LA GRANDE — Amanda Twilegar and Lou Drey took a major leap of faith — several of them, in fact — as they walked out the steps that led to them operating The Laurel, the sole proprietor that has been leasing space at The Landing Hotel in downtown La Grande.

Just over four months in, the experience has been great for the two friends and first-time businesswomen.

“In some ways I feel like it’s better than I could have ever imagined,” Twilegar said. “We’re just figuring it out and building it as we go. But we’ve been blown away by the community and how excited and supportive and welcoming everyone has been.”

The small-plate, entree, cocktail and now breakfast restaurant began operating in January, stepping into the space where cuisine chef Merlyn Baker had previously operated.

The menu, though, has a much different look than what Baker served, and that is something the duo is good with.

“All the respect in the world, but knowing that what we’re doing is so different, we just have to stay in our lane, walk in our lane, and know who we are,” Drey said of following in Baker’s footsteps. “He’s incredible. We would love a chance to learn from him, but we’re not him.”

The vision Drey and Twilegar had wasn’t even to enter the restaurant business when they first reached out to Landing co-owner Karin Tsiatsos nearly a year ago.

Their thought was an expansion of an event they had been putting on twice a year in Wallowa County or Idaho since 2019 — Creative Selah Retreats. Selah is a term frequently found in the Psalms that means rest or pause, and that has been the goal of the Selah Retreats.

“It comes out of our own need to practice pause in our lives, so that in the stillness you can hear what’s really tugging on your life and maybe let someone else take care of you a little bit as far as the feeding goes, and then also an invitation to rest, which we all need,” Twilegar said.

She and Drey have done the food preparation for these retreats, and wanted to do something similar in La Grande.

When Tsiatsos replied to their email and offered to meet up, she had a much different idea in mind — a small-plate and cocktail restaurant.

Tsiatsos laid out her vision, gave them a tour, proposed a rent price, and asked them to pray and think about it.

“Lou and I were like, ‘What just happened?’ after that conversation,” Twilegar said.

The list of boxes that needed checked in order to move forward with the idea was lengthy, including the fact that at the time of Tsiatsos’ proposition, Drey was living in Boise.

The next few months saw countless steps being taken “one foot in front of the other,” Drey said. “We had to really hold it loosely, you know? Our identity is not this idea, whether it rises or falls, or is successful or not, and I still am reminding myself of that.”

When they knocked on doors, they opened. Licensing was procured. Funding for various elements of the business was obtained.

“People have been sweeter and kinder, and the community’s (been) great,” Drey said. “So many things I didn’t know we’d have to think about and worry about to get to the food part, the fun part.”

When they had questions, the right conversations were had to help them get answers.

“We didn’t know where to look for the right employees, and they have found us,” Twilegar noted as an example.

Slowly but surely, what the duo needed fell into place in time for opening on Jan. 11.

The Laurel started small with just a few items on the menu at the dinner hour, but the restaurant’s popularity has been more than was envisioned, and the team has slowly added to what it can serve.

“We thought, when we started in January, it was supposed to be the slow season, and we just had our hair blown back by how many people want to be in here, and hang out, and eat our food, and give us good reviews,” Twilegar said. “We’re thankful we get to be in La Grande doing this.”

The Laurel recently expanded to now serve breakfast Friday through Sunday mornings, in addition to offering dinner Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Currently, dinner on Wednesday through Saturday is served from 5-8 p.m., and breakfast Friday through Sunday is from 7:30-11:30 a.m.

Friday and Saturday are Drey’s favorite time, as it’s when The Laurel offers specials that change each week.

“Most Friday and Saturday nights we just put our heads together, look at what’s in season, and come up with a special, whether it’s a drink or food or both,” she said. “So it’s not on the menu, it’s kind of a surprise. Sometimes it’s like ethnic food or whatever. That’s been a fun thing, because people on the weekend will be like ‘What’s the special?’ That’s been kind of my favorite thing. There’s not rules.”

Drey and Twilegar said the working relationship with Tsiatsos has been fantastic, and The Landing’s co-owner agreed.

“It’s been very positive,” Tsiatsos said. “Honestly speaking, people have been receiving of the new offerings, new cocktails, different foods. For the most part it’s been positive. We’ve seen a lot of new people come through the doors. The guests have been receptive and complimentary.”

As they look forward, both Drey and Twilegar envision sharing the space with other entities, creative minds or growers from the community for different events to, in a way, bring their creative energy together.

But for now, the focus is on continuing to build on the strong start so that those hopes can be realized — one step at a time.

“I’m excited to see what the future holds with this,” Twilegar said. “It kind of feels like the sky’s the limit.”