INTRODUCTION FROM THE OLALLIEBERRY INN COOKBOOK

This little cookbook contains recipes for the food served at the Olallieberry Inn in Cambria, California.

The Olallieberry Story

The house is of Greek Revival style, built in 1873. The magnificent sequoia that graces the front of the house was planted in 1885. It was Dr. Jack Shaw who converted the house into a Bed&Breakfast in the mid 1980’s and named it the Shaw House. Then about three years later, he sold it and the new owners renamed it the Olallieberry Inn. By the time we bought the inn in May 2001 it was nine rooms (six in the main house, three in the innkeeper’s cottage) and had a large commercial kitchen. We are very grateful to have such a large kitchen and many of our guests have “oh’ed and ah’ed” over it.

So what is an olallieberry! Genetically the Olallieberry is approximately two-thirds blackberry and one-third European red raspberry. It was developed in 1949 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Oregon State University by crossing a Loganberry with a Youngberry. The result was called the Olallie, an Indian word meaning blackberry, because physically the berry looks like a classic blackberry.

Our Story

Many of our guests ask how it is that we came to own an inn. It all started when Marilyn, my sister, and her husband, Larry moved back to California from the island of Kauai after managing an inn for four years. They loved it and wanted very much to have their own inn in California. So the three of us starting talking about the idea and I decided that I could sell my house for capital and I could retire early. So, in late 2000 we decided to start looking for “the perfect inn”. We thought it would take a long time since we wanted a “turn key” operation, enough rooms to make an income for Marilyn and Larry and to be able to have a staff, something within our price range, along the ocean, and it had to “feel right”. We hooked up with a realtor who specializes in Bed&Breakfast sales and we were ready to begin our long process to find an inn. Well, to our surprise and amazement, and thanks to our realtor, the first inn we looked at was the Olallieberry Inn! We looked no further – this was definitely the place for us.

We have never looked back – it has been the absolutely right thing for each of us. And our skills blend very well together. Marilyn is good at handling the financial tasks and she also happens to be an excellent massage therapist. Our guests rave about her massages. Larry is the chief cook and handyman (but not bottle washer). He is a mater at the breakfast items, as our guests will attest. I am the marketing person, I love visiting and chatting and carrying on with the guests.

When we took over the inn, we had a very clear vision of what we wanted to create – a place where guests would have a memorable experience, relax, enjoy good food, have interesting conversations, and make new friendships. For our part it is important for us to create a warm, inviting environment to make all this things happen. We have put much energy into decorating the inn (we change the decorations for the different seasons and holidays), cultivating a beautiful, inviting garden, and cooking and serving delicious food.