Heading down Lincoln Street towards 8th Street, there is a quaint, turquoise house with white trim accompanied with a small patio and a white picket fence. What used to be a crepe house is now Yardy’s brand new brick and mortar called Yardy Rum Bar owned and run by local chef Isaiah Martinez.
Isaiah Martinez has worked in the food industry for years. Looking back, he says the hardest job he ever had was operating a Tuscan wood-fired grill at a renowned Spanish restaurant in Oakland, California. Isaiah brings an abundance of knowledge to the table. The challenges and learning experiences he has faced up to this point in his career has shaped Isaiah into the culinary artist he is today. Before Yardy Isaiah worked as a sous-chef at the French restaurant Marché, here in Eugene, where he was able to introduce himself to the farmers market and start cultivating connections with local farmers. As his career and relationships developed, Isaiah decided to open his own catering business, Yardy, in 2018. From the get-go, Yardy’s presence thrived, and the West-Indies inspired cuisine brought an original, authentic flavor to Eugene’s local food scene. In 2021, Isaiah Yardy opened a food cart, also called Yardy, through GoFundMe, which has been serving at Coldfire Brewery.
Isaiah describes his weekly visits to the market as a colorful experience where he gets to hangout with local celebrities, the farmers.
“I choose to shop at the farmers market because it not only inspires the cuisine, but it also serves as an antidepressant. When I go to the market, I’m immediately happy,” he says.
One of the drawback for Isaiah at the market is waiting in line to get his fresh produce as he is usually in a crunch for time. Among his favorite vendors are Winter Green Farm and Sweet Leaf as their produce selection tends to be small-scale and high-quality.
Yardy’s concept is driven by fresh market produce. It forces their cooks to be intuitive and creative when making decisions about the menu as they are using ever-changing seasonal ingredients. Yardy aims to feed the eclectic melting pot of Eugene with its unpretentious comfort foods, exotic flavors, and fun cocktails! Come and dine at Yardy’s charming, new brick and mortar on Thursday – Sunday from 5 – 9 pm. The food cart will be reopening soon!