There’s always a pot of soup on the stove at Shona’s but it didn’t start in mykitchen. It started in a cold little farmhouse in Barnard Castle, England, with a woman barely five feet tall who ran an entire sheep farm on her own.

There's a 120 square foot room in Lewis County that does more work than most commercial kitchens ten times its size. It's where Jon and Jodi of Eufloria Botanica dry, garble, mill, and pack every batch of tea that ends up in the Herbal and Masala chai you order here at Shona's. No walk-in storage, no stockpile waiting in the wings. If it isn’t made within hours that she orders it, it gets made the night before.

There’s something deeply important to me about being able to make food slowly. Not because I don’t understand the rush. Believe me, I do. I’ve worked the long days, the early morning with aching feet, and the feeling that there’s never enough hours in the day.

Right. We need to have a word about the pies.

You lot are eating the bloody things faster than we can make them. Success! Thank you!

So, with the café busier than a Belfast bar on a Friday night, we're making a wee change.

Pedro has tusks like a tiny warthog and the swagger of an animal who knows he's the boss. He's a boar living out his best life on a small farm in Onalaska, and as of last week, he's officially one of our favourite animals in Lewis County.

My lil’ ol’ meat pie ‘n coffee shop is celebrating its six-year anniversary today.

I chose to use my name for the café and to open it on July 21st, my birthday, as a way to gift myself the opportunity for success.

Over the last five and a half years, I have had the privilege of slowly growing my British café in downtown Chehalis. When I opened, I actually only had two months to set up shop with. From concept to name, logo, menu, barista training, and equipment, I managed to piece together what would become Shona’s Food Company.