Community
By Marie Kennedy, The Mountain Times
This month marks the 30th anniversary of The Rendezvous Grill and Taproom in Welches, a local favorite for food and spirits. The restaurant has undergone an ownership change recently, but the food is still amazing and the ambiance remains unchanged.
On a recent Friday afternoon we managed to get all involved parties together for a sitdown chat in the restaurant, and the stories started to flow. So many memories! Tom and Susie Anderson, along with renowned chef Kathryn Bliss, opened the restaurant together in 1995. Kathryn’s entrees and desserts became the signature highlights of the Rendezvous. Several of her original menu items are still much requested – and available – today.
Kathryn’s husband Joel Swink helped build and oversee the restaurant’s interior. In fact, all four had a hand in bringing the Rendezvous’ classic look to life. Tom and Susie took on much of the painting. Susie recalled that Joel was unable to watch, as the couple mounted ladders, on top of scaffolding, in order to reach those high ceilings. The furniture came from an auction of pieces from a beloved Portland restaurant, Sweet Tibbie Dunbar, and the style fit the mood perfectly.
Tom had been the Food and Beverage manager at Timberline for nine years prior to opening the Rendezvous. He talked about the timing of leaving Timberline Lodge, “Things were changing up there, and it was a good time to make a move.”
Kathryn worked with Kurt Mezger at Chalet Swiss, and she later studied at the Culinary School in Portland. She was the pastry chef at the Main Street Cafe in Gresham and Timberline and worked on KOIN TV’s “Cooking with Gabriel” show, among other pursuits. The decision to go in with Tom and Susie was not a difficult one. “I was working in town and I was so tired of that commute,” Kathryn said with a laugh.
Over the years, Susie worked in the Rendezvous, overseeing staff, waitressing and hosting. Later on she worked in restaurant management for McMenamins and other Portland area establishments. Still, she spent much of her time at the Rendezvous — especially in the evenings.
The two Anderson boys, Marty and Eric, practically grew up in the Rendezvous. When the restaurant first opened, they were very young – often seen in the mornings riding their Big Wheel trikes around in front of the building before the day’s business began. Then, as teenagers, both worked in the restaurant for a time – a tradition shared by many local teens over the years.
New owners Alex Steinmetz and Tim Healy came to the mountain from Montana. Back in 2019, before buying their home in Rhododendron, they explored small towns around western Oregon — checking out local restaurants and pubs to get a feel for the communities. A visit to Rendezvous proved to be the selling point for settling here. Since then, Alex has worked in the Rendezvous off and on. She’s now part of the restaurant team again, but says that she enjoys her job in the Hoodland Library and plans to stay there too – for now, anyway. Although Tim works in the kitchen, he’s often seen out front greeting guests.
Looking back, building the restaurant – along with preparing all of the needed permits and licensing – took longer than expected. An ad in the December 1994 issue of the Mountain Times read like a birth announcement. “Tom and Susie Anderson and Kathryn Bliss are proud to announce that they are expecting a restaurant in late January.” Preparations started in the fall of 1994, and although they missed the January date by a smidge, the doors on the Rendezvous Grill and Tap room opened on April 13, 1995, Mother’s Day weekend.
The Rendezvous was the first non-smoking restaurant on the mountain, which was unusual in those days. Plenty of folks asked about when the gambling machines were coming, and the simple answer was that they weren’t. Quite honestly, even though gambling was a money maker and was pretty much everywhere, it just wasn’t going to be that kind of business. Tom had heard women lament that they didn’t feel safe going to many restaurants and bars. “We wanted to offer a place where women could come in and feel safe. Have a glass of wine and relax.” And it worked.
With all of the wonderful food and atmosphere, there was also a sense of fun – and a bit of shenanigans – at the restaurant. A gingerbread house created in a local baking class became a regular holiday centerpiece. Katherine said, “We’d set it up for Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and really, all the holidays. For ages, that gingerbread house was displayed at the far end of the bar as decoration.” That is, until it wasn’t – when it was deemed to have seen better days. Kathryn continued, “…and finally, on the 4th of July, they took it out and blew it up.” (laughter)
Around the table, Tom picked up where Kathryn left off. “I think it was after New Years Eve,” he shared, “We decided to change from wearing white shirts and ties to just wearing shirts,” he added, “The staff organized a bonfire and they burned all the shirts and ties.” (more laughter)
The storytelling continued. Photos were shared and commented on, old friends identified, and there was a lot of guessing as to when the photos were taken. The memories and laughter flowed.
New owners Alex and Tim will create their own Rendezvous stories. They plan to keep the same quality and feel that the Rendezvous is known for, while growing the business. Tim says that they plan to move slowly, but they’ve already added new lunch hours and they’re planning a few recipe additions for spring – new memories building on the old ones, in a gathering place that has a long and entertaining history.
Note: I feel especially honored to write this story on the Rendezvous’ 30th anniversary because in April 1995, the Mountain Times had new owners. Tom Teven and I had moved the paper’s headquarters into a space next to the Rendezvous, so we followed the excitement from the very beginning. The restaurant is still one of my favorite places to be. Congratulations, all!