The Flavor of Curry will be revealed Thursday, April 15, with an unusual fundraising event to support the construction of the Brookings campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College (SOCC).

The revelations will include a taste of the history of Curry County, provided by well-known local storytellers and, for the palate, a selection of the county’s delectable edibles.

The celebration will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Redwood Theater with the storytellers sharing information about the shaping of Curry County’s friendly flavor.

Jerry Brown and Henry Colangelo are singing “We’re back in the business again,” as they greet new and old clients at the recently-opened Smugglers Italian Bistro in the English Village on Highway 101 at Hoffeldt Lane.

After 10 years operating his Smuggler’s Cove Restaurant at the Port of Brookings Harbor, Brown said, “It’s a change of location and I’m downsizing a bit.”

Chef Colangelo, former owner of the Italian Cowboy Restaurant in Brookings, returned to Brookings just in time to help Brown open the new Italian steak house.

Tim Hoone, director of Hospitality 101, was host of the annual America’s Wild Rivers Coast Five-Chamber Mixer Thursday night, but he didn’t know a key secret.

He was also named as the first winner of the Chuck Schaumburg Hospitality Award, given by the America’s Wild Rivers Coast Consortium.

“You’ve done so much,” AWRC President Aaron Funk said to Hoone as he announced the award. “You’ve spent so many hours of your life on this.”

Sherry Martinez brings her island dreams to Brookings with the Hawaiian-themed Jitter Hut, located in the Subway sandwich shop.

Three weeks ago Sherry Martinez brought her vision of Jitter Hut, an island-themed shop, to match her Hawaiian coffee.

Jitter Hut, located inside the Subway sandwich shop at 1006 Chetco Ave., features 100 percent Kona Coffee, in both liquid and bean form, and 100 percent fruit smoothies.

The island spirit comes through with “long board,” “short board” and “boogie board” (large-, medium- and small- sized drinks,) and beverages such as “Beach Bum Rush,” “Lava Bomb,” and “Rip Curl.”

The shop will also offer chocolate covered macadamia nuts, chocolate covered kona coffee beans and other treats, such as a macadamia nut hand-dipped in chocolate 200 times.

It’s becoming a habit. Chetco Federal Credit Union has been named by Oregon Business magazine as one of The 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon for the third year in a row.

In writing about the 100 Best Companies of 2010, Oregon Business editor Robin Doussard said, “When the going gets tough, The Best get going,” and her final editorial word was, “Especially in hard times, being a great place to work helps your bottom line. It gives you a competitive edge, keeps the best people with you, and in turn those employees give back that heart and soul many times over.”

An inside article noted, “It might not have been the best year for business, with a bad economy hanging on, but you wouldn’t know it by how our 2010 winners treated their employees. ... It’s about inspired leadership, collaboration and caring, along with a healthy dose of fun.”

Stanley J. Baron, president and chief executive officer of the credit union, said, “It’s a great honor to be rated by our employees as one of the best 100 companies to work for. Our success is due to our employees. They are all successful because of their likability.”

Sweet dreams become a reality for port entrepreneur Becky Hannon. The Pilot/Arwyn Rice

Whales Tail Candy & Gifts will soon offer sweets and beach-theme gifts in a sumptuous sherbet-colored store.

“Candy is just one of the most wonderful things in life,” Whales Tail co-owner Becky Hannon said.

Becky and husband Don Hannon, who have lived in Harbor for two and a half years, plan to open the doors  Saturday, March 27.

The crowd might not have been loaded in two of his boats, but Jerry’s Rogue Jet Boats owner Bill McNair used all of the same bluster, banter and jokes with them during the recent Business Outlook Conference to get across his message.

After 37 years and some 750,000 passengers, it was clear to the audience that he knew both how to run a business and entertain a crowd.

“But you have to be very careful with your cynicism,” he warned after sidetracking to his thoughts about taxes and government regulation. “Don’t be cynical. Be nice to people and good things will happen.”

So, McNair said, he sees everyone as a potential customer and he makes customer service his primary goal.

“Running your own business is an adventure sport,” he said during the Industry Showcase presentation of the conference.  “Every day I feel like my business is a gamble. We are pushing our own money out onto the table, investing in our own business. Business is a risky adventure.”

Dowleen Rhodes owns the Gallery Restaurants while her husband, George, is the chef. The Pilot/Marjorie Woodfin

Diners have been finding all three at Dowleen Rhodes’ Gallery Restaurants.

Her cosy, lunch establishment, called the Snug and located upstairs at Brian Scott Gallery, and Art Alley Grille, on the lower level and accessible from Art Walk Alley, offer some of the best food in town, thanks to the artistry of Chef George Rhodes, the proprietor’s husband.

Attentive, friendly staff serve dinner at the Grille  Wednesday through Saturday, from 5 to 9 p.m., while Horst Wolf, at the keyboard, provides dinner music. The menu includes unusual specialties, such as osso bucco, and standards such as prime rib.

Lois Fraser, left, Stephanie Hobbs and Jennifer Pearce helped owner Christina Gotfried transition from a franchise to an independent shop. The Pilot/Marjorie Woodfin

“It’s Quiznos with a name change,” Gotfried said. She said she wants all of her customers to know that they will still be able to get the items that they prefer, including all the same toasted sandwiches, plus new items she was unable to serve under her franchise agreement.

She explained that she couldn’t even add chocolate milk or a pastrami sandwich to the menu as long as she was franchised as Quiznos.