Sabrina and Spencer Bezaire couldn’t resist an opportunity to feed their new community.
The couple brings decades of experience in the restaurant industry and moved to Orcas to gain more balance in their lives. They intended to work for other business owners, but when an established Eastsound eatery closed and the space became available, they decided to open their own cafe.
The Lone Pine Larder debuted in May in the former Wild Island building at 18 Urner Street. It offers lunch, deli items, local goods and beer and wine, and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
“People can come in and casually pick up food that is fresh, local, nourishing and affordable. We decided on a limited staff model with counter service during the day — to make it viable for us as owners and operators,” Sabrina said. “We want to enjoy the hiking, cycling and kayaking that we love, which is why we moved here. We can come back to the restaurant refreshed.”
The two hail from Los Angeles and have been visiting Orcas since 2017. In addition to having close friends on the island, Spencer’s parents live on Whidbey. In 2019, they opened their first solo venture, Eszett, a neighborhood wine bar with a seasonal menu in L.A. Three months later the pandemic hit, and they transitioned to take-out items only. Spencer also debuted a line of successful hot sauces.
“We had worked for other people for years, and we invested all of our life savings into the new restaurant,” Sabrina remembers.
Disillusioned with how the pandemic altered their dream, they sold Eszett to two employees in early 2023. The Bezaires then spent a month on Orcas, meeting people in the hospitality industry and getting a handle on the quirks of running a restaurant on a remote island.
“We were blown away by how special Orcas is and surprised by the food scene here,” Sabrina said.
They sold their house in L.A. and moved to the island in the fall of 2023 with their 11-year-old dog, Murphy.
“We planned to take a backseat to ownership responsibilities,” Sabrina laughed.
A mutual friend introduced them to Wendy Thomas, who was in the process of closing Wild Island Restaurant and Juice Bar. She sold the building to local investors and encouraged the Bezaires to consider leasing. After great consideration, they decided to go for it. In March, they renovated the interior and deep-cleaned the kitchen. By May, they were open to the public.
There are daily soups and sandwiches and the deli case has such offerings as a smoky beet salad, Tokyo turnips and roasted chicken, gourmet cheeses and house-made sauces and tapenade. The freezer is stocked with vegetarian and carnivorous soups, Lum farm ice cream and vegan ice cream bars.
“We will always have vegan and gluten-free options on the menu,” Sabrina said.
Long-term, Sabrina and Spencer hope to offer one dinner event a month and a summer grilling night on the lawn. While calling ahead for same-day orders is currently not available, the Bezaires do encourage customers to pre-order larger items ahead of time, like a platter of sandwiches for a boat trip or a pan of the popular tortilla espanola. For more information, visit https://www.lonepinelarder.com/.
“Locals have been wonderful — just lovely people with great feedback. We’re really happy to have our doors open,” Sabrina said.
