Seven years of Bryn Bryn: Ruddick/Wood
In the seven years of Bryn Bryn timeline, we’re in 2020 and Ruddick/Wood is up next!
Ruddick/Wood is a restaurant in the beautiful wine country of Newberg, Oregon. It’s a place inspired by the old tradition of bars and restaurants as way-points, as well as the changing of the seasons. What this means is a perpetually shifting menu and strong bonds with the farmers and purveyors of the fresh veggies, meat and alcohol found on its menu. As COVID forced restaurant owners to pivot in a million ways, I was brought on to refresh Ruddick/Wood’s digital storytelling in a way that could weather a pandemic.
As someone who thinks very holistically, this project was a delight for my brain in that I got to completely redesign Ruddick/Wood’s presence online, working on every public-facing platform and channel the restaurant owns. I built a new website on Squarespace (still kicking at ruddickwood.com), developed a new orientation towards social media focused on community collaboration and spotlit the stories of the farmers Ruddick/Wood worked with most closely at the time. I treasured our tours of family farms Winters Farms, Even Pull Farm and Laney Family Farm, as well as the tour Ruddick/Wood owner Paul gave me of the farmers market at Portland State. I listened closely as farmers told stories, pointed out their most exciting crops and shared their motivations for farming, then translated what I learned into profiles that were situated prominently on Ruddick/Wood’s website. (I recently updated the original to reflect current trends on the menu—check it out here.) I don’t think I could forget touring Winters Farms on the back of an ATV, zooming across acres of land the Winters brothers have been farming for over 70 years. (Later, I had the pleasure of building the brothers a new site for the farm, which you can visit at wintersfarms.com. They are full of stories!)
Paul on the front of an ATV driven by one of the Winters brothers, enjoying fresh corn from the farm.
Tomatoes harvested at Even Pull Farm.
Chris and Marven Winters’ boots.
A photographer is crucial to digital storytelling. In this case I was lucky to work with Kassandra of Kassandra Out West, who took photos of Ruddick/Wood, its staff and menu items and also captured details and sweet moments on our farm adventures.
To me, this project cannot be separated from the unique era in which it took place. We were in the early days of the pandemic, protesting for Black lives and Oregon was burning. For some days, the air quality in Portland was the worst in the world. It was a moment to respond nimbly to what was arising, and the most fulfilling element of this project was witnessing the systems I had a put into place support a surprising turn of events for Ruddick/Wood. As local firefighters, first responders and groups of caring humans tended to the fires raging near Newburg, Paul captained a massive effort to feed them. Ruddick/Wood became a relief kitchen, and the social media presence I was building became a site of organization and collaboration that held updates and requests for donations and community involvement. I felt very proud that my work had worked in a time of real need.
Speaking of responsiveness, I am grateful to Paul, who responded kindly when I worked up the courage to communicate that I hadn’t been able to complete our project on its original timeline because my anxiety was so high. It was the first time I’ve asked for a work extension for mental health reasons, and it felt—and still feels—like a turning point of sorts. For one, it was the beginning of my journey to getting diagnosed with ADHD. For another, it was the beginning of allowing myself to be known as an imperfect human, even in my work life.
I didn’t expect from this seven years of Bryn Bryn project to evoke so much emotion! It’s helping me get in touch with the gratitude I have for getting to be part of people’s lives, journeys and passions. In the case of Ruddick/Wood, I can say that the person in charge has a heart of gold (I didn’t even mention the fee on every bill that adds up to finance his staff’s healthcare) who works tirelessly to maintain something special. Ruddick/Wood is a delicious place to eat, grounded in heartfelt intention. I highly recommend taking a trip out to Newberg for brunch!
Thank you for reading. Next up is 2021!
