A meal at the mill

A warm glow of light surrounds the Pataha Flour Mills on a recent Saturday night, beckoning patrons with the promise of an unforgettable dining experience. The evening offers good food, good service and atmosphere - all for the price of your donation.

Upon entering the rustic old mill, the scent of down-home cooking is the first thing to grab guests' attention. The second is the smiling face of Gwen Jennings, a local volunteer who invites visitors to take a seat at one of the family-sized dining tables scattered throughout the room.

The buffet is top-notch, plentiful and doesn't disappoint with rib-sticking selections ranging from succulent roast beef, chicken and ribs, to mashed potatoes and gravy, a variety of salads and a delicious lineup of desserts.

Once finished with dinner, the evening is not over. The owners, Jon and Louise Van Vogt, invite guests to wander through the restored historic building, which features original milling equipment and posters explaining the milling process. The self-guided tour chronicles the history of the 140-year-old, four-story mill and includes displays of unusual antiques and artifacts from the area.

It's a nice cap to an outing that feels peaceful and grounding, like having dinner with family - and that is exactly what the Van Vogts have in mind.

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Jon, 63, describes himself as a "farm kid" born into a musical family. He grew up near the mill on land his ancestors homesteaded, and it has been home base ever since, through years of traveling with music groups all over the world. From a young age, he was cutting gospel music records and touring with his parents, older brother Bill and twin sister Jan. He went on to major in music in college, performing as a concert pianist and setting Bible scriptures to his original music and recording it.

In 1998, he returned to Pataha permanently with Louise, 58 - also a musician - to care for his parents when his mother was diagnosed with cancer.

At that time, Jon would jog past the mill every day. The old, shuttered building seemed to speak to him.

"Every time I passed the mill, I felt an affinity for it. I contacted the owners, and one thing led to another, and they sold it to us."

The Van Vogts and their five elementary-aged children moved into a home near the mill and began a years-long job of restoring the historic building and following their mission to serve.

"Originally, we wanted to use the mill as a way to benefit the community by providing a place for events, while keeping the mill open for tours," Van Vogt said. "Offering meals was really an afterthought."

As word of the reopened fixture spread, "the people were coming to the mill from out of town in great numbers (from) Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Pullman and beyond," he said.

But after a long trip and a morning of exploring the building, visitors wanted to know where they could eat.

"They were hungry and wanted to eat, so we fed them. This opened up an entirely new spectrum for us," Van Vogt said. "It is a real joy to serve in this way.

"The mill was a destination, and along with the tours, visitors wanted to relax and listen to the mill's Wurlitzer organ and sing along with home-cooked meals and good coffee and a lot of God's love."

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The mill's kitchen opened in August 2000, staffed by the Van Vogt family and a small army of volunteers. As the diners kept coming, the family established a routine. Lunch is available four days a week, and dinner is served once a month, followed by a praise service.

Nearly two decades later, dinner service at the mill remains a family affair. Louise cooks and keeps the buffet stocked. Jon strolls around the dining room offering diners ice cream to accompany their choice of dessert. The Van Vogts' daughter and grandchildren offer coffee or tea and bus tables.

As the praise gathering begins, Jon and Louise don yet other hats and entertain their guests with music - Jon at the organ and Louise on the French horn. The family's goal, they say, is for every guest to leave with a full belly, a smile on their face and the memory of a truly unique dining experience.

The worth of each meal is left up to each diner, as Jon and Louise follow their mission to "feed the hungry" at their nonprofit establishment.

"People donate what they can give," said Jennings, who has volunteered at the mill for the past six years. "Everyone gets a meal, and they give what they can afford. Those who have more usually give more. It all evens out."

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In addition to serving as a restaurant and historical museum, the mill also features the Houser Room, a special events venue available to the community and a nearby Christian group retreat center, Harvest House.

The mill's numerous collections include an array of antique cameras owned by Neil Keatts; Delbert Niebel's collection of branding irons; and a complete miniature Christmas village.

The attraction is a regular stop on the Globus Tour Company's 10-day tour out of Seattle.

"They arrive every two weeks through the summer to tour the mill," Louise Van Vogt said.

Passengers from riverboat tours docking in Lewiston also are frequent visitors.

Jon Van Vogt is also pastor of Mill Fellowship, a church that meets Sunday mornings at the mill.

"There was a need for a nondenominational service in our community," he said. "People were and are looking for the old-fashioned Gospel with its old fashioned music."

He has also, for the past 14 years, been pastor of Sonrise Baptist Church in Clarkston.

"The neat thing about the mill is that we just keep making new friends," Jon said. "New people keep coming when they hear about it. They aren't really sure what to think. It's amazing the effect a good meal can have on someone."