Sisters of the Road Cafe Has Bought an Iconic Chinatown Restaurant Space

The social justice nonprofit Sisters of the Road, which assists people experiencing poverty by providing low to no-cost meals, education, training, a barter work program, and more, has found a new home for its cafe. Sisters of the Road has purchased the building formerly home to landmark Chinatown dim sum restaurant House of Louie and will open in 2025.

“As a landmark of Chinatown, [House of Louie] represents immigrant resilience in the face of otherness and displacement, and a sense of belonging carved out in a corner of an unwelcoming world,” writes executive director Kat Mahoney. “Property ownership and the stability and power that brings to us as an organization cannot be dismissed. Both as a reliable safe haven for houseless people and an advocacy organization seeking systemic change, our impact can only become stronger from here.”

The cafe historically operated on a barter system, where people could exchange volunteer time for a meal. Alternatively, meals could be paid for with $1.25 in cash or E.B.T. As the nonprofit prepares to open its new space, it will reassess its meal program based on staff and volunteer needs as well as community input. The former cafe and community space was a mainstay on Northwest 6th Avenue and Northwest Davis Street for more than 40 years — it temporarily closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and amid working towards reopening, ultimately shuttered in 2022 upon discovering mold and asbestos in the building. The project will cost an estimated $5 million, and Sisters of the Road is aiming to raise $2.7 million for repairs — donations can be made here.

Kachka is celebrating its upcoming 10th anniversary with a dinner series that spans 10 months

Bonnie and Israel Morales’ lauded Eastern European restaurant Kachka will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2024, but it’s not waiting until the new year to celebrate. The Roots & Wings dinner series, which launches July 19, will reflect on Kachka’s history as well as explore the future of the restaurant through the cuisine of the former Soviet Republic. Dinners will take place monthly through the restaurant’s anniversary in April 2024, with themes such as “Sasha’s Dacha” with a Belarusian menu; “Lavash & Co.,” a look into Armenian cuisine with inspiration from the flatbread; and “Tsarist Feast,” an immersion into the traditions of pre-revolutionary Russia. Tickets are priced at $110 per person, are inclusive of a welcome toast, and are available now through Tock.

Jacob & Sons is now running the Oregon Jewish Museum’s cafe

Jewish deli Jacob & Sons is now running Lefty’s, the cafe space at the reopened and newly expanded Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. In addition to serving deli dishes like challah tuna melts, bialys with house-made pastrami lox, and potato knishes, the cafe will serve as a pickup point for Jacob & Sons’ prepared meals and bulk product sales. Lefty’s is open Wednesdays through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.