Forget the picnic. New restaurant launches in Twanoh State Park, highlighting coastal food

TWANOH STATE PARK — Tired of lugging around that bulky cooler when camping?

Now you can ditch the cold ham sandwiches for an untraditional full-service fresh gourmet meal, right on the water.

Overlooking Hood Canal, just under the shade of giant green trees at Twanoh State Park, is The Posh Pescatarian. Cooking up fresh meals in the kitchen of a 100-year-old state park concession building, the restaurant and its television personality founder are serving up a multitude of West Coast delicacies 7 days a week.

Started by sustainable seafood enthusiast and chef Stephanie Harris-Uyidi, the shop has a multitude of recipes perfected by the CEO herself. After switching to pescetarianism out of health necessity, she was determined to champion seafood recipes using sustainable practices.

Originally from California, Harris-Uyidi’s Posh Pescatartian brand got its start almost 20 years ago, when her friend jokingly dubbed her as the “posh pescatarian” and she ran with it. Being courted by the Food Network, Harris-Uyidi was not fond of the restrictive production, and wanted to go in her own artistic direction. She pursued her own show with its original vision instead. Utilizing her masters degree in film and television production, Harris-Uyidi crafted the TV show, “Appetite for Adventure.”

“I combined my passion for cooking with my passion for production,” she said.

The show, featured on Amazon Prime and other platforms, is currently in the works for a third season that will highlight recipes and food culture central to the PNW.

The chef moved to the Kitsap area almost three years ago after vacationing here for years, settling in Eglon. After a lease at the concession building at Twanoh went up for bid a couple of months ago, Harris-Uyidi pitched a creative idea for an all-inclusive eating experience.

“I had some friends who were like, you should check this thing out. It’s not a restaurant, but it kind of is,” Harris-Uyidi said. “I thought, ‘What the heck.’ So I was able to pitch to the state my concept, it was a competitive bid, and they chose my store.”

The Posh Pescatarian’s fish is sourced from historically Seattle-based distributor Ocean Beauty. Harris-Uyidi feels that it is important to utilize sustainable, ethical and local harvesting and sourcing. Her recipes have always followed a principal of exploring how to use every part of the fish. Since community members found out about the idea for the brick-and-mortar restaurant at a state park, she said word spread fast.

“From the moment I walked in this door, rolled up these windows and started painting, the locals have stopped in. They’ve been cheering us on — they’re our champions,” Harris-Uyidi said.

Culinary additions across Washington’s park system

The new Twanoh restaurant is part of a larger effort by Washington State Parks to provide interactive services the properties it manages. State Parks claims that it is a “win-win” for everyone, connecting local entrepreneurs with rural communities.

“She had a great menu — it was varied, different, healthy and local.” Sarah Yearout, Washington State Parks concessions manager, said. “In addition to wanting to serve as a concessionary, her ideas were beyond what we were asking for.”

The Posh Pescatarian joins multiple new businesses at state parks across Washington this summer, including Cay Sal Pies at Belfair State Park and three new Fort Worden concessionaries as other regional options.

To revitalize the 748-square-foot space that was empty for 11 years, Harris-Uyidi spruced it up while still maintaining its original charm. The recipes for the casual seafood joint are inspired by her 2022 cookbook, “Going Coastal,” while also seeking input from her staff members.

From their opening day on June 6, the business has seen visitors from all over come to taste the specialty menu. Employee Anna Barkman has been involved since the start and has seen the shop grow immensely since opening.

“I think we even stayed open longer than we were supposed to,” Barkman said. “Like every single day of opening weekend, we were like, ‘Well, do we kick them out?'”

The patio fills up frequently, and people never want to leave the woodsy area that may be near their campsite, forcing team members to lovingly dismiss guests after hours, they said. The patio space they convinced the park rangers to allow for dining adds an extra 200 square feet for service, and traditional benches pair with modern chairs for an elevated camp space.

“People hear the word concession, and they think quick fast hot dog and pizza.” Harris-Uyidi said. “People don’t realize we’re cooking real food back here.”

Offering a variety of seafood — recipes that include shrimp, cod, salmon and more — Harris-Uyidi invites customers to take their pick of the variety. The salmon quesadilla is the biggest catch, and maintains a spot as the employees’ favorite dish, according to Barkman. The grilled shrimp skewers are also popular, along with the shrimp ceviche, which consistently sells out.

The small rotating menu encourages creativity, so experimenting in the kitchen may add more items. Most dishes cost between $9 to $25. Beer, wine and craft cocktails are also available, including Island Rum Punch, which Harris-Uyidi said is the most popular drink.

“We are that midpoint, and we’re accessible to almost everybody, from our Seattle dog all the way up to our coastal steak sandwich and our shrimp skewers. We’ve got something for everybody,” Harris-Uyidi said.

Barkman, a Shelton resident that is on summer break from Washington State University, frequented Twanoh State Park throughout her childhood. To her, this restaurant was an unexpected addition to the area.

“I grew up here,” Barkman said. “When she first contacted me about this job, I thought it was a scam because I didn’t know there was a concession place here.”

More than just food

The Posh Pescatarian at Twanoh was met with skepticism from many when Harris-Uyidi pitched the idea, even by family members. They were concerned that opening a brick-and-mortar business inside of a state park would be difficult. Harris-Uyidi decided to take the leap into something unique with her first restaurant.

“I have friends in the restaurant business, even in Kingston, they’re all like, ‘What the heck are you doing?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, but it’s working, and it’s fun,'” Harris-Uyidi said. “The primary difference is traditional restaurants have to really work hard to get folks to come to them. We have the advantage that we’re here and people are baked into the environment.”

One of her favorite parts of The Posh Pescatarian at Twanoh is the daily customer interactions. Each day brings something new, she said, attracting locals or travelers finding state parks. Harris-Uyidi cherishes these moments, and loves to post some of her favorite customer interactions on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

“Someone said, ‘We finally don’t have to bring our coolers to the park anymore … we can get in the car and just go,'” Harris-Uyidi said. “We’ve got folks coming in who are 80 years old, saying, ‘I can’t believe what you’re doing here.'”

In addition to food and drinks, the restaurant has everything that many state park-goers might forget, from swimming goggles to Advil. Patrons are even encouraged to book private events or reserve group tables at the restaurant.

The team plans to host interactive events soon, like paint and sip nights, yoga and even potential hiking events. Implementing a new ice cream bar is in the works as well. Free paddleboards are available for 60 minute renting for customers who spend $25 or more. This is all an effort to elevate the concession stand and create interactive elements for customers.

“What we’re doing is trying to provide people with something else to do other than coming to the park and eating,” Harris-Uyidi said.

The Posh Pescatarian at Twanoh has a five-year contract with the state park, with potential for extension. Open until the end of the season around October, they encourage customers to stop by and get a taste. The Posh Pescatarian team are excited to see what the upcoming years have in store for the business and the crafty recipes they discover.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Posh Pescatarian brings seafood served at a Washington state park