SEQUIM — Customers have pointed out to restaurant owner Eric Thomson that tedesco in Italian means someone from Germany.
But there is nothing German about Tedesco’s Italian Fresh, the restaurant in downtown Sequim that Thomson owns with his wife Tina. It’s Italian all the way, named in honor of Eric’s mother, who died in 2008. It was her family name, and she had a passion for food that she passed down to her son.
“She was a good cook and loved to experiment with different foods and flavors,” said Eric, who was raised in Northern California. “She made a really good ragu. I still have her cookbooks and recipes.”
Ragu is a sauce typically made with ground meat, onions, tomato puree and red wine.
Located at 210 W. Washington St. in Sequim, Tedesco’s seats 80 or so inside. During the summer, patio seating brings the capacity to more than 100. In addition to traditional table seating, the restaurant features a glossy African Padauk hardwood community table that can seat 16 people.
Eric’s hobby is nature photography, and his framed photos adorn the restaurant’s walls. The artwork adds to the cozy, fine dining atmosphere that he and Tina created together.
One large wall hanging, all green, resembles a painting but is one of Eric’s photos of the Palouse, the region in southeastern Washington known for its gentle rolling hills covered with wheat fields. It is considered one of the seven wonders of Washington state.
Eric has been in the hospitality business since he was 16 (“All I’ve ever done, really,” he said). He attended culinary school with an extensive internship and later completed a degree in Hospitality Management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Tina, too, has spent much of her life working in the hospitality field. Each of them has worked in a variety of roles that included bartender, server, chef, catering manager and accounting before, together, they became owners of a restaurant.
The couple moved to Sequim in 2016, following Tina’s son, Dustin Miller, who moved to Sequim from the Seattle area in 2014 because he wanted to raise his two sons in a smaller, family-friendly community. Miller is the current bar manager at Tedesco’s.
“When we came to visit them here in Sequim, we loved the area and decided to make a move,” Eric said.
They didn’t relocate to Sequim with the intention of opening a restaurant, but when a neighbor mentioned a newly remodeled property in the downtown area, “we started seriously thinking about it,” Eric said.
The menu
The menu at Tedesco’s is a culmination of two restaurants’ influences: Trattoria Romana in Palo Alto, Calif., and Pasta Palace in Palace Station Casino in Las Vegas, Eric said.
“The fusion parts of the menu — I love to incorporate Thai flavors — are the result of seven years of working in corporate food service where the menus were highly eclectic,” Eric said. “There is always a bunch of trial and error and just plain luck.”
Tedesco’s offerings include salad choices, a Soup of the Day, appetizers such as Garlic Kisses and Calamari Fritti, and various cocktails and martinis.
Main dishes are divided into categories. Under “Classics,” choices include Spaghetti Carbonara, Pappardelle Bolognese and Alfredo Asiatico. Under “Entrees,” there is Scampi Con Capelli, Marsala Chicken or Veal, Maple Leaf Duck Breast and Spicy Crab Essence Gnocchi & Soft Shell Crab, among other selections. The “From the Oven” category includes Lasagna Asiatico and Chicken Parmesano. There are also specialty pizzas.
Tedesco’s had only been in business a few years before COVID-19 hit. While many restaurants did not survive, Tedesco’s thrived. The Thomsons, Miller and the restaurant’s employees ran a brisk takeout business during that challenging time.
“I’d had some experience running touchless programs before, and we jumped right in,” Eric said. “We applied for all the grants and PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans that were available. We have to give credit to Lorie Fazio and Colleen McAleer with the Clallam EDC — Economic Development Council — and others for keeping us abreast of the latest options.”
“We would have gone under, though, if it hadn’t been for community support, including the city of Sequim,” He continued. “We quickly pivoted to an all-take-out menu and bought a delivery van to start delivery. We set up the dining room like a dispatch operation and managed to keep all of our employees working throughout (the pandemic). We did enough take-out business to keep us going. That is the reason we try to offer the community support whenever possible. We love our customers and this community.”
Support
One of the Thomsons’ favorite causes is the Welfare for Animals Guild (WAG). Tedesco’s caters the nonprofit’s banquet fundraiser in October and hosts “Wag Night” at the restaurant in March, donating 20 percent of its profits.
“We are also happy to support Sequim Farmers Market and the Sequim Food Bank,” Eric said. “We often donate gift cards to local organizations for their fundraisers.”
WAG president Barb Brabant extended her “heartfelt thanks” to the Thomsons and to Miller.
“Their generosity and commitment to our mission have made a meaningful difference in the lives of countless dogs in our care,” she wrote in an email. “Whether through donations, special events, or simply spreading the word, the Tedesco’s team has always been there for WAG and our four-legged friends. We are truly grateful for their continued kindness and community spirit — their support helps make what we do possible.”
Beth Pratt, executive director of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce, said Eric stepped up to fill a vacant seat on the chamber board and has been “a great addition to the team.” She said Tedesco’s community involvement includes catering Olympic Medical Center Foundation events.
“Tedesco’s has been a great addition to the Sequim restaurant mix since the day they opened,” she said, “but the Thomson family has demonstrated the truest of community spirit in their volunteerism and support of local causes.”
Tedesco’s is open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, visit tedescosfresh.com.
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Kathy Cruz is the editor of the Sequim Gazette of the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which also is composed of other Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News and Forks Forum. She can be reached by email at kathy.cruz@sequimgazette.com.
