Classic Foods Plans Expansion in Woodlawn

Jake Greenburg hasn't moved in yet, but has already proven himself time and time again to be a great neighbor. If you search for him on the internet, you will see that he has owned and operated Classic Foods, a Portland-based specialty food wholesaler catering to restaurants, for the past 25 years. You'll also find out the man is heavily involved in many social causes—donating food, services, and support to organizations like Birch Community Services, Self Enhancement, Inc., Our House, and Community Cycling Center. He won't bring attention to all of this himself, but it is clear that he is a man not only dedicated to providing high-quality products and top-notch service to his customers, but to having an active and relevant role in his community as well. Now in the process of expanding his business—moving from a 17,000 square foot building to a massive 45,000 square foot space on Northeast Madrona Street—he intends on being a positive force in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

Josh Fuhrer, president of Ariston Commercial Real Estate Development
and Jake Greenburg, founder of Classic Foods

After getting a degree from Lewis and Clark college in 1979, he worked as a chef in the early 1980's. Greenburg decided to go into business for himself at the age of 27 with a thousand dollars in his bank account. Or, as Greenburg explains, he would have a thousand dollars if he were able to collect on all the money he had lent to friends. "Checks cleared a lot slower in those days," he remarks. Fortunately, he scrounged up the money to put in the bank before anything bounced, and Classic Foods was born. He started with soup bases to sell to restaurants, and since then has forged a reputation as one of the premier wholesalers in the area. In the past 25 years, he has built Classic Foods up to a $3.5 million dollar a year company and has remained debt-free, "Until now, of course," he chuckles. He is about to undertake a major expansion.

Classic Foods future headquarters, the lower addition in front
will be removed to restore the Art Deco facade

"We are bursting at the gills," he says of his Northeast Oregon Street location. In an effort to expand their offerings to restaurants, and to, for the first time, open their doors to the public, Greenberg needed a bigger space.

"I believe in this city and I wanted to stay here," Greenberg says, talking about the struggle to find a place in Portland that fit his criteria. He was committed to keeping his operation here, though, and not moving it to the suburbs. For two years he looked for the right place, and then finally came upon the building at 817 NE Madrona Street. Built in 1932, it has been an ice-house, a brewery, a staging area for the Army Corps of Engineers during the 1948 VanPort flood, and since the 1950's the home of Grigsby Box Company. Over an acre of concrete and steel, the building fits the bill for Classic Foods expansion, but is in need of major renovations. Greenberg is using this as an opportunity to transform the space into a "Brand new 76 year-old building," as he puts it. "It is stunning and interesting."

Part of the future 6000 sq ft commercial kitchen

The new building will allow him to expand his product line, plus open his doors to the public in a few different ways. For the first time, Classic Foods will have a retail operation, where people from the neighborhood and beyond can buy specialty items as well as their house-made pastas and spice-blends. The enormous space will also allow Greenberg to have an exhibition kitchen, where he will host cooking demonstrations and classes. The proposed 6,000 square foot commercial kitchen will feature a glass wall and closed circuit television, so shoppers can watch pasta being made by the experts. The entrance to the building will feature a day-lit art gallery as well. Greenberg really sees this as an opportunity to immerse himself in the community. He plans on hosting neighborhood kids for garden and cooking demonstrations, and opening the gallery space for occasional community meetings. "We're excited to be here," he says. "We hope to be a neighborhood focal point." He also talks about his commitment to supporting the local and sustainable food movement in Portland area restaurants.

Future gallery space for art shows and community meetings

"We like to be the home-grown option. Restaurants can work with companies like Sysco [a large restaurant distributor], or they can work with good ol' Jake, who rides his bike to work every day."

Josh Fuhrer, president of Ariston Commercial Real Estate Development, will be the project manager. Clearly invested in and excited about this project, he lays out the plans for me.

"The plan is to take it down to the studs, basically, and reestablish the 1932 Art Deco façade. French doors will lead into the exhibition art gallery flanked by the commercial kitchen and the retail space on each side," Fuhrer begins. "The building will be as green as possible." Solar panels will cover the roof everywhere except where they plan to have a rooftop garden, growing many of the herbs they use in spice blends and recipes. The roof itself will be solar power inducing, containing a thin film cell integrated into a flexible polymer roofing membrane. The delivery trucks will all be converted to bio-diesel, and those same trucks will pick up used cooking oil from customers to convert into their own fuel.

How the building will look with the 1950's addition removed

A 1950's era addition added to the front of the building will be removed, exposing the original Art Deco details that have long since been covered up, and making room for café tables and an herb garden. Wood that is removed during the renovation will be re-milled and used elsewhere in the project.

"The idea is to keep the historic flair that makes this building special, but really focus on making the place much more environmentally sound," explains Fuhrer. The long and colorful history will be commemorated with a flat panel screen that shows the timeline from 1932 and the story it will tell going forward.

 box making equipment

"The timeline will refresh every 15 minutes," Fuhrer says. "It will record our carbon footprint reduction as it is happening."

The state of Oregon and the city of Portland are taking notice of all of Classic Foods' green plans. They will be receiving tax credits and low-interest loans to help turn their dreams into a reality. Fuhrer also says that he and Greenberg met with a total of seven architectural firms, to ensure they got a group that understood their goals and had experience working on green renovations. Greenberg is a very amicable guy, but he takes the business of being a good and green neighbor very seriously.

"I hope the neighborhood will be as excited as we are," says Greenberg.

product samples found deep in the warehouse

Fuhrer also mentions that this expansion will create 20 new jobs, plus there will be room for other retail businesses in the space. He talks about how magazines and newspapers—like the New York Times and Sunset magazine—always tout the success of the sustainable movement here in Portland.

"We want them to think of this place as a great example of that," he says.

Although all of these plans sound like a tall order, Fuhrer feels confident that the renovations should be completed sometime next summer. He remarks with a laugh that he's been hearing about this expansion from Greenberg for years, so one more doesn't sound like a long time to him.

"I don't go fast, but I do go far," Greenberg concedes, likening himself to a tortoise who, in the end, will probably win the race. He says he's been thinking about installing a totem pole on the property, to honor the Pacific Northwest's native people.

"I might even have a tortoise incorporated in there," he says with a smile.

View the slide show for more photos of Classic Foods future headquarters or visit our flickr gallery: