A Mexican-American cafe, La Cocina, will open this summer.

Leader photo by Alli Patton

What used to be Lehani’s Deli and Coffeehouse will soon be La Cocina, a Mexican-American cafe.

You may have seen the coming soon sign on Port Townsend’s Taylor Street. The sign is branded with a bird-like logo, a Mexican eagle that symbolizes home.

The eagle, when it lands, it represents a place of settlement.

“We tried to represent that this is our home, this is our base,” said the chef and co-owner Lissette Garay.   

The owners, Chimacum couple Lissette and Cassandra Garay, are first-time restaurateurs.

They met working in the service industry and had always talked about owning their own place.

“We’re really excited to bring new life to this space,” Cassandra Garay said, with a distinct vision for the restaurant, a contemporary take on traditional Mexican style.

The Mexican-American cafe will be taqueria-style where guests will order and pick-up at the counter. A clean aesthetic will celebrate the light coming in through large windows. Pops of turquoise, their signature color, will provide a modern touch to their traditional style.

“We just want to make sure that it always feels bright and airy,” she said.

A cafe with the tortilla as a focal point, La Cocina will offer fresh, hand-rolled flour tortillas and hand-pressed corn tortillas. Traditional Mexican pastries will also be a big offering with their concha-style semi-sweet breads called pan dulce.

“We’re bringing those kinds of customs back with our food … trying to focus a lot on traditional practices,” she explained.

“We’re trying to offer the community something special in that sense,” Lissette Garay said.

“If we have something that’s special and quality, I think everything else will follow,” she added.

They are anticipating a small menu with big flavors from local ingredients and seasonal pickings. The couple are partnering with Red Dog Farm, Finn River Farm, Midori Farm, as well as many other local businesses.

When working with providers and distributors for their products, the couple are especially seeking out, promoting, and supporting other women in business.

“We want to uplift the women in the community,” Garay said.

They are working with Sunrise Coffee to eventually offer their own custom blend of coffee to accompany their espresso bar. Also partnering with local breweries, cideries, and distilleries, they have plans for a full liquor bar with specialty margaritas and seasonal cocktails punctuating the menu.

“For me, as a chef, I’m trying to focus on sourcing local ingredients,” Garay explained. “Our goal, as a business, is to have everything sourced – as much as we possibly can – within a 20-mile radius.”

She spoke of experimenting with a small batch of Midori Farm’s rose corn, for example, to make a tortilla with a pop. The menu will also incorporate the region’s bountiful fish and seafood, so expect a halibut ceviche in your future.

“When you have a beautiful tortilla and beautiful produce you don’t really have to do that much to the food,” she added.

With a goal to highlight everything the region has to offer, they are letting the food speak for itself, embracing its freshness and simplicity.

“That’s the way my people thought when they thought about food and farming,” she said.

A first-generation American, she described opening La Cocina as the American dream.

Garay described her parents as having high hopes, telling her: “Mija, one day you can be your own boss if you work hard enough.”

“I’m happy to say that is coming true and it is, for me, a dream come true,” she said.

“Everything comes from Lissette’s heart and her influence,” her wife added.

With a belief in running a business with the utmost respect and positivity, La Cocina was conceived with an emphasis on the community.

“We’re here for the community, a new place for the community to gather,” Cassandra Garay said.

Scheduled to open for service in early June, they hope to bring something fresh and exciting to Port Townsend. The feedback they have already received has been positive, they said.

“To be in a community that’s so inviting … it’s really been incredible, the open arms,” said Lissette Garay.