DeLille’s vineyards
DeLille
Washington
Immigration conversations start at the table at this Washington restaurant
Alba Galdamez knows her way around the kitchen. She is the chef at Immigrant Food’s location near the White House and an immigrant from El Salvador. She moved to the U.S. about 20 years ago and has worked many jobs. But cooking won her heart.
“Out of all the jobs I’ve had, the one that fascinated me the most was cooking,” Galdamez said.
Galdamez says that through its menu, Immigrant Food highlights the tapestry of immigrant cultures that make up the United States. Each dish tells a story. And whether Galdamez is cooking flavors from Venezuela or India, she wants everyone to feel welcome.
“When you come here, you’re basically coming home,” she said. “This restaurant is the fusion of all countries in the world.”
At its three Washington locations, the first of which opened in 2019, Immigrant Food advocates for immigrant-related issues, including comprehensive immigration reform.
Immigration is one of the top issues in this U.S. presidential election, according to a Gallup poll released in April.
Republicans are more likely than Democrats and independents to consider immigration the most important issue. In the latest poll, 48% of Republicans, 8% of Democrats, and 25% of independents say immigration is the most important problem facing the country. This is a decrease for Republicans from 57% in February.
A place that feels like home is what Immigrant Food founders Téa Ivanovic and Peter Schechter had in mind while advocating for mostly immigrant-related issues. The restaurant often partners with local nonprofits to provide access to resources such as free legal representation for immigrants.
They also host voter registration drives for new citizens and participate in local community events. They call it “gastroadvocacy.”
“I just thought it was an incredible, such an innovative way to include a social mission into a business model in ways that we had not seen done before,” Ivanovic said.
Ivanovic moved to the U.S. from Belgium as an international student. She played tennis for Virginia Tech and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international studies. She also worked as a Washington correspondent for Oslobodjenje, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s oldest newspaper in the Western Balkans.
“I wasn’t in the restaurant industry at all. I was a journalist. I worked at a think tank. I worked in financial public relations. And when I met my co-founder, Peter, we started talking about this idea of having a restaurant that has a mission,” she said.
And with a significant number of migrants from around the world coming to seek asylum in the United States, Schechter says the story of immigrants today is not so different from when his family moved to the U.S.
Schechter was born in Rome, Italy. His parents are from Austria and Germany.
“Then I moved to Latin America for about almost 10 years, first to La Paz, Bolivia, and then to Caracas, Venezuela. … I came here to do my last few years of high school. In my family we spoke German, Italian and English mixed up,” Schechter said.
Schechter says it should be easy to combine border security and legal immigration while having a humanitarian vision.
“And we need to come to find a way to renew and modernize our immigration laws, so that we can have the security that America needs as a country. Every country needs security and borders and people to control them, but at the same time, we need to have a humanitarian, efficient immigration law,” he noted.
For Katrin Garcia, Immigrant Food’s assistant general manager at the White House location, the restaurant’s partnerships with local nonprofits gave her access to information that is helping her through the U.S. immigration process. Garcia is originally from Venezuela.
“I came to the U.S. three years ago,” she said.
Between coordinating deliveries, welcoming customers, and taking reservations over the phone, Garcia told VOA that despite her degree in marketing she was making $20 a month in Venezuela. It wasn’t enough to live on.
“So, I take my visa, I take my passport, and I come in here,” Garcia said.
Within six months of her arrival in the U.S., she got a job at Immigrant Food. She considers herself fortunate when she thinks about those who cross the Darién Gap, a treacherous stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama, on their perilous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I’m lucky. I have a good story,” Garcia added.
For now, Garcia is focusing on getting through her immigration process and other “big dreams.”
“Lawyers for asylum are very expensive. So, I need to work hard. … My big dream is working in events. That’s what I want,” she said.
Galdamez, Garcia, Schechter and Ivanovic are all immigrants with different stories, but they say that together at Immigrant Food, they’re creating a new life for themselves, their families, and those around them.
“I mean, it’s fundamentally about coming to seek a better life, coming to seek a better education for your children, greater opportunities, and sometimes it’s also about escaping prosecution and harassment, persecution in their home countries,” Schechter said.
See what a ‘super’ El Niño could bring
USA TODAY Network reporter Brandi D. Addison breaks down what a strong El Niño could mean for weather patterns across the country.
It may be the middle of July, but the Old Farmer’s Almanac is already looking ahead to the fall with cooler temperatures ahead.
The Almanac, which has been one of the most trusted weather prediction sources for more than two centuries, recently released its fall forecast, showing a wide range of weather throughout the United States.
But what about in the Washington DC region? Here’s what the Almanac says.
What is the fall weather forecast in the Washington DC area?
DC sits along the Almanac’s Atlantic Corridor, and that region should expect a “cool, dry” fall, according to the forecast.
“Expect cooler and wetter conditions than usual this fall,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac says. “Below average temperatures are forecast, along with an uptick in precipitation over traditional averages.”
Last year, DC received 6.53 inches of rain during September, October and November — significantly lower than the city’s 30-year average of 10.50 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
September’s average temperature was 72.2 degrees, with October at 60.3 and November at 49.9 degrees. The season had an average temperature of 60.8 degrees, slightly below the 30-year average of 61.0 degrees.
What does the Farmer’s Almanac say about winter in Washington DC?
In its long-range forecast, the Almanac forecasts above average temperatures this winter in DC with snowfall below normal.
“The coldest periods will occur in mid- to late-December and early and late January,” it says. “The snowiest periods will be in late December, early January, and late February.”
The Old Farmer’s Almanac says it is 80% accurate, but a 2017 University of Illinois study found it to be just 52% accurate.
This story is from an installment of The Oeno Files, our weekly insider newsletter to the world of fine wine. Sign up here.
While Washington State has become well known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends in recent years, it is also home to many producers making outstanding Syrah. With just a 40-year history of cultivation in the state, Syrah is now the second most-produced red wine there as well as its best-kept secret. First planted in Washington in 1986, some early releases were treated like Cabernet Sauvignon with a lot of new oak and one-size-fits-all production method, but over time a broad spectrum of expressions has arisen among the state’s Syrahs.
Elsewhere in the U.S.A. it might seem like wineries are holding back the most exciting bottles for their neighbors, but Washington Syrah is more widely available than one might think, especially on restaurant tables. Landry’s Inc.—which operates more than 500 restaurants across the country including steakhouses such as Morton’s, Del Frisco’s, and the Palm—serves more than a dozen Washington Syrahs and a wide range of Syrah blends from the state. Scott Tarwater, corporate director of wine and special events, describes Washington Syrah as “a rugged, mountain man, unshaven, but worldly, down to earth, and plain spoken.” While he enjoys it for its savory character, he also likes that it is full of jammy notes such as boysenberry, black raspberry, and pomegranate alongside hints of ripened olives and pipe tobacco.
One of the drivers of quality in the last 20 years is the adoption of Old World techniques like stem inclusion and the use of concrete vessels, large‑format oak casks, and neutral oak barrels to let the fruit do the talking. Improved vineyard techniques have allowed for site expression to become clearer as well, with the Rocks District and Royal Slope showing savory and mineral characteristics, Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills bringing out more power and ripeness, and Yakima Valley showcasing a mix of the two styles.
Matt Reynvaan, founder and winemaker of R|A Family Wines, makes his JDA Project Syrah from a vineyard in the Rocks District that is defined by ancient riverbed soils layered with dense cobblestone. “These stones retain and radiate heat, lending intensity, structure, and unmistakable minerality to the fruit,” he explains. Replanted in 2020, the vineyard was designed with clonal diversity and precision farming practices tailored block by block. “Syrah is interplanted with small amounts of Viognier, and each section contributes a unique dimension, from power and structure to elegance and purity, resulting in a wine that is both complex and site driven,” Reynvaan says.
At Two Vintners, winemaker and partner Morgan Lee produces four different Syrahs including a Columbia Valley cuvée, a Rocks District bottling and single-vineyard expressions from Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley, working with 13 distinct vineyards across six AVAs. “Each patch of dirt puts a stamp of individuality on the wine,” he says. “The beauty of Syrah is that it absorbs its surroundings like nothing else. It is a chameleon. It is so exciting to taste these individual parcels side by side and see how thrillingly different they are from one another.” Leaning heavily into a Northern Rhône style in his vineyard sourcing, Lee also employs Rhône techniques like native-yeast fermentation and whole-cluster pressing.
Washington’s first Syrah was planted in the Red Willow Vineyard in the foothills of the Cascades in the far northwest portion of the Yakima Valley by Mike Sauer in 1986, and winemaker Nick Bernstein utilizes fruit from that original block for DeLille Red Willow Syrah. “The Syrah here thrives on steep slopes of poor volcanic soils and creates powerful wine with deep concentration,” Bernstein says. In addition to that and DeLille’s Grand Ciel estate vineyard on Red Mountain, Bernstein also buys fruit from Boushey Vineyard, whose proprietor Dick Boushey has been a prominent grower for 45 years. This cooler site allows for more hang time, flavor development, and acid retention, leading to an earthier Syrah with dark fruit notes.
The wide diversity of Syrah can be seen in Liminal’s two offerings, High Canyon Syrah and Block 16 Syrah, which come from blocks in the WeatherEye Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA that are about 500 yards apart but differ in aspect, elevation, and clonal selection. Liminal winemaker and partner Chris Peterson says the High Canyon block has elements of black fruits, minerals, and cured olive that remind him of Côte-Rôtie. “This is why we co-ferment with about 4 percent Viognier and choose the specific barrels to age it in and accentuate these aspects,” he explains. Meanwhile, the Block 16 exhibits the “wild herb, cured meats, and firm structure” characteristics that recall Cornas, so he ages it in 500-liter puncheons, with a style of new barrel “that shows off this more feral side.”
One of the newest additions to the Evergreen State scene is Dossier Wine Collective, whose head winemaker Billo Naravane crafts its flagship Syrah with an eye on the Northern Rhône, especially Côte-Rôtie and Cornas. Sourced from three vineyards, it offers the aromatic elegance and finesse of Côte-Rôtie alongside the structure, focus, and depth of Cornas. “Our use of concrete during fermentation is intentional. Concrete preserves purity and freshness while lending the wine a tighter, more focused profile, a hallmark we admire in many traditional Northern Rhône Syrahs,” Naravane says.
On the east coast, diners at JF Restaurant’s eateries can enjoy Syrah from Walla Walla and Columbia Valley. Beverage director and partner Amy Racine tells clients unfamiliar with the style that “Washington Syrah is a crossover between the States and Rhône Valley. It has a savory, peppery backbone similar to the northern Rhône and a ripe and juicy fruit you can find in the States.” Calling it “a category that rewards curiosity,” she tells Robb Report, “Most guests come in with a fixed idea of what Syrah is supposed to taste like, usually a Rhône reference point, and Washington Syrah surprises them by being a little familiar yet entirely its own thing.”
Do you want access to rare and outstanding reds from Napa Valley? Join the Robb Report 672 Wine Club today.
Authors
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen
Washington
Divorces granted July 2-8 in Washington, Benton counties | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The following divorces granted were recorded July 2-8 in the Benton and Washington county clerks’ offices:
BENTON COUNTY
25-1094. Heather Jones v. Michael Mazzarisi
25-1993. Sarah Waddle v. Brandon Waddle
26-46. Samantha Hines v. Garrett Hines
26-266. Donna Boyd v. Russell Boyd
26-329. Tara Whitwam v. Brett Whitwam
26-354. April Timboe v. Matthew Timboe
26-397. Troy Hull v. Kaley McManamon
26-419. Mark Hagel v. Michelle Hagel
26-437. Deborah Luper v. Donald Luper
26-470. Amanda Russell v. Christopher Russell
26-561. Audrey Mosher v. Dustin Mosher
26-562. Jacob King v. Ashley King
26-649. Chris Edwards v. Sara Edwards
26-664. David Carpenter v. Hannah Holtrey
26-774. Lauren Armfield v. Alexander Armfield
26-775. Sandra Saldana v. Luis Saldana
26-785. Maritza Campos v. Luis De Los Santos
26-798. Darell Shepard v. Rachel Lipscomb
26-802. Jeffery Nicholas v. Tracy Nicholas
26-809. Alicia Moreland v. Travis Moreland
26-814. Mellisa Dugger v. Matthew Crowne
26-817. Sabra Utting v. Derek Utting
26-825. Laura Wortman v. Brian Wortman
26-827. Laura Dean v. Seth Dean
26-845. William Austen v. Krystal Austen
26-846. Janine Robin v. Henry Robin
WASHINGTON COUNTY
24-472. Breayonda Bendickson v. Zackery Thompson
25-1333. Joshua Stephens v. Tiffany Pershall
25-1475. Jacqueline Lybrand v. Zachary Lybrand
25-1720. Jennifer McMahon v. Timothy McMahon
26-10. Janiky Rosario Madera v. Angel Ortiz Fuentes
26-225. Carol Kaufman v. Charles Axtell
26-268. Elizabeth Lasiter v. Prashanth Kumaresan
26-367. Shawn Harp v. Angela Harp
26-414. Patricia Johnson v. Robert Pritchard
26-518. Francisco Ramirez v. Nicole Franz
26-633. Debra Andrews v. Randy Brown
26-695. Jorge Azahares v. Dianelis Rodriguez
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