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Other than leasing space in the 100-year-old Odd Fellows Temple on Capitol Hill, Linda Derschang and Ericka Burke* don’t have a connection with the Order. And yet, the Order has a history of 1) being a social society that cares for its own, 2) using rites, passwords, signs and counter-signs and 3) lodge meetings that were accompanied by "merry making and mirth." Maybe there’s more of a connection than anyone realizes…

Photo: Linda (l), Ericka (r)
Taken by Curt Doughty

Linda Derschang has a pattern of creating social places where people gather. Ericka Burke, along with Heather Earnhardt, created Volunteer Park Cafe & Marketplace (VPC&M), another gathering place for neighbors and families. There’s nothing more rite-laden with passwords than the Seattle coffee scene. Coffee compulsion has people passing along their personal passwords—no caff, skinny, extra foam—to those who understand and execute. And where better to make merry than a café and bar? No need to wait for a scheduled meeting.

Linda owned a clothing store on Broadway called Basic when she and friends who owned Sub Pop Records started talking about opening a bar. "It’s not like it was a burning desire I’d had for years," she says. Nonetheless, she closed the clothing store to open Linda’s Tavern in 1994. It will be celebrating its 15^th anniversary in 2009. In 1997, she opened Capitol Club and Baltic Room, both on Capitol Hill. Deciding to simplify her life, she sold Capitol Club in 2001. Clearly not a person who knows how to simplify, she let two weeks go by before starting work on Chop Suey, opening in 2002 and selling it and the Baltic Room in 2003. She opened the Viceroy in Belltown in 2003, renaming it Rob Roy in the fall of 2008 "on a whim." King’s Hardware in Ballard came next in 2006, followed by Smith on Capitol Hill in 2007. Oddfellows opened in December 2008. "And now I’m done," she says. "I’m tired. And the company has gotten quite large."

Linda has partnered in the past with Wade Weigel and Jeff Ofelt on Baltic Room, Chop Suey, Rob Roy and King’s Hardware. Wade owns the Rudy’s barbershops, Ace Hotel, Bimbo’s and the Cha Cha Lounge. The partnership with Ericka came about over the year and a half after VPC&M opened near Linda’s home. "I was in on a regular basis," she says. "I’m a big fan of Ericka’s food and the vibe of the Café. So I asked her if she wanted to partner with me on Oddfellows." In addition to meeting Linda, Ericka also hired her daughter to work at VPC&M. "It just seemed like a natural fit," recalls Ericka. "Opening VPC&M has really been a learning experience, especially being part of a neighborhood. Oddfellows is an extension of that experience in a different neighborhood. And I like the idea of filling the need for a daytime presence."

Photo above: Oddfellows counter, taken by Beth Batson

Like owning a tavern, opening another restaurant wasn’t on Linda’s mind. "I looked at the space just for fun and fell in love with it; it had such great bones. I went to New York for a week and kept thinking about what would be fun to do in the neighborhood; something the people who live and work in the area need. There’s nothing here now like what we’re doing. There’s not even that much coffee, considering the number of people who live here." Bottom line, Oddfellows is a place for people to hang out any time day or night.

"For most of the 20 years I’ve lived in Seattle, I’ve lived on Capitol Hill, primarily in the Pike/Pine neighborhood," Linda explains. "I had some concerns a few years ago about the direction it was taking—too yuppy, sterile and corporate. But that hasn’t really happened; it’s developing in an interesting manner. I’d love to see more daytime retail."

Both Linda and Ericka are excited about the way the room feels throughout the day. In the morning, it’s light and airy. When darkness falls, the ambiance completely changes.

Linda has the designer’s touch and Ericka has enjoyed collaborating on the design of Oddfellows. "It has been really fun to do some of the design together," says Ericka. "Linda has a great eye and a knack for finding salvage materials. We wanted to make this a homey environment. We didn’t want the open kitchen to look industrial. The reclaimed wood on the wall changes the feel."

A long, narrow outdoor patio offers another dimension to the café. With tall, old brick walls, it has a New York feel. Low-strung strings of lights will make it more intimate, along with potted herbs and greenery on the walls. A heat lamp will make it usable for more than just a few months a year.

Photo: naked patio

Simple rustic locally-sourced food draws the neighborhood inside. "The menu is comfort food that’s not fussy," explains Ericka. "We offer pastries, coffee, oatmeal, stratas, Marzipan and pear-stuffed French toast in the morning and have hearty salads and panini. We have a rotisserie and offer rotisserie chicken at nights, along with braised meats. We opened with pork shanks with lentils and creamed cabbage. People can come in for a panini and beer before heading to the theatre or for a full dinner from appetizers to dessert, with cocktails and wine."

Ericka’s partner at VPC&M, Heather Earnhardt, consults on the baked goods. Oddfellows uses her recipes and she oversees the training of the department. Some items in the works are a PB&J cupcake, red velvet Elvis cupcake and cereal bars made with Fruit Loops and Cap’n Crunch. "They’re more playful than Rice Krispie treats," laughs Ericka. "They appeal to a younger sweet tooth."

Photo  by Beth Baston

Food is available for take out and by 8 a.m. each day, baguette sandwiches are on the counter for people to take to work for lunch. They also have a retail wine license.

Ericka has a chef and sous chef in the kitchen. Her continued involvement in Oddfellows will be the creation of new menu items and to act as a resource. "This is where I see my future—developing interesting dining experiences," she says.

Like all good Odd Fellows, Linda and Ericka are filling a community need. Let the merriment continue.

*The partnership between Burke and Derschang ended in March 2009.

Connie Adams/January 2009

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