Sunnyside Neighborhood Association is looking for a volunteer to take the reins as the Sunnyside Newsletter Coordinator. The role is a monthly project management opportunity to facilitate workflow processes of rounding up article submissions by the targeted deadline, draft a work-in-progress document for the copy editor to review, and sign off to the newsletter format coordinator who sends the monthly issue to the printers. This is done with Google Shared Drive and Google Docs. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to get involved on a local level, aspiring journalist and communications professional especially, or for an individual who would like to get involved and connect with awesome folks in the community. All ages are encouraged (15 years+). If interested email [email protected] to learn more.
Category: Neighborhood Newsletter
Getting to Know Your Neighbors
Q&A with YogaChefJess
On a recent sunny autumn Friday, Leslie and I walked through our favorite food cart pod—The Bite on Belmont at 43rd and Belmont—to find that a new restaurant had arrived: YogaChefJess.
The food cart A-frame showed a variety of delicious-sounding meals. We became more excited the longer we reviewed the menu. The ingredients and creations sounded mouthwatering and—to Leslie’s delight—everything was plant-based.
Leslie and I, along with my parents—who joined us on the outing—ordered about half the menu which rotates weekly. After the first couple bites, we were sold. And I thought to myself, Sunnysiders have got to know about YogaChefJess.
I recently visited with Jess at her food cart, ordered the Potato Cakes (mashed tater cakes topped with bacon-jam, cilantro crema, cilantro and chez), and asked her some questions while I made my way through the delectable lunch she had just cooked up for me.
Jess, who lives in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood, is a deeply passionate professional chef and yoga instructor. Her mission for over 16 years has been to help people create healthy habits through quality eating and meditation.
In addition to her cart at The Bite on Belmont, YogaChefJess provides meal subscriptions, nutrition consulting, yoga and fitness instruction, cooking demos, and other holistic services. (Check out her website at yogachefjess.com.) Her meal subscriptions include lunches and dinners that are premade, plant-based, and free from gluten, soy, and refined sugar.
Alrighty, YogaChefJess. How long have you lived in Portland?
Jess: I’ve lived here for six years. I’m from North Carolina. I noticed that Portland was more catered to my lifestyle as a yoga instructor and plant-based foodie.
Had you visited Portland before moving here?
Jess: No, I didn’t visit. My cousin lived out here, needed a nanny, and asked if I wanted to be a nanny for them. I thought, “Okay, but if I go out there, I’m probably not going to come back.” So I just sold everything and moved out here. Then a year later my cousin moved away! But I love it here.
You had a catering business before this. What led you to opening this physical restaurant?
Jess: I do still have a catering business. I just needed more space. Even though this is still a small space, it’s a little more space than what I’m used to to create my meals and stuff. We built a kitchen for my business, and now we have this too.
How long have you been open? We noticed that you took the spot of Dinger’s Deli which we used to frequent.
Jess: This is only my fourth week! So I’m really good friends with Brian, founder and owner of Dinger’s. He was like, “I want you to be here. I love what you do. I’m burning out. They need really good food and you’re the best replacement for me.”
What do you love about having your cart in Sunnyside?
It’s alive. I really like the location here and the neighborhoods. I love how people are often walking by. There’s enough going on this side of the street [north side of Belmont] that people are passing by, walking their dogs and stuff.
Okay, so one month in, how does it feel?
Jess: It feels pretty good. Jumping into anything is a roller coaster. But it has been a good roller coaster. You know, I didn’t fall out of the ride. Nothing fell off. The wheels are still attached. We’re slowly going up. We’re in a hole, but we’re not sinking in the hole (laughs). I do have a couple of people that come and help me, but it’s mostly me.
What’s one fun fact about Yoga Chef Jess?
Jess: I did my yoga teacher training in Thailand. It’s a 500 hour certification. While the first was in Thailand, my second yoga teacher training was here in Portland. I’ve learned various styles such as Hatha, Bikram, Integral, Astana, Anusara.
* Go visit the restaurant YogaChefJess at 4255 SE Belmont Street or sign up for a meal plan and more at yogachefjess.com
Sunnyside Neighborhood Getting to Know Your Neighbors
Q&A with Corey Schuster
During the pandemic, you might have seen Corey Schuster selling wine out of the back of his pick-up truck on Taylor Street just east of the Sunnyside Environmental School. When we were all stuck at home — and some of us weren’t even venturing out to the grocery store, let alone to a wine shop — it was lovely to be able to buy a bottle of rosé on the street while taking an evening walk. Talk about buying local!
For the past decade, Schuster has been the sole winemaker at Jackalope Wine Cellars (jackalopewinecellars.com). He purchases grapes from farmers and makes his wine at the Portland Wine Company at Powell and SE 50th. To taste his wines (and those made by Love & Squalor winery) head there on Thursdays or Fridays from 4-8 p.m. or Saturdays and Sundays from 1-7 p.m. You can bring your own food and order a glass, a bottle, or do a tasting. He lives with his partner Candace Fallon, a biologist who works at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
How long have you been a winemaker?
Corey: This is my tenth vintage! You would think I’d do something about it. I spent a couple years working for different wineries, doing anything they put in front of me. I had a lot of opportunities to do work in tasting rooms, lab work, and events. When the Southeast Wine Collective opened in 2012, they hired me to run the bar. It felt like a safe place to start making wine so I jumped in.
When did you move to Sunnyside?
Corey: I moved to Portland in 2006 and have lived within a half mile radius — in Sunnyside — pretty much the entire time. The first place I lived was on Yamhill and 26th. Then I moved to 34th and Stark for a year. We’re now at 35th and Taylor and have been here since 2007.
Do you rent or own?
Corey: We’re renting. It’s an old house that was turned into a fourplex. Our landlords are awesome. We really love it here. Our location is pretty much perfect.
What do you love about Sunnyside?
Corey: I love all the amenities: restaurants, bars, and grocery stores. We have access to downtown and the highways to get out of town. It’s pretty great. And now that the winery is 1.5 miles away, work is also an easy commute.
What is one thing you’d like to see change about Sunnyside?
Corey: I love the piazza idea! [Floated by a Sunnyside board member at a recent meeting.] It’s not something this country does really well—having a central area. The center of Sunnyside—a place you can sit and hang out and greet the neighbors.
How is the harvest going?
Corey: The quality [of grapes] is looking good. Some of the vineyards I work with—their yields will be way down. Part of it was the heat, especially for vineyards that don’t irrigate. The grapes just don’t bulk up, which means really small clusters and small grapes. It’s just less fruit. The last time we did get rain was while flowering was happening—so the rain affected the fruit.
Schuster’s 2020 releases include a rosé, a carbonically macerated Merlot, a Pinot Noir, a Viognier, and a white Cabernet Franc. You can find them at New Seasons, Division Wines, Providore, and Whole Foods.
Follow Corey on Instagram or Twitter at @JackalopeCorey
The Origins of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
Various neighborhood “advancement clubs” existed in Portland in the early 20th century. The Sunnyside Push Club was established on February 19, 1908. One of its actions was to advocate for the purchase of 40 acres from the Ladd estate to create a large “Sunnyside Park”. Eventually the city purchased about 20 acres of land, although the name favored by the Push Club was evidently not retained (hint: it’s Laurelhurst Park). A more successful “name fight” was won by the club when the idea of renaming Sunnyside School for one of Portland’s early pioneers was rejected early in the process.
Fast forward to the 1960’s. President Johnson’s plan for a Great Society expands the federal government’s roles in reducing poverty. In Portland, a Steering Committee is established to foster the creation of Neighborhood Committees. By 1966, the Oregonian notes that “in Portland these committees are strongly peopled with actual poor people”. The Sunnyside Community Improvement Committee is put in place in 1966 and quickly advocates for the creation of a Neighborhood Service Center to provide residents with easy access to various social and employment services. Similar committees in the Richmond, Buckman and Brooklyn neighborhoods eventually join forces under a newly created non-profit organization called Portland Action Committees Together (PACT). Three districts are created in SE Portland: the Brooklyn District, the Buckman District and the Richmond-Sunnyside District. By 1967, the Richmond-Sunnyside Neighborhood Center was up and running at 3525 SE Hawthorne Blvd in the Douglas Building, under the supervision of a local Board made of Richmond-Sunnyside residents.
By the end of 1967, more federal money is expected under the Model Cities program. However, program restrictions mean that its reach is limited to the Albina area. PACT advocates for the effort to be expanded to SE Portland and finds support from City Commissioner Francis Invancie and eventually Mayor Terry Schrunk. The SE Uplift Project is officially launched with the goal of doing “most of the work within local revenues, but using federal money when necessary and when it can be utilized without stringent regulations”.
By 1970, the underwhelming results of the War on Poverty and pull back of federal money under the Nixon administration call for change. To improve efficiency, PACT’s governance is restructured in favor of a single board that oversees all programs. To maintain neighborhood involvement, the Buckman Neighborhood Association is formally organized in December 1971, followed by Richmond and Sunnyside in early 1972.
On Monday March 6, 1972, “about 50 residents of Sunnyside and neighboring communities in southeast Portland unanimously approved the formation of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association”. Next year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our neighborhood association, let’s be thankful for the work of all of those neighbors that came before us. Let’s also celebrate the fact that both SE Uplift and PACT are still with us today. PACT was renamed Impact NW as it expanded its services outside the Portland Metropolitan area. It still runs its Seniors & Adults with Disabilities Services here in Sunnyside at 4610 SE Belmont Street.
Sunnyside Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee
The DEIA Committee attended the Belmont Street Fair on Saturday, Sept. 11th with great success. The fair had a strong turnout and our committee members engaged with lots of folks in the community, signing up 20 fairgoers to help volunteer for upcoming projects. We have a good list of ideas of what the community of Sunnyside would like to see from the organization. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 5th at 6:30 p.m. Virtual meeting details will be posted on the SNA website on Monday October 4th. We look forward to new attendees and welcome ideas on ways to build a more diverse, equitable, and accessible community.