Pat Mayberry of Belfair represents one of many Kitsap Peninsula families in the food services business.

Pat’s Little Red Barn, on Hood Canal’s North Shore just a couple miles from the heart of Belfair, is her only business now. She’s owned it for 15 years. She and her husband Bob, who passed away last year, bought a restaurant in Belfair in 1971, later adding to their holdings, until at one time they owned three restaurants
“It takes lots of work and lots of help,” she says.

Pat learned to cook from her grandmother. Her late husband, who worked at Keyport, used to work in the restaurant on weekends. Her mother Eva, now 89, helped with decorating, construction repairs, and sewing projects.

Yes, being in your own business means you need to be a Jack-of-all-trades. The experienced bartender-waitress-cook says they are known for their “home cookin’,” including real mashed potatoes, real French fries, fresh bread, bread bowls, and Friday night barbecued ribs.

Pat now has her chef daughter Jada Zerlick’s help part-time, and she foresees a time when Jada may take over the Barn, it’s bar “The Udder Room,” and next year’s new water-view “What the Hay?” hayloft seating area.

On Bainbridge Island, classically trained French chef Aaron Crisp and his wife Maura, the operations manager, own Ruby’s on Bainbridge, featuring fine European cuisine. The restaurant, named in honor of Maura’s 88-year-old grandmother, recently moved into an 1893 Tudor-style manor house, with beautiful fireplaces and original woodwork.

The Crisps began their restaurant in 1994. Maura’s parents do the grounds-keeping work, and her dad conducts Saturday wine-tastings. Aaron’s father is their chief financial officer. At holiday times, grandma Ruby comes from Eastern Washington to cook for them.

Aaron, once ranked among the top 10 chefs of Seattle, “likes to do things the hard way,” jokes his wife. She says there is no can opener on the premises, as everything is made from scratch. Her example: his demi glace, which he spends three days making, as the base for many meat sauces.

Many would agree with Maura that Aaron is “a magical chef, great to work for,“ and that his food has the “wow” factor because “Aaron puts love into it.”

The restaurant, with 40 employees, serves dinners, with catered events also available.

Pleasant Beach Grill and Oyster House, in downtown Winslow, is owned by chef Hussein Ramadan and his wife Laura. They are now celebrating their 16th year in business on Bainbridge.

Hussein, in the restaurant business some 23 years, is originally from Lebanon. His college degree did not land him a job, so he got into the food business, with excellent training and experience in Southern California, finally buying this restaurant in 1987.

He truly enjoys his work, and is very happy with his “wonderful following,” but says he’d just as soon his children, ages 6 through 16, not take on the family business. “Sometimes you feel like you’re married to the business,” he explains. “We’re always here.”

“We grow our own herbs behind the bistro,” Hussein says. They also serve organically grown, mostly local vegetables. Their eclectic world wine list now boasts 100 labels.

“We do everything,” he says of the food preparation. Hussein describes the fare as “Mediterranean with a Northwest influence.” His example is Moroccan salmon, starting with local wild salmon, and then creating a mango-apricot-prune-and-ginger chutney, finishing it off with pomegranate essence. Other specialties include leg of lamb, prawns and smoked chicken.

Brian and Kathy Beaulaurier are the proud owners of 17 McDonald’s restaurants: 13 in Kitsap, 1 in Mason, 1 in Jefferson, and 2 in Clallam Counties. They’ve been owners of McDonald’s franchises for some 18 years now, buying these from the Roth family in 1997 and 1998. With some 600 employees, 450 of them in Kitsap, they are one of the larger private employers in Kitsap County.

In 1984, Brian built a home for a McDonald’s owner, and was encouraged to consider franchise ownership. He went to Idaho in 1986 to run his first store, and then returned to Washington, as owner-operator of McDonald’s outlets in Bellevue and Kirkland before coming to the Kitsap Peninsula.

Brian sees the military in Kitsap as being a real stabilizing and insulating influence on businesses in the area. He says business is quite good, growing better as the various military folks return from deployment.

Brian has studied the market on the East side of the Sound for 35 years, and owned property on Hood Canal some 20 years. He knew that business was ready to take off in this area. “People choose to come here for the quality of life,” he says. He expects more growth, and says government has a mindset to control that growth so this won’t become another gridlocked area.

The downside he sees to a family-owned business includes government-mandated reports, 24-hour cell phone availability, and long hours.

But he does have the freedom bought and paid for by his own hard work and success.

The Beaulauriers’ three daughters are following in their parents’ footsteps. One has a degree in public relations, one is working on her accounting degree, and the third hopes to get a business degree. The middle daughter lectured a college class recently on a topic she’d heard her dad discuss in their home. He encourages all of them to work elsewhere for their own success before joining the family business, which they all intend to do.

“I love business!” says this entrepreneur with enthusiasm, expressing that even after all these years, he still loves being a McDonald’s owner.