastries, and the cookies,” recalled Helen Tzakis. Even after leaving the restaurant world, she continued in commercial food production, now running the cafeteria at Stoller Middle School in Beaverton. That is one of the reasons her bakery and sweet shop opening needs to wait until Summer break. Additionally, Yiayia’s Greek Sweets shop still needs updated electrical service to support all the equipment necessary to serve her menu. Helen Tzakis is quick to separate herself from Tréla Greek Kitchen, noting that her children are responsible for its success. She is just the producer of desserts served there. Her shop will have all those items and more based on a wide range of adapted recipes from her homeland.
Yiayia’s Greek Sweets shop can produce many Greek pastries as people have made them for generations. However, Helen Tzakis explained that other items need modifications for large batches or to expand on the base flavors. Her galaktoboureko custard wrapped in phyllo required a tweak to the recipe, making it less tedious to produce at scale. It took considerable effort for the modified galaktoboureko to pass the harshest food critic she knows, her husband and lifelong Greek chef, Denny Tzakis. Her menu will also expand on tradition with baklava cheesecake and a baklava sundae. People visiting Yiayia’s Greek Sweets can also order Greek Coffee and a special imported mountain tea made from a wild growing plant in Greece that everyone from the family home village drinks. Helen Tzakis hopes to open in May but has to contend with her other job. She is training Denny Tzakis to bake her recipes so that Yiayia’s Greek Sweets will run smoothly when the school year starts this fall. They hope to have complementary hours to the restaurant, but it has its own entrance and signage and can adjust hours independently.
The Tzakis family is no stranger to this neighborhood and is excited to establish roots in this corner space. They have a lease renewable for another 21 years and intend to become a fixture for the community. In the early pre-opening days, Napoleon Tzakis had concerns about how people would receive Tréla Greek Kitchen, but that has changed over these last few months. “I didn’t realize how big of a demand for Greek food there was in Portland until we opened up this place. The city actually knows about Greek food,” remarked Napoleon Tzakis. He is now looking forward to growth plans, including live music. After a successful Greek Independence Day celebration, he is considering hosting quarterly Greek nights to deepen the cultural experience. The team also has other unannounced ambitions to serve the community’s needs better, growing this family business for future generations of Greek Portlanders.
Article and photos by
Jacob Loeb
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At 4 p.m. on March 13th, the Montavilla Station bar at 417 SE 80th Avenue will reopen after a repair and maintenance closure. The February 10th notice to customers indicated the business was undergoing deep cleaning and the repair of rotten floor sections. Subsequent posters placed around the neighborhood announced the “Grand Reopening” of the popular bar and entertainment venue on the 13th. For nearly two decades, people have visited the family-owned drinking establishment. However, its history as a central gathering point for Montavilla residents extends further back.
The century-old storefront opened in 1910 after a fire burned many buildings on the block. Early in its existence, Dickson Drugs operated from the space before that staple of Montavilla moved into the corner shop next door, currently home to Yaowarat restaurant. Dickson Drugs featured a soda fountain and served homemade ice cream to residents, ensuring it was a core meeting place. Decades later, a 1982 plumbing permit listed Rose Salvi as the owner of the building, and sometime after that, her daughter Rosalie Williams owned the property. In 2002, Rose Salvi’s son Raymond “Ray” Salvi and his wife Jean took over the property from Ray’s sister. Ray Salvi, longtime owner and president of Portland Disposal & Recycling, started working on a new business called Sassy Jack’s Pub around 2004. The business’s website lists the opening year as 2006, and around 2010, the owners renamed the location Montavilla Station. Raymond Salvi passed away on October 30th, 2018. His wife, Jean Salvi, still owns the building and bar.
Bar logo courtesy Montavilla Station
Montavilla Station adopted its branding from the streetcar line that once stopped in front of its door. Until the 1940s, passenger rail tracks ran up NE Glisan Street from downtown Portland, terminating on NE 91st Avenue near the Mount Hood Railway and Power Company station. That railway line opened in 1911, connecting Montavilla residents with the town of Bull Run. At NE 80th Avenue, the NE Glisan Montavilla streetcar followed a small spur track south until SE Stark Street. It stopped north of SE Stark Street and returned to the mainline on the same single-track along 80th. Segments of that rail line are still under the street.
Montavilla Station is open to people 21 or older from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Patrons can enjoy 14 beers on tap, a full bar, and an assortment of pub food items on the menu. Entertainment options include Karaoke on Wednesday and Thursday nights, pool tables, video lottery games, and shuffleboard.
Portland’s Safe Ride Home Program is back for the Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. This year, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) program supports discounted rides starting within Portland city limits at specific times on Friday through Monday nights, beginning March 14th. Partner ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft will accept provided coupon codes, saving riders $10 off each trip from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on the extended weekend celebration.
People taking a taxi from Kells Portland Irish Festival on the waterfront from March 14th through March 17th and Paddy’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival on March 17th can request a $20 cab coupon from event employees. This program to reduce impaired driving on holidays in Portland dates back to 2017. So far, PBOT estimates it has helped over 3,300 Portlanders celebrate responsibly and get home safely. Funds for this program come from part of the $0.76 charged for every Lyft and Uber ride in Portland, along with taxi permit fees.
People must visit PBOT’s Safe Ride Home Saint Patrick’s Day 2025 starting March 14th to download an Uber or Lyft coupon. Those are valid for rides starting in Portland city limits on Friday, March 14th, through Monday, March 17th, from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The program will cover the first two and a half hours of March 18th for those getting the most out of the Monday celebration. People should also consider taking TriMet and Portland Streetcar for sober transportation. Although they are collecting fares during the weekend, it offers an economically priced way for intoxicated revelers to get home safely and without risking potential harm to others. Additionally, Montavilla and most neighborhoods have bars and taverns within walking distance of a large number of residences, consider drinking local and getting in a healthy walk home after if you feel safe doing that.
To mark a decade of brewing, Montavilla Brew Works will host ten events celebrating its beer and the brewers behind the process. Melissa and Michael Kora opened Montavilla Brew Works at 7805 SE Stark Street on July 15th, 2015, and started using the annual celebration of that event to host a summertime gathering. Michael Kora saw this year as an opportunity to spread the events across their tenth year, giving people more opportunities to participate in the celebration.
The first of ten events already took place with the Valentine’s Day event that also commemorates the founding of Oregon on February 14th, 1859. Since 2021, Montavilla Brew Works has collaborated with the Heart Sticker Company to produce a West Coast IPA that celebrates living in Oregon and features the iconic green heart in the Oregon State outline. They start brewing the small batch in late January to have it ready for a February release party. There was still snow on the ground this year, but Kora was impressed with the number of people who made it out.
On March 8th, the next event taps into the SheBrew Beer Festival, celebrating women in the craft beer and cider industry on International Women’s Day. Montavilla Brew Works’ Cam Brown will release her batch using the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day hops blend. Kora explained that Brown has an affinity for beer as a home brewer and works at his brewhouse in several capacities. This annual event creates an opportunity for the male-dominated industry to make space for underrepresented people to show their skills and encourage more participation while creating tasty beers. “We’re pretty happy with it and it gives me a chance to give the reins to the ladies that work here that are really passionate about beer and want to learn more about it,” said Kora. He stepped aside and let Brown lead the process while helping translate the home brewer skills to a commercial production level. Cam Brown’s SheBrew beer is available on draft only, so people must try it at Montavilla Brew Works or a small selection of taprooms around town. The special batch will yield ten 15.5 gallon-1/2 barrel kegs, so people interested in tasing it should plan on attending the March 8th event for the best chance to experience it. “The idea was for it to stay as fresh as possible and sell as quickly as possible,” remarked Kora.
The following week, on March 15th, Montavilla Brew Works will release Mayor Millie’s Mexican lager in honor of neighborhood icon Millie The Wonder Dog. “We’ve got a little four-legged mayor of Montavilla that comes in here, a little Chiweenie (cross between the Chihuahua and Dachshund dog) named Millie,” explained Kora. “You’ve probably seen her around. Her owner walks her around all the restaurants and some of the bars. She’s just kind of like a mascot; she’s like an ambassador around here.” Montavilla Brew Works will host a launch party, and staff will welcome dogs on the patio. Mayor Millie’s Mexican lager will be available in a can featuring her image.”
Millie The Wonder Dog collaboration label
On April 4th, Montavilla Brew Works will release a collaboration with the Dungeons and Dragons-themed brewery on Hawthorne, TPK Brewing Co. The Export Lager is offered on draft only. Then, in mid-April, Montavilla Brew Works will hold another release party for a collaboration with 10 Barrel Brewing Company. Kora has a long history with 10 Barrel’s R&D Brewer, Danny Connors. “He used to be a Rogue and at Buckman Brewing, where the Green Dragon nano Brewers used to brew. Danny kept in contact, and when I started building this place, I asked him a million questions, and he and I got close,” recalled Kora. “He has moved around a bit since Rogue and then hired by 10 Barrel. He reached out to me [about a collaboration], which I thought was great. It gives us a chance to meet a much wider audience with our collaboration beer.” The modern style IPA will utilize terpenes to create a distinct cannabis-inspired aroma to the brew. Terpenes “are basically the compound responsible for giving plants their aroma and even their flavor,” said Kora. “Chemists will use different biosynthetic compounds and build those aromas in a laboratory to mimic the aromas of cannabis without it being THC because putting THC (the active ingredient in Cannabis) in beer is illegal.” Kora explained cannabis is a botanical cousin to the hops used in brewing, and “It’ll blend really well with the hops that we’re already going to use in that brew.” The combined flavor is also a tip of the hat to 10 Barrel Brewing’s ownership by Tilray Brands, which operates in the craft beer and cannabis industries. They are testing flavors before brewing and have created a palette of pineapple, raw fresh cannabis, and strawberry with other forward berry elements. “they really smell great together,” remarked Kora. The collaborators will make the yet-to-be-named beer available as draft only at Montavilla Brew Works and at 10 Barrel’s Portland pub with limited distribution through Maletis Beverage.
Melissa and Michael Kora touring the Daugherty Auto Service garage 2013 that became MBW. Photo courtesy Michael Kora
As the year progresses, Montavilla Brew Works will refresh its longtime collaboration with East Glisan Pizza Lounge and launch two summertime projects. One is with Nico’s Ice Cream Company; the other is a collaboration between Portland Brewers from Michigan. Michael Kora is from Michigan and discovered several other brewers with similar roots, including Assembly Brewing, Breakside Brewery, Oregon City Brewing, Ruse Brewing, and Upright Brewing. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a lot of years because there were even more Michigan brewers when we started, and some have since gone away or closed,” recalled Kora. “So the plan is to use Michigan-based raw materials like Michigan hops, Michigan malt, or fruit.” The Michigan collaboration may come together in time for the anniversary party date, but the timing could prove challenging. Heading into the fall, they will work on a Palantir German-style dark lager collaboration with Puff Coffee.
People can expect to hear about more collaborations and events as the year progresses, and they often celebrate the anniversary on a Saturday close to July 15th. Following Montavilla Brew Works’ social media is a good way to stay informed about specific dates and times for each event. Michael Kora hopes people will enjoy the variety of celebration dates and find time to join them in commemorating their decade. “Ten years is a big deal, you know, and I don’t want it to just be on one day,” said Kora. “We’re celebrating our friendship with people throughout the year.”
On February 25th, Thatchers Restaurant Lounge announced it had permanently lost access to the back parking lot on SE Washington Street after the lot owner installed chainlink construction fencing around the property. The decades-old bar and eating establishment at 7906 SE Stark Street used the parking lot across the ally for patron parking. The owner of the parking lot and house next door to it recently lost his tenant of 20 years, who operated ASAP Signs from the single-story building that shared the parking lot with Thatchers.
A representative for Thatchers said they knew the parking lot’s owner wanted to sell the home and lot together but were surprised to see the fence installed this week. “The fence being put up came as a surprise to us… It was sudden and unexpected,” wrote Thatchers’ manager Cody Palmer in a text conversation with MV News. The owner of the Limited Liability Company that controls the fenced properties was not immediately available to comment on his plans for the SE Washington Street lots.
The site’s vacancy began late last year when Steven Mills, owner of ASAP Signs, grew tired of “livability conditions” in Portland and decided to move closer to family in Arizona. He relocated his business in October 2024 but has retained some Portland clients as he offers nationwide shipping. Mills explained it was hard to leave the location because his rent barely increased over his time on SE Washington Street, and the property management was “hands off.” He intended to return to Portland to pack up his remaining signage at his former shop but could not travel ahead of the lease’s expiration. Consequentially, Mills asked the property owner to remove leftover items.
Thatchers Restaurant Lounge customers will have to use other parking options, including street spaces on SE Stark Street or SE Washington Street. However, future bike lanes will remove some parking spaces on SE Washington later this year. Thatchers assured patrons through social media posts that they remain open for business and plan to stay in their Montavilla location.
Update: On February 28th, PBOT updated the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project‘s website page to reflect the current designs that reduce the extent of previously indicated south-side street parking removal for bike lane creation. The project will add over 20 marked parking spaces on SE Washington Street from SE 76th to 80th Avenues, replacing the southernmost travel lane. The recreated parking capacity offers slightly fewer spaces than the parking spaces removed. Still, it is a significant benefit for area businesses and residents living in housing on that street that do not have onsite parking options.
On February 22nd, Zwickelmania returns to Oregon with two of Montavilla’s breweries joining more than 50 other craft beer makers from all areas across the state. Host businesses offer attendees Zwickel tasting pours from the fermentation tanks and leading brewery tours. Montavilla Brew Works at 7805 SE Stark Street and Threshold Brewing & Blending at 403 SE 79th Avenue will again participate in this annual celebration of local beer makers. Event organizers will offer sober transportation between sites through a network of shuttle buses that should widen participants’ exposure to Portland’s selection of independent brewers.
Zwickelmania is an annual celebration of Oregon craft beer during Oregon Craft Beer Month, organized by the Oregon Brewers Guild. Member breweries open their production facility to the public for a behind-the-scenes view of their operation and to offer unique sampling opportunities. The event’s name stems from the industry term Zwickel, describing the valve or sample port mounted outside a cask or tank. Brewers use those ports to test the product during fermentation, and this annual event allows people 21 years or older to taste beer from a producer’s perspective.
The 2025 beer-centric program features a safe way for event attendees to enjoy more brewery locations through free shuttle buses that transport people to participating establishments. This service allows drinkers to experience the event in several neighborhoods without getting behind the wheel or losing time taking indirect public transit. “On a day where people are tasting a lot of beers, this is a great way for people to see more breweries and do it safely,” explained Michael Kora of Montavilla Brew Works. During the event hours of 11 a.m. through 4 p.m., buses will depart each location at close to 30-minute intervals. The two shuttle routes overlap at Migration Brewing on NE Glisan Street for riders to transfer. However, there are too many participating locations to reach them all via the bus service during the event timeline, so people must plan to visit their favorite locations first or decide to explore some new beer makers.
Zwickelmania’s organizers gear the event towards craft beer enthusiasts who can experience samples directly from the Zwickel port, find unique beer releases, take tours, and meet brewers as they provide educational talks. Some host locations will offer food and beer pairings or specials. This non-ticketed event will only cost the price of beer and food at each location. Designated drivers can also find non-alcoholic drinks at the event. People interested in attending should visit the Zwickelmania website for more information and a complete list of participating brewers.
Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Otter Wax, a neighborhood producer of small-batch specialty goods handcrafted in Portland. Using only natural ingredients, they make modern care products that are steeped in tradition. We thank them for their support.
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