Staff highlight: Micah Dugan

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Poet, comedian and knowledgeable person in charge (PIC), Micah Dugan just celebrated his four-year anniversary of working at Astoria Co+op.  

Born and raised in Astoria, Dugan went to Clatsop Community College and Portland State University to earn his degree in media studies before returning to the area.  

His interest in writing began when he was in middle school and he became attracted to the therapeutic aspect of poetry. His work has been published in literary publications and he still writes poems every day. He also began writing comedically during college and got into performing stand-up comedy. 

“I was always interested in the writing aspect but also experiencing laughter and pure joy, and being a small part of causing that is amazing,” Dugan said. Before the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to performances, Dugan had been doing stand-up comedy regularly and getting paid for it.  

Micah Dugan is knowledgeable about the grocery department.

In August 2017, Dugan started working at the co-op as a cashier, then in the grocery department, and became a PIC when the co-op moved to its current location and expanded its staff at the end of 2019.   

He described PIC as being an interactive role providing oversight and enforcement of the store’s policies. All PICs have their respective departments, and Dugan’s is grocery.  

He added that working in grocery has introduced him to new foods and inspired him to live a healthier lifestyle than what he grew up with. 

“Working here, being exposed to quality ingredients and products helped change a lot about my life,” Dugan said. “I’ve lost 80 or so pounds in the past couple years being here.”  

“I fell into a healthier life and I’m thankful for it,” Dugan added.  

Micah Dugan
Micah Dugan checks the bulk coffee at the co-op.

Some products he’s excited about include Majestic Garlic spread, Zimmerman’s honey, Elegant Tuna and Sweep the Leg Japanese rice lager from Level Beer. He’s also a big fan of Ivan’s Columbia Bars. Dugan first met Ivan when he was just starting out and looking for space to sell his bars, so Dugan introduced him to co-op grocery manager Brian Marchello and got his product on the shelves.  

Dugan is looking forward to citrus season, when he can get citrus like kishu and TDE2 shasta mandarin oranges.  

“At the end of the day, it’s nice I don’t punch the clock for a corporation, and that I know 70% of the customer base I interact with,” Dugan said. “Knowing I’m dedicating my time to a healthy cause is rewarding. It’s something I’m very grateful for and I don’t take it for granted.”

Micah Dugan is a person in charge (PIC) at the co-op.

Indoor seating area closed

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Due to the high case numbers in our area we want to limit the activities that may result in masks being removed inside the co-op to protect our staff and shoppers and reduce any business interruption from the highly contagious delta variant. We’ll be watching case counts and will respond accordingly. Thank you for wearing a mask in the store at all times.

Masks required

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Face masks are required in the store for all people older than five, per state mandate. This announcement came Aug. 11 from the governor to help preserve capacity of hospital beds in the state as coronavirus cases rise. We’ll be paying close attention to the news and following all public health guidelines. The safety of our shoppers and staff members remains our top priority throughout the pandemic, and we have many other safety protocols in place, including air scrubbers, handwashing stations and regular cleaning of surfaces. Thanks for your cooperation in helping keep the co-op safe.

Hot bar extends its hours, introduces new themes

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Shoppers looking for lunch and dinner to go are in luck, as the co-op’s hot bar has extended its hours to 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Along with the new hours, the hot bar is offering rotating culinary themes each running for two consecutive days:

Indian • Mung dal, spiced basmati rice, roasted cauliflower, vegetable curry, roasted cabbage sabzi, house-made saag paneer, pork vindaloo, rotating chicken: tandoori, butter, madras, and Parsi; naan, punjabi carrot salad, raita, cilantro chutney, lemon pickle, and mango chutney

Levantine • Sauteed kale with garlic and chiles, rotating grains: mujaddara, Persian yellow rice, spanakoriso; rotating vegetables: tahini cauliflower, sumac cauliflower, batata harra, and Levantine roasted carrots; kamfounata, tahini eggplant, spiced chickpeas, falafel, rotating meat: baharat meatballs, lamb stew, and kofta kebab; chicken shawarma, harissa chicken, pita, hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, garlic sauce, Israeli salad, and feta

Southern American • Braised greens, dirty rice, rosemary potatoes, succotash, mac and cheese, barbecue jackfruit, pulled pork, blackened chicken, buttermilk biscuits, pickles, cole slaw, macaroni salad, barbecue sauce, and vinegar sauce

East Asian • Sauteed kale with garlic and chiles, white rice, ginger roasted carrots, rotating rice: fried, kimchi fried, and Vietnamese red; broccoli, rotating tofu: orange ginger, vegan mapo, and Thai green curry; rotating beef: Japanese curry, bulgogi, Thai curry, Thai beef and basil stir fry, beef and broccoli; rotating chicken: five-spice, tuk meric, and adobo; spicy peanut noodle, and green papaya salad

“The hot bar has maintained some of our and our customers’ favorite dishes, while also bringing on some new ones,” said Andy Catalano, prepared foods manager. “We’ve done some work to solidify the culinary theme of the day and really build out the plate in a culturally specific way.”

Catalano added that all of the food is outrageously delicious and the staff focuses on quality offerings.

“Every menu is comprehensive, balanced, colorful, accommodating of varied diets and fun,” Catalano said. “People should come in to try it because it’s the best food in town.”

Other prepared food offerings include the burrito bar, salad bar, the grab and go section and the bakery. Click here for more information.

The hot foods bar is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

 

Meet our new meat manager

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Ryan Dodge

Astoria Co+op is pleased to introduce shoppers to our new meat manager, Ryan Dodge.

Originally from Northern California, Dodge comes with 18 years of meat department experience, 15 of those years as a manager. He worked for the same company, Nugget Markets, for over two decades before deciding to move up to Astoria to live on the coast, be close to friends and family, and manage the co-op’s meat department.

Dodge brings a high level of expertise and knowledge to his role, and has even competed in barbecue contests.

“I’ve done everything, I’ve broken down animals, been to beef and chicken farms all over the West Coast and I’ve seen their operations,” he said. He added that Smart Chicken, where the co-op gets most of its chicken, has one of the cleanest plants he’s seen in his life.

As the meat manager, Dodge plans to re-categorize the meat section and work on growing the amount and types of meat the co-op offers.

Some items to look forward to at the beginning of September include local coho salmon from the Columbia River and dry-aged meat from the co-op’s own dry ager.

He said customers might not realize it, but the co-op cuts a lot of meat right at the store, and even has an in-house sausage making program.

“I’m excited to be here, re-energized, and I’m looking forward to growing this co-op,” Dodge said.

After work hours and on his days off, Dodge enjoys exploring the area and going fishing.

“Here we get the woods and the ocean all within 15 minutes,” he said. “It’s awesome!”

Dry-aged meat on day 1
Day one of the 28-day dry-aged meat process.

Masks Advised

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Public health officials are recommending that people once again mask up. We added new signs around the store informing shoppers of Oregon Health Authorities’ latest advisement. In response to an increase in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, OHA is recommending universal masking for public indoor settings. This includes fully vaccinated individuals.

The state mask mandate ended June 30. Since then, the co-op has encouraged mask-wearing, but left it up to shoppers and staff to decided whether to wear masks in the store.  We’ve definitely seen an uptick in mask wearing, since the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and OHA’s new recommendations came out this week.

Salad Bar open

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Salad bar open

Our salad bar is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Salad and hot soups will be available daily for lunch and dinner. The hot foods bar (on the other side of the salad bar) will be open for lunch and dinner from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

As you might expect, we’ve got many safety protocols in place including air scrubbers, handwashing stations, and regular cleaning of surfaces and utensils.

You’ll be able to enjoy your meals from our indoor and outdoor seating areas or take your food to go. We are offering reusable dishware.

We appreciate your support as we continue to adapt and look forward to serving you!

Hours of operation:

  • Salad bar & hot soups, daily 8 a.m.–7 p.m.
  • Hot foods bar, daily 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
  • Burrito bar, daily 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
  • Outdoor seating open during store hours 8 a.m.–9 p.m.
  • Grab n’ go foods (salads, sandwiches, desserts and more) always available

Salad Bar & Indoor Dining Re-opening

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We’re looking forward to re-opening our popular salad bar and deli seating area, which was closed due to pandemic restrictions. The salad bar and hot soups will be available daily for lunch and dinner starting next week.

The hot foods bar (on the other side of the salad bar) will be open for lunch weekdays. We hope to expand availability, but staffing is a challenge, so if you know any good cooks, please encourage them to apply.

Re-opening in-store dining means closing our curbside pickup program. We are proud to have offered this free community service during the pandemic, using the seating area to process orders. Friday will be the last day to shop online.

We will keep you updated as changes unfold and appreciate your support as we continue to adapt.

Starting July 14

  • Salad bar & soups, daily 8am–7pm
  • Hot bar, Mon–Fri, 11am–3pm
  • Indoor & outdoor seating open during store hours 8am–8pm