Restauranteurs find a new home with Blackberry Cafe

Larry Rose ran Roseone's until closing restaurant because of health

By Garth Guibord

The Sandy Post, Feb 23, 2010

Garth Guibord / Sandy Post

Larry Rose (center in rear) and his staff, (from left) cook Kenny Richmond, waitress Kathy Larson, waitress Kacey Myers, cook Michelle Rose and baker Lisa Weingarten, are ready for Blackberry Café’s customers.

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Larry Rose and his wife, Michelle, faced the difficult decision to close their Sandy restaurant, Roseone’s, last year when Rose went into cardiac arrest during a cruise.

The restaurant had developed a solid following, drawing people from Mount Hood to Portland, and the couple was disappointed to close down so quickly.

“Not only were they customers, but a lot of those people were our friends,” Rose said. “It was very difficult for us to make the decision to close the restaurant because of the connection we had with our customers.”

But less than a year later, they’re at it again, opening the Blackberry Café, Welches’ newest restaurant, in recent weeks.

Bloom of the Rose

Rose fell sick last May and in June, Roseone’s closed. But he worked his way back into health and by August, and with his doctor’s consent, he was ready for more. When Wildwood Café, located at the Mt. Hood RV Village, closed, Rose saw his opening.

“This was a really good opportunity here and it transformed into a nice location,” said Rose, who also lives in Welches. “I think it has a lot of potential.”

To upgrade the space, Rose took out the restaurant’s dropped ceiling to expose its wooden beams, added new carpeting, installed a new preparation area and refurbished the restaurant’s equipment. The work took two months.

Now, he and his family offer home-cooked breakfast and lunch, with a focus on freshness.

Breakfast items include pancakes, Belgium waffles, crepes and baked goods, including scones and muffins, all made fresh and not from mixes, and a variety of omelets, available in larger and smaller sizes. The lunch menu includes homemade soups, gourmet hamburgers and paninis, including a Reuben that was popular at Roseone’s.

Many items are available with blackberries or other fruit, and Rose is proud to offer items that are made fresh daily and never frozen, even if they’ll sometimes run out of popular dishes.

“You really taste the difference in the quality,” he said.

Rose also has added a few super-sized specialties to the menu based on Highway 26, including 26 silver dollar pancakes, a 26-ounce omelet and a 16-ounce hamburger with 10-ounces of toppings.

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