By: Jasmine Cuza

The food scene in Oregon brings a whole new meaning to cooking with its home style and comfort dishes. The Willamette Valley stretches 150 miles across Oregon and grows some of the state’s freshest fruits and vegetables. There are many culinary adventures for every tourist looking for family-oriented restaurants, food trucks and farmers markets.

My first morning in Eugene, Ore. started off with a trip to a farmers market where I picked up a cheese wheel; I paired the cheese shell with fresh fig jam. The saltiness from the cheese and rich sweetness from the jam paired up well. The cheese wheel came out of the oven with a crispy crust. For a crispy golden texture, I left the wheel in the oven for 12 minutes.

My next stop was Heritage Distilling Company where I picked up a blood orange and vanilla vodka to make mimosas. The space inside the distillery gives customers a view of the production area. Tourists and customers are able to look at the vodka being made and packaged while having dinner and drinks. Heritage Distilling is the HDC’s award-winning spirit and are well known for their vodkas, whiskeys, gin and rum.

Later that day, I went out with a few friends for lunch and stopped by food trucks in the downtown Eugene area; there were many trucks from various cultures.

We ordered from an Indonesian food truck and the prices were fairly cheap. The two dishes my friends and I ordered were a mie goreng kecap (sweet soy sauce egg fried noodle) and a nasi goreng kuning (Turmeric egg fried rice).

Each dish was topped with a crispy fried egg. When breaking into the yolk it gave each dish a rich flavor. The mie goreng kecap had a subtle sweet flavor to the noodles from the soy sauce. It was very spicy as well, but the cucumbers were there to help cut through the spice. The green onions on top gave it texture and a tangy flavor.

The nasi goreng kuning had a bold turmeric flavor and the shrimp was covered in a sweet and spicy sauce. The dish was not as spicy as the noodle dish. The rice was aromatic and there were several different spices that went into it.

The highlight of my Oregon adventure was Thistledown Farm located in Junction City, Ore. This place offers farm-fresh vegetables, home-baked goods and farm-raised animals. They are known for their flower fields which stretch miles across the land. Tourists are able to grab a pair of scissors and harvest these flowers for $1 each. This was a big culture shock for me because I live in the city, I am unable to find fresh produce like the ones at this farm.

On the property near the flower fields, there are farm animals being raised. My favorite animals were the donkeys and horses which didn’t hesitate to come up to the gate to say hello. The roosters and chickens were also on the property grazing around.

This farm was definitely one of my favorite stops. Everything is fresh and straight out of the ground or oven; they live up to their expectations of being fresh. A bonus is that they are also kid-friendly and have many activities for kids of all ages to do.

If tourists are ever in downtown Eugene and are craving something sweet, VooDoo Doughnuts is the best place to stop by. This donut shop is serving unique flavored donuts with the captain crunch donut being their most popular. They have a variety of different flavored doughnuts including something for vegan eaters out there.

This doughnut shop was one of the first in Portland Ore. because during the early 2000s there was not one single doughnut shop there. They have been featured in several magazines and were even featured on Good Morning America.

My Ore. adventure ended with breakfast before the airport at The Busy Bee cafe located in Springfield, Ore. It is a mom-and-pop cafe and is known for its delicious breakfast. It is a family-owned cafe and has many loyal customers that dine here on a regular basis.

The food is affordable and delicious. I ordered a bowl of oatmeal and a side of hash browns. One thing I enjoyed most about this place is the comfort and simplicity of the environment. Everything in this cafe is honey bee-themed. The cool thing about this place is their biscuits are huge; when breaking into its fluffy interior it is buttery and soft.

My Ore. adventure came to an end and I learned so much about fresh foods and comfort dining. This state is definitely putting comfort on the culinary map.

A Tour of Oregon Food Scenery