Eat All About It: There’s a new chef in The Kitchen at Barnard Griffin

First, there was wine.

Then, a tasting room.

Then, food. To accompany the wine, of course.

When Mark Newman arrived in Richland to manage The Kitchen, the in-house restaurant at Barnard Griffin Winery, visitors dined on white plastic chairs in a white-walled dining room.

“I said, ‘Whoops,’” recalled Newman, recruited from the New York Hudson Valley to create a space that better tells the story of the winery Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard started on Tulip Lane in 1983.

A year ago, The Kitchen re-opened, softened by soothing colors, carpet, a wall treatment made from deconstructed wine barrels and ceiling tiles fabricated in Deborah Barnard’s glass studio next door.

The studio also produced plates for the restaurant and lends the family-owned winery its arts-oriented vibe.

The conversion was complete in April with the addition of a head chef, Jessie Ayala. Ayala had previously collaborated with Newman to create a winery-friendly menu with international touch.

It is one of three wine- and winery-oriented restaurants on Tulip Lane, the others being Tagaris Winery and J. Bookwalter Wines. To Newman, being part of a cluster makes south Richland that much more interesting to the winery’s regular visitors and to tourists.

Ayala and his wife run Tuscany Downtown in Prosser, Ayala’s hometown. It’s chiefly a catering business, allowing Ayala time to expand on the culinary skills he learned in Seattle and perfected in a series of Puget Sound dining rooms, from corporate lunchrooms to high-end restaurants.

The couple returned to Eastern Washington when she landed a dream job with an agricultural company. Ayala put his energy into catering special events.

Ayala said The Kitchen’s menu aims for rustic simplicity that pairs well with wines, with dishes that can be prepared by a small staff in a small kitchen.

“I like to think of it as an entertaining menu,” he said.

Newman listens to customers as well, like the duo debating where to find linguine with white clam sauce in the Tri-Cities.

“Nowhere!” one said.

It happens to be one of Newman’s favorite dishes and now it’s on the menu.

Newman said The Kitchen was created partly in answer to demand from Barnard Griffin visitors and also to support the winery’s prime mission: selling wine.

“We are a winery first. Every bit of what we do pays homage to Rob and his team,” Newman said.

And that extends to Deborah Barnard’s passion for glass and the arts.

This weekend, diners will gather on the lawn for a Beatles-themed performance by the Mid-Columbia Symphony. Tickets sold-out weeks in advance.

“There is such a cry out for it,” Newman said.

The Kitchen routinely accommodates dramatic performances, live music and choral groups. Several times a month, visiting artists lead sessions on flower arranging and painting. The glass studio offers classes too.

“We want to bring artists in,” Newman said.

The Kitchen is open from noon to closing Tuesday to Saturday. Call 509-627-0266 for information.

This story was originally published May 30, 2017 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Eat All About It: There’s a new chef in The Kitchen at Barnard Griffin."