what for?

To show off the place, of course! We think our valley is pretty amazing. It has a story to tell in a simple clear voice and we want to capture it. The Yakima Valley is an agricultural wonderland surrounded by soft hills and filled with real folks. The amount and variety of fresh produce coming out of here summer through fall is mind blowing, and the people who have learned how to maximize the bounty are the people we want to celebrate. Hops have turned this place into a veritable Mecca for brewers around the world and the wine belt is gorgeously unpretentious. We hope to lean on the side of a taco truck squishing a lime wedge on our asada and getting it all down as we see it.

We are rooted.

Shelley Desmarais is a true local Yakima Valley girl, starting in Selah as a youngling and moving on over to Moxee as a grown up to raise her own daughters, with husband Eric. Together they own CLS Farms, a kick butt hop ranch on the East end of the Valley. In Shelley’s previous life before daughter #3, she was a marketing rockstar, and still aspires to the level of marketing guru before she’s through. These days she is always down for an adventure and maximizing any chance to laugh she can find. She claims to be authentically cheesy, and those who know her would agree wholly. A funky food lover at heart, she can be found at any given time indulging her true passion for ceviche and a good Gilbert Cellars Malbec.

Andreana Gamache is a Yakima Valley transplant from a small pocket of Italians living in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, and didn’t know what a hop was when she started dating Graham, a 4^th generation hop farmer that ultimately became her husband. They now own Cornerstone Ranches, an awesome hop and apple farm in the Lower Yakima Valley. As a mother, writer, and introvert, she prefers to craft her explorations into soulful experiences, often with a fork in one hand and a pen in the other. Her most recent obsessions are whole unpitted Castelveltrano olives and garden plucked cherry tomatoes.

Aileen Monahan, a New York transplant and Northwesterner-at-heart, has been designing for 20 years. The beauty of the valley grew on her and she now celebrates the simple pleasures and connections that Yakima offers. As a mother of 2 teenage girls, Aileen revels in the art of creating. From painting to pizza, she hones her skills as a home-chef sampling half-followed recipes on brave friends and family. When all else fails there’s always manchego, pears and Sauv Blanc.