Miss Nola’s Café opens today, bringing southern flavor to Camas

There’s no shortage of flavor in the fast-developing heart of historic downtown Camas.

Along that small, quaint stretch of Fourth Avenue, you’ll find restaurants inspired by cuisine from all over the world: China, Thailand, Mexico, even an American-Russian cafe. But to local restaurateur Tim McKusker – who owns two restaurants in downtown and has had a hand in building some 80 restaurants throughout his culinary career — something big was missing from the mix.

“Camas is really, really growing. The food trend is really happening,” McKusker said. “I just kept thinking, ‘What were we missing?’ There’s nothing Southern, no spice, no heat.”

This month, McKusker is adding a dash of that Southern spice to downtown Camas, shutting down his American comfort food restaurant, Harvest, and re-inventing the place with a new name, décor and a completely revamped menu of Southern dishes.

The new place, called Miss Nola’s Café, is set to open today. The name, of course, is a throwback to New Orleans, but it’s also a tribute to the family’s St. Bernard, Nola. McKusker plans to keep the restaurant open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday.

McKusker opened Harvest about three years ago. Even though it was highly visible on a busy corner beneath the historic Camas Hotel, running the restaurant was a struggle over the past two years, McKusker said.

Dedicating his time to Harvest became especially challenging this year as McKusker’s other downtown Camas restaurant — Feast at 316 — really began to take off. As loyal customers urged McKusker to expand his dinner service and start offering lunch as well, moving back and forth between two restaurants became a bigger challenge.

“It’s just tough to have a small business in this day and age,” he said.

Eventually, he decided it was time for a change at Harvest.

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, McKusker came to the U.S. in his late teens and eventually made his way to New Orleans, where he stayed for 10 years working his way up in the food industry.

“I just fell in love with New Orleans,” he said. “It’s that melting pot.”

Frog legs. Gumbo. Fried chicken. Hush puppies. Collard greens. Jambalaya. That’s some of what you’ll find on the new menu.

After a recent windstorm knocked down his fence, McKusker reclaimed the old wood to redesign the interior to look like a fish house. To complete the design, he built a new grooved tin ceiling.

Glancing around the walls inside, you’ll notice voodoo dolls, crocodile heads, and even some old muskets, and soon, McKusker plans to install a wall shelf to display a collection of about 200 hot sauces from all over the country.

“I want you to think that you’re in the bayou,” he said. “Everywhere you look, there’s going to be something funky to look at.”