By Julia Eastham, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Wash. The Tribune Content Agency
For those with a couple of hours to spare in downtown Dayton, consider spending it in a space with hidden gems, tasty foods and drinks.
Locally Nourished, a cafe owned and operated by Alicia Walker, aims to serve more than cups of coffee and pastries. The cafe has become a staple in the community and provides opportunities for local businesses, artists and food producers.
More Information
Locally Nourished, 245 E. Main Street, in Dayton, is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For more information call 509-382-3067.
Walker first opened the cafe in March 2020, and has operated out of her current location since January 2022. Since then, she has formed partnerships with multiple local businesses and sought to source her ingredients from Pacific Northwest businesses.
"We just really love the product, and we love the person who's making it," Walker said.
Another local business finding its way into Locally Nourished's coffee cups is Creamline Farms. The Milton-Freewater dairy farm provides whole milk for the cafe.
Other ingredients she sources locally include eggs from M&I Livestock Inc., and sausage from Table Rock Meat Co.
Additionally, the cafe creates opportunities for the community and tourists to support local businesses as the space is filled with various locally sourced goods for sale. This includes body care products, jewelry, spices, spice mixes, cutting boards and cards.
Local art is also displayed on the walls of the cafe, and under each art piece is a name tag with the price. For Walker, this provides art for her to look at when getting the cafe ready in the morning and taking customers' orders.
"It's just an absolute huge benefit to us and the community, as well as to the artist. I mean, we're really lucky to be able to come in here when the sun is coming in the morning, especially as winter hits, we get this really beautiful sun exposure," she said.
"They just do lovely work that often depicts local places and people even. So, it's just an absolute mutually beneficial relationship. We're really lucky to have that," she said.
When Walker is not supporting local businesses or artists, she can be found operating Noble Hunt, an employment agency with a focus on helping those with disabilities get jobs. Her business aims to provide job training, development, coaching and placement for individuals with disabilities.
Between her two businesses, Walker says she has roughly 18 employees. For Walker, being able to provide jobs to not only the Dayton community but to those with disabilities means everything.
Her passion for coaching individuals with disabilities in the workplace can be seen in her cafe. She has trained her staff to help them understand how to work best with their coworkers with disabilities.
Walker hopes the cafe is not only inclusive in its employment process but also in its customer base.
"We want everybody to feel welcome and accepted .... we have a pool table, and even if you can't afford to eat out or have coffee, you can always come and just hang out and visit with a friend while we're open and grab a bottle of water," she said.
For those interested in buying food or drinks, one item on the menu Walker wishes more people would try is the customizable breakfast sandwiches, and to try it served with pickled red onions, greens and tomatoes.
Locally Nourished offers breakfast and lunch items as well as whole fruit smoothies, baked goods and various drinks.