Chelsea Marr, owner of Columbia Gorge News, is pictured at the newspaper's The Dalles office. Marr also owns Gorge Magazine, which she operates out of her Hood River office. Marr has now added the online blog "Hood River Eats" to the list of businesses she owns, all serving the Columbia River Gorge.
Chelsea Marr, owner of Columbia Gorge News, is pictured at the newspaper's The Dalles office. Marr also owns Gorge Magazine, which she operates out of her Hood River office. Marr has now added the online blog "Hood River Eats" to the list of businesses she owns, all serving the Columbia River Gorge.
Hood River Eats, a food and drink website and social media platform founded by Melissa Haskin in May 2020, has been purchased by Chelsea Marr, owner and publisher of Columbia Gorge News and Gorge Magazine.
“Good, local food has always been something I have enjoyed and the food we have in the Gorge is especially appreciated,” said Marr. “We have an abundance of items grown right here, and I welcome the idea of an online venue centered around food and drink in the Gorge and celebrating those who grow and produce in our area.”
Haskin is now living in Las Vegas, prompting the sale. Marr said that the name will remain Hood River Eats, but the site will focus on food and drink Gorge-wide.
“Founder Melissa Haskin started a great service helping local restaurants to get information and updates out to the community during the COVID pandemic. It gained momentum and has a strong following. Melissa made Hood River Eats what is today, and I am appreciative of her great work,” said Marr. “By adding the greater Gorge area to our mix, we will be able to highlight culinary happenings in our neighboring communities as well as those in Hood River.”
Haskin began the site as a way to keep track of which restaurants were open for takeout early in the pandemic. “I saw a need for a central place to keep track of everything and figured it’d just be easier to make lists to send to my friends and if anyone else wanted to read, great,” Haskin said.
Those lists evolved into Hood River Eats, where she went from compiling restaurant information about them, eventually adding new business features to the mix.
It’s a model Marr is looking forward to continuing. “I believe the Columbia Gorge News, Gorge Magazine and Hood River Eats will complement one another nicely,” Marr said. “This partnership will expand the audience on both sides and reach new readers and followers.
“The ways in which our local restaurants create menus that cater to seasonal offerings in the Gorge is a unique gift that residents of small towns seldom have,” she added. “We get many people from elsewhere coming to our communities to visit and dine at our restaurants, and I believe our fresh, local food and impressive culinary scene is one of the reasons why.”
The site will include stories from staff at both Columbia Gorge News and Gorge Magazine, as well as contributors from the community. Advertising opportunities will also be offered.
“I think the brand is in excellent hands,” Haskin said. “The site was built on reporting, gathering and sharing information with the public about the food scene. The Columbia Gorge News has a staff of trustworthy, hardworking journalists — I can’t think of a better type of people to keep Hood River Eats going.”
Haskin added that she has no plans for a future blog. “I was always working on a million projects... I’m happy to be working on just one thing now: Building my editing business,” she said.
Hood River Eats is online at www.HoodRiverEats.com, Instagram at #hoodrivereats and Facebook @HoodRiverEats. For more information, email TheRealHREats@gmail.com or call Marr at 541-386-1234 Ext. 100.
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