ABOUT CELLAR CAT
Here Kitty
In the beginning there were rats. That was the idea, anyway.
In wineries the folks behind the glitz and glam and smoke and mirrors, getting up before dawn, dragging hoses, pumping over tanks, getting stung by hornets, the folks actually making wine are called - and call themselves - Cellar Rats. Most of Holly, Jim and Greg's friends were Cellar Rats. Wouldn't it be nice to name a wine-centric restaurant in their honor?
But something about rats and restaurants just don't pair well.
Cellar Rat. Cellar Rat.
Holly pondered the problem at the winery she was working for while on her lap purred the winery's cellar cat - Clackamas Cat, named for the county of the cat's birth. Every winery worth its French oak barrels has at least one, if not four or five, cellar cats, theoretically in charge of keeping the rodent population under control, but actually only interested in curling up in the t-shirt displays, lounging on the winemaker's computer keyboard or hiding in trash cans.
Cellar Cats. Never in a hurry. Always soaking up the good life.
Cellar Cat. The name fit.
In the beginning there were rats. That was the idea, anyway.
In wineries the folks behind the glitz and glam and smoke and mirrors, getting up before dawn, dragging hoses, pumping over tanks, getting stung by hornets, the folks actually making wine are called - and call themselves - Cellar Rats. Most of Holly, Jim and Greg's friends were Cellar Rats. Wouldn't it be nice to name a wine-centric restaurant in their honor?
But something about rats and restaurants just don't pair well.
Cellar Rat. Cellar Rat.
Holly pondered the problem at the winery she was working for while on her lap purred the winery's cellar cat - Clackamas Cat, named for the county of the cat's birth. Every winery worth its French oak barrels has at least one, if not four or five, cellar cats, theoretically in charge of keeping the rodent population under control, but actually only interested in curling up in the t-shirt displays, lounging on the winemaker's computer keyboard or hiding in trash cans.
Cellar Cats. Never in a hurry. Always soaking up the good life.
Cellar Cat. The name fit.
Cellar Cat Albany
In 2001 partners Holly, Jim and Greg opened their first version of Cellar Cat - Cellar Cat Cafe - in the tiny wine town of Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley, California. It was a hit. "The Cat" expanded three times in size over the duration of its three short years and was slated for a grand relocation to Sonoma in 2004 when the the project stalled.
Ten years later, living in a rural wine community just north of Napa Valley badly in need of a casual-upscale Cellar Cat type restaurant, Holly, Jim and Greg found the exact right location; a long-vacant roadhouse-type restaurant in the community of Middletown. A year of lease negotiations, however, were unable to secure the location and so in February of 2015 Holly headed home to Oregon to visit her mother and sister. Lunching at a favorite Albany restaurant - Sweet Red - Holly's mother pointed out that the restaurant across the street was once again vacant. Maybe Holly and "the boys" should lease it and do a Cellar Cat in Willamette Valley.
In the Spring of 2015 the lease was signed for the restaurant space in the old Wyatt's building. The doors opened late September of 2015. Now, three years later, little old Cellar Cat has grown out of their first Albany location and have moved two miles north to the wide open green and gorgeous Spring Hill Golf Club. Now "The Cat" has a spacious outside patio and cozy inside fireplace dining room, making it even more charming. Cellar Cat receives kudos from far and near, not only for its incredible wine list but for its welcoming and attentive hospitality and for its top-notch food thanks to multi-award-winning Executive Chef Joan Taylor (see bio below).
Wowsa. Meowsa.
Holly, Jim and Greg - the luckiest cats on earth.
And Albany? Purrfection.
In 2001 partners Holly, Jim and Greg opened their first version of Cellar Cat - Cellar Cat Cafe - in the tiny wine town of Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley, California. It was a hit. "The Cat" expanded three times in size over the duration of its three short years and was slated for a grand relocation to Sonoma in 2004 when the the project stalled.
Ten years later, living in a rural wine community just north of Napa Valley badly in need of a casual-upscale Cellar Cat type restaurant, Holly, Jim and Greg found the exact right location; a long-vacant roadhouse-type restaurant in the community of Middletown. A year of lease negotiations, however, were unable to secure the location and so in February of 2015 Holly headed home to Oregon to visit her mother and sister. Lunching at a favorite Albany restaurant - Sweet Red - Holly's mother pointed out that the restaurant across the street was once again vacant. Maybe Holly and "the boys" should lease it and do a Cellar Cat in Willamette Valley.
In the Spring of 2015 the lease was signed for the restaurant space in the old Wyatt's building. The doors opened late September of 2015. Now, three years later, little old Cellar Cat has grown out of their first Albany location and have moved two miles north to the wide open green and gorgeous Spring Hill Golf Club. Now "The Cat" has a spacious outside patio and cozy inside fireplace dining room, making it even more charming. Cellar Cat receives kudos from far and near, not only for its incredible wine list but for its welcoming and attentive hospitality and for its top-notch food thanks to multi-award-winning Executive Chef Joan Taylor (see bio below).
Wowsa. Meowsa.
Holly, Jim and Greg - the luckiest cats on earth.
And Albany? Purrfection.
HOLLY EVANS-WHITE
OWNER/CEO |
To make up for being a trouble maker as a kid, "Top Cat" Holly Evans-White became a problem solver.
For her sixteenth birthday she became a vegetarian, so her meat-cooking mother gifted Holly an apron and invited her to learn to cook for herself. Holly did. By the age of eighteen Holly was not only a little too-well fed but found a way to make money at it and had several successful large-scale catering events under her belt. At age 28, having moved to Sonoma, knowing nothing about wine but needing a job, Holly landed a position in a winery tasting room. Holly went on to work in Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries for over twenty five years. One of the problems with wine and the wine business is that both are constantly evolving and changing. Wine "expertise" therefore requires copious quantities of live "study" (wine tasting and wine drinking and more tasting). Staying up to date, keeping up with the changes in the wine business, experimenting with which wines pair best with which foods is a noble job that requires constant and relentless food and wine consumption. When not occupied with drinking and eating and drinking, Holly occasionally oversees Cellar Cat's operations and management, marketing, finances, and other such minor restaurant matters. Holly strives to appropriately delegate any hard or challenging restaurant problems to others so that she can spend all available moments sampling and sipping as much wine as possible so that no Cellar Cat guest will ever be disappointed when spending time Being Here Meow in the Willamette Valley's most wine-centric restaurant. Holly's motto; Practice makes purrrrfect. |
JIM EVANS-WHITE
OWNER/GENERAL MANAGER |
Jim Evans-White loves food.
And wine. Born in Montgomery Alabama to a seven-course-dinner kind of mother, Jim was born to eat. Blessed with a miraculous metabolism, Jim has been able for over three decades of adulthood to eat everything not nailed down while sitting at computers at his real job in Oakland California, and still not gain weight. Perhaps it's the action of all that sparkling wine consumed during off hours. When in 2001 life-long best buddies Holly and Greg opened Cellar Cat Cafe in Glen Ellen California, Jim, without quitting his day job, joined in, acting as host to amuse himself on "days off". From 2001 Jim has been "smitten with the kitten" (as proclaimed by a food critic in love with Holly, Jim and Greg's first venture in to the litter box that decade ago in Sonoma County). In the summer of 2015 Jim boldly retired from the lifetime security and stability of the Oakland day-job and relocated to Albany Oregon to join in the magic and fun of opening up a new and even better version of much-loved Cellar Cat Cafe, Wine and Jazz Bar. When visiting Cellar Cat you are a guest. As front of the house owner, Jim warmly welcomes you. |
GREG BURTT
OWNER/OPS MANAGER |
Born and raised in Southern California, co-owner Greg Burtt is a Left Coast kind of guy. A lifelong mechanic (meeting Cellar Cat co-owner Jim White back in The Day at a motorcycle shop they both worked at), Greg is Mr. Make-it, Mr. Fix-it, Mr. Maintain-it. Greg's attention to detail has made him the MVP wherever he has worked whether as a line cook at a restaurant or as a metal fabricator or an inventory specialist.
When it comes to food and wine, Greg has been a dishwasher, prep cook, line cook, worked in food manufacturing at Amy's Kitchen all the way to owning his own restaurant in Sonoma County. Greg worked in production for mighty Sutter Home winery wearing wine-saturated boots and jeans and has also dried off to represent fine wineries in world class museums and art gallery events. Most notably, Greg has consumed more Chardonnay - his favorite varietal - than any human being on earth. Cellar Cat guests can rest assured that, under Greg's exacting and watchful gaze, Cellar Cat purrs like a kitten from the front of the house to the back. Greg takes care of his guests as if they were his own family. Because they are. Greg spends his spare time with the loves of his life, his two rescue pups; Cooper the 95 pound rottie/pittie mix and the wise, lovely and growly Katie the German Shepherd. Cats are currently, necessarily, left to the imagination. |
JOAN TAYLOR
EXECUTIVE CHEF |
Cellar Cat’s executive chef Joan Taylor has a lifelong obsession with the culinary arts, obtaining a culinary degree (specialty: pastry) from Le Cordon Bleu in Portland. Joan earned her toque, working in kitchens small and large, soon running her own restaurant and catering kitchens. Her far flung career has taken her to catering gigs as far away as Canada for a 4,000 person weeklong event and to feeding 495 drillers breakfast, lunch and dinner on an oil rig in the Beaufort Sea in Alaska. Joan’s entrepreneurial spirit drew Joan to own and operate businesses ranging from Encore Cafe & Catering, Mickey Madason’s Grill, The Dessert Diva, Diva Catering & Cakes to her final, popular creation: Tres M Bistro in Salem.
Joan has been awarded multiple awards for cooking and says her favorite part of cooking, is teaching others, especially children. Here are just a few of her accolades: 2016 Chef/Donor Grace House 2015 Judge and featured contributor Oregon State Fair 2014 Food Network appearance 2014 Catering Magazine contributor 2007 Best Cake Design / State Chef /Donor / Make A Wish, Lydia’s Love, Connors Chance, The Extreme Home Makeover” 2006 People’s Choice / Soiree’ Chocolat 2000, 2001, 2002 Best Food/ State Food & Wine Awards 1999 Outstanding Restaurant / Bite of Salem When Joan joined Cellar Cat in the Spring of 2018 it took Cellar Cat’s owners little time to realize they now possessed the kind of magic in Joan that would finally allow them to grow their popular restaurant in to something marvelous for the entire Willamette Valley, particularly Albany, a town only now being rightly and enthusiastically discovered by visitor’s world wide. |