Our family business took shape when my great-grandfather, Joseph Czarnecki, opened Joe’s Tavern in 1916 in Reading, Pennsylvania. His son, Joseph Jr., carried on the tradition, transforming the original tavern into Joe’s Restaurant and changing the focus to fine dining and wine with wild mushrooms (a family passion) as the centerpiece. My father, Jack Czarnecki, followed in his father’s footsteps, taking Joe’s Restaurant to a new level while maintaining the mushroom theme. My parents’ dream to combine fine cuisine, great mushroom hunting, and world-class wine was fully realized in 1996 when they purchased The Joel Palmer House and moved the restaurant West.
As 4th generation restaurateur and chef, I am honored to be carrying on the family tradition and proud to share our family’s passion for fine dining. I’ve spent the majority of my life in and out of kitchens (Pennsylvania, Germany, France, Oregon, and Iraq). And upon my return home from my service in the US Army in 2006, my father asked me if I wanted to join The Joel Palmer House kitchen. In 2008 my folks retired and it has been my goal to build upon my family’s rich traditions and continue to deliver superb cuisine and outstanding experiences to our guests.
Our cooking revolves around wild mushrooms and truffles which we gather ourselves and with friends. We have always endeavored to obtain locally raised ingredients in our cooking, and we use many locally produced greens, herbs, and vegetables, many of which come from our own culinary garden. We frequently draw inspiration from the cuisines of Mexico, China, Thailand, Poland, and India, so we call our cooking, “freestyle”. Of course, we work hard to create dishes that complement the glorious wines of Oregon, especially Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay.
~Christopher Czarnecki, Chef/Owner chris@joelpalmerhouse.com
The Joel Palmer House which is on the National as well as Oregon Historic Register. Joel Palmer was one of Oregon’s preeminent pioneers leaving Indiana in 1845 to make his long way west. As leader of one of three wagon trains headed for the Northwest, Palmer soon exhibited the leadership qualities for which he became famous. As a pioneer his single greatest accomplishment was finding the Barlow Pass, a feat he performed by climbing Mount Hood in the middle of the winter of 1845 in moccasins which soon became worn to nothing.
But Palmer possessed other qualities as well, which he put to use in dealing with the Native American tribes he encountered along the way. His uncanny sense of diplomacy and sensitivity to the Indians’ plight led to his being named United States Indian Agent between 1848 and 1852, the period of Oregon’s bloodiest struggle with the Native Americans. His efforts resulted in saving thousands of lives of both Native Americans and pioneers through many treaties which were signed right here in Dayton.
Joel Palmer founded the town of Dayton in 1848 and built this home in 1857. It is said that it is named after the hometown of Chris Taylor, a close friend.
1810-1881
Pioneer leader and author, was born in Ontario, Canada. At the outbreak of the War of 1812 he and his parents, who were Americans, returned to York state, where he lived until he was 16, when he went to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and worked on canals and other public works. In 1830 he married Catherine Coffee, and following her death married again to Sarah Ann Derbyshire in 1836. That year he moved to Indiana, where he worked on the canals and bought land near Laurel. In 1843 and 1845 he was a representative in the Indiana legislature, but in the spring of 1845 started overland for Oregon. On this trip he discovered the Barlow Pass by climbing Mount Hood in the middle of winter in moccasins which quickly became worn to nothing.
The next year he returned to Indiana and with his family made a second journey to the Pacific Northwest. In Oregon he served as commissary-general of volunteer forces in the Cayuse War, and as a peace emissary. He joined the California gold rush in 1848 but returned the next year, laying out the town of Dayton on his donation claim on the lower Yamhill River. Here he built a sawmill. In 1853 he became superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon Territory, an office he served with distinction, bending his enormous energy and personal magnetism to the difficult task of securing Oregon lands from the Indian tribes without provoking them into warfare. He negotiated 9 of 15 treaties of cessation made between 1854 and 1855, and negotiated the problems of the Yakima Indian War.
In 1857 he was removed from office, not because he hadn’t done a good job, but because of his tolerant consideration for the Indians in carrying out his reservation policy and his restraint of settlers’ activities. Thereafter he operated his land claim, his mill, and was active in a variety of business enterprises. He was speaker of the house of representatives in 1862, and state senator, 1864-66. In 1870 he was defeated as Republican candidate for governor. He fathered eight children. His 1845 Journal of Travels Over the Rocky Mountains, served as guide for many Oregon-bound immigrants.
