Dragonfly Cafe and Gardens - Ashland Oregon Restaurant

November 19, 2004

By Bill Choy
Reporter
Mail Tribune

ASHLAND — A husband and wife responsible for several successful San Diego-area restaurants are bringing their unique blend of Asian and Latin cuisine to this town’s ever-more eclectic mix of eateries.

They’ve also recruited another couple — experts in the business recruited two years ago from London — to run the show.

Dragonfly, in the former Primavera site at 24 Hargadine St., is scheduled to open on Saturday. A tentative Thursday opening was delayed by last-minute glitches, most notably late menus, said Dee Clooney, who will manage the restaurant while husband Neil runs the kitchen.

It’s all the creation of Billy Tosheff and his wife, Isabel Cruz, a chef and cookbook author who created the eatery’s menu items.

Tosheff said the Dragonfly will serve moderately priced breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring items like coconut French toast, ahi tuna wontons, grilled salmon with Asian spices topped with a mango papaya salsa, as well as numerous vegan and vegetarian creations.

The couple founded Mission Cafe in San Diego. They also own the Coffee Cup Cafe in La Jolla and Cantina Panaderia in Pacific Beach, both in the San Diego area.

Tosheff said he wanted to start a restaurant in Ashland since discovering the town by chance about 10 years ago when he stopped here on the way to Seattle.

While exploring the town, he fell in love with its beauty, and the people and businesses he came across.

"There’s a real creative nature about it," he said. "There’s a lot of craftsmanship here, which I admire."

He has visited the town frequently over the past several years, and had planned to open a restaurant for a few years.

Tosheff and Cruz will still be based in San Diego and come to Ashland frequently.

The Clooneys met Tosheff in London, where they worked at the popular Ransom’s Dock. Tosheff convinced them to work in one of his San Diego restaurants, where they have been for the past two years.

When the Ashland restaurant began to take shape, Tosheff decided they would be a perfect pair to help get Dragonfly up and running.

Neil Clooney said the couple liked the idea of coming to America to "broaden our horizons." He’s enjoyed the small-town ambiance of Ashland, but also appreciates that it has big- city amenities like good theater, restaurants and bars.

Dee agreed: "It’s so refreshing here. It’s like a village here. You get to know people so quickly."

"I like the diversity of the produce here," Neil added. "I like that everyone is food-curious here. They like to know the source of the food. I appreciate their knowledge and interest."

Tosheff said the plan is to open slowly with only a few of its tables in the beginning until the staff gets acclimated. "We want the business to evolve over time."

While much thought has been given to design, at the crux is the food, Tosheff said.

"We want the food to be good, and people to have the best experience," she said.

Tosheff said, like his other eateries, he wants Dragonfly to be an open, inviting place, that both locals and tourists can enjoy.

"We’re about food and people," he said. "We just want to take our time and create a great restaurant for the neighborhood."

The restaurant is at 241 Hargadine St., below the Oregon Cabaret Theater. Dragonfly Cafe and Gardens is open 7 days a week, from 8 - 3 and from 5 till close.

Thank you.

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