The Goat and the Radish café and co-op market offers Carlsborg residents a nearby place to gather and locals and tourists fresh takes on salads, 16-inch crepes, sandwiches and seasonal specials, as well as an unusual signature item: charcuterie boxes-to-go.
The family behind the business — located at 261043 U.S. Highway 101 — said their creations are perfect for hikes, picnics and boatrides.
The family also operates a hot dog and crepe cart at the P.A. Farmer’s Saturday market and a charcuterie-to-go cart on Wednesday Nights at the Pier.
Chef Ted Walker, who presides at the Goat and the Radish from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, has been in the Hospitality Industry for more than 25 years, five of those as a chef.
Chef Ted Walker says the customer favorite at The Goat and the Radish is the Italian Hero: capicola, salami, prosciutto, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, pepperoncinis and red onion with oil and vinegar on an Italian roll.
As the designer of the menu, Walker said he enjoys everything on it, but he has a special fondness for the lingonberry crepe with marscapone.
“It reminds me of my grandmother,” he said. “She used to take me out for Swedish pancakes every Saturday.”
The customers’ favorite, he said, is the Italian Hero, with capicola, salami, pepperoni, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, pepperoncinis and red onion, oil and vinegar.
“Bar none, that’s number one,” he said. “It’s a huge sandwich.”
All the sandwiches and crepes at the Goat and the Radish are popular, too, Walker said, and “just about everyday somebody orders the charcuterie box-to-go.”
At the Goat and the Radish, the Apples and Cinnamon Crepe includes local apples in brown sugar with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon.
This box includes a custom selection of meat, cheese, fruits and baked goods, and, like the rest of the menu, has gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.
The charcuterie is arranged on a board when eating in, or in various choices of to-go packaging, from the free, paper version, to a biodegradable ice chest with ice to reusable wooden snackle boxes and picnic baskets.
The Walkers say that as much of their product as possible is local.
“We prefer to support local vendors over buying from farther away,” Walker said. “We’re always looking for more.
“Call or email to become a vendor. If there’s a way to make it work, we will.”
Family behind the chef
Walker is “the shepherd of the goat herd,” said sister Emily Walker — who he in turn referred as “the marketing guru.”
Emily’s husband, Joe Manney, the business’ chief financial officer, said, “We’re really excited about the whole family coming together and everyone chipping in.”
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Chef Ted Walker and new hire John Shaack prepare food for customers under the menu of The Goat and the Radish.
The family includes Emily’s twin sister Amy Shea and her husband, Justin Shea, “carpenter extraordinaire,” and their mother, Ann Walker.
Ted Walker said that everyone except him moved out to the Olympic Peninsula after the death of his father Jim Walker, formerly an anchorman on Channel 12 in Bellingham.
Ted was living in Seattle when he visited his family in Port Angeles and “they said, ‘We want to open a restaurant and we want you to do it.’
“I thought I was done in the kitchen, but my sisters talked me into it,” he said.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / The interior of The Goat and the Radish includes antique and modern picnic baskets, handmade items and custom snackle boxes.
Everyone pooled their time, talents and finances to make the café, which held its grand opening on April 23, a reality.
“By 3 [p.m.] we were out of food,” Walker said. “We had to shut down early. There was nothing left to serve everybody.”
The café
“If any animal knows a good snack when they see it, it’s that goat,” said Manney, referring to the Goat and the Radish’s logo, which can be seen large in the café.
The space formerly hosted Goodness Tea, which now will sell its wares in the market section of the 25-person capacity café.
Other local goods, primarily gustatory, are available for sale, as well as charcuterie boards by local woodworker Keith Cortner and picnic options from baskets to snackle boxes: a handled box that opens into three tiers.
Emily Walker said that 300 of these boxes will be arriving in the next few weeks. They will be treated with a mineral oil/beeswax finish acquired from Cortner, which makes them easy to wipe off.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / The interior of The Goat and the Radish includes goat decorations, many snack options and antique picnic baskets.
Seating for 12 has already attracted locals for meeting and eating. Walker said that the one picnic table outside will soon be three, and it’s possible that in the future they may move to a larger place.
The location makes it very easy for RVs to “pull in, pack the case and hit the ferry,” said Emily.
Adorned with goat imagery and other farm-homey decorations, the cafe’s furnishings are largely DIY creations. Emily made most of the tables and shelves from repurposed and refinished wood, and Justin Shea tackled the custom-built register stand.
“It’s cute in here,” said first time customer Joan Vennetti. “It’s my kind of menu.” She said she read about the grand opening on Facebook but couldn’t make it over. “I’m liking the salads and my husband and daughter the sandwiches. I’ll try the crepes next time.”
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / The Goat and the Radish prepares custom charcuterie and packs them in a variety of containers, dictated by customer choice. The snackle box, seen here closed and open, is one of their specialty items. Seen with them are some of the handcrafted wooden tools made by local woodworker Keith Cortner which are sold in the cafe’s market section.
Like Vennetti, the other customers streaming in had heard about the Goat on social media or by word of mouth.
Customers can order ahead of time or walk in, noted Walker.
“We’re really, really, really overwhelmed by the support of everyone who comes in,” he said. “Their faces light up when they come in. They say they need this place.
“We didn’t expect to be received like that.”
The Goat and Radish
Café offering salads, 16-inch crepes, sandwiches and seasonal specials
Where: 261043 U.S. Highway 101
Phone: 360-912-3674
More info: orders@goatandradish.com
On the web: GoatAndRadish.com, facebook.com/goatandradish
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Chef Ted Walker pauses in between orders at The Goat and the Radish, in the Matriotti Center, 261043 US Highway 101 in Carlsborg. Behind him are some of the local products sold in the cafe, which specializes in charcuterie to go and serves 16-inch crepes, salads and sandwiches as well.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / The interior of The Goat and the Radish hosts a little market of local food, drinks and crafts.
