New Events on Main owners add to menu

Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter | Nov 30, 20170

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new events couple

Valerie Rodeen and Bob Payne

Events on Main in Colfax will officially be under new management Friday, Dec. 1. Valerie Rodeen and Bob Payne will completely take over the reins after nearly a month of working at the coffeeshop and café.

Payne and Rodeen are looking to only add to the existing business, starting with the name changing to Events on Main Café. They also have plans to add items and options to the menu, some of which they have already introduced.

“Right now we’re doing a Saturday breakfast which we’ll continue,” said Rodeen. While they are limited by the size of the grill in the back kitchen, Payne and Rodeen have been selling plated breakfasts on Saturdays, the first with pancake, eggs and meat.

“The first one we had was very good,” Rodeen noted.

Along with the Saturday breakfasts, they have also added biscuits and gravy to the daily breakfast menu and plan to add more items. Eventually they hope to have a Sunday breakfast or brunch, but have not nailed down the particulars yet. They also plan to expand the lunch menu with more soup options, hot sandwiches, hearty items like casseroles and daily specials. They will change the ordering layout as well so customers will sit at tables, have their order taken there and be waited on.

Food service is nothing new to either of them. Before stepping in at Events, the couple worked at the Boyer grill and marina, Payne as cook and Rodeen as waitress/office/housekeeping. Payne has a long history with food service, working in everything from pizza parlors to fine dining. He was manager for Pioneer Pies, Shari’s and 13 Coins in Seattle which he said is “very fine dining.”

“The only thing new about this is the coffee part,” he commented. Rodeen added it is also her first experience as a barista.

Having their own place to cook and serve the public has always been a goal of the pair. They had a mutual friend with Kari Rimbey, the original owner of Events on Main, who helped the two sides connect. Payne and Rodeen talked to Rimbey a few times and decided to give it a try.

Payne and Rodeen have been working at the café to learn about the coffee side and get adjusted. They take full ownership of the business Dec. 1. Rimbey will continue to own the building.

A grand opening is expected at a future date.