Fresh Start It looks like the Better-Tofu Battle has indeed sprouted in Portland. Last Friday, five more top employees at Nature's Fresh Northwest gave notice. But unlike most of the earlier defectors, they left with jobs in hand. On the day they quit, their new boss, former Nature's general manager Brian Rohter, announced that he will begin opening new grocery stores early next year. Rohter's announcement is the latest fallout from the June acquisition of Nature's by Colorado-based Wild Oats Markets Inc. ("Nature's Abhors a Vacuum," WW, Sept. 29, 1999). The new company, as yet unnamed, boasts a nucleus of 13 former top Nature's employees, including the five who quit last week. The venture's first store will be a 23,000-square-foot site at 7300 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway that was formerly home to the Raleigh Hills Kienow's. Rohter says he's negotiating for other sites around the city in neighborhoods he and his backers consider under-served, but he would not disclose the locations. He says the stores will continue the Nature's focus on sustainable agriculture, but in a nod to the changing face of natural foods, Rohter aims to provide one-stop shopping. "We won't limit ourselves only to organic products," he says. Rohter declined to disclose details of the stores' financing, other than to say that he is one of a number of owners. Former Nature's owner Stan Amy will not be involved in the group's day-to-day operations but confirms that he is an investor in the group. "It's great to see this happening," Amy says. "I'm very excited." Rohter's top managers include Nature's former produce merchandiser Jeff Fairchild, former grocery merchandiser Joel Dahll, former supplements manager Amanda Nelson and the former managers of the Nature's stores on Fremont and Division streets, Carly Curtis and Elaine Testa. Wild Oats officials could not be reached for comment. --Nigel Jaquiss Name Dropping Ever since Portland's Paige Powell was named West Coast editor of Paper earlier this year, local luminaries have been popping up on the pages of the New York fashion and art magazine. In the October issue, for example, Powell is pictured with Thomas Lauderdale and Gus Van Sant at a dinner party held for Tama Janowitz at Zefiro. In another snapshot from the same event, Portland's street poet laureate, Walt Curtis, is seen with Todd Waterbury, creative director at Wieden & Kennedy. The pair, however, is identified as "Peter Nelson" and "Michael Clark." Powell, who was an associate publisher of Interview magazine from 1981 to 1994, says she was "mortified by the error." She says the mix-up happened at the New York office, explaining that she had identified Clark and Nelson (whom she described as "academics") for a different photo that didn't run. --Michaela Lowthian Clarification In last week's story about Oregon Action's report on the influence of special interests in Salem ("Following the Money"), we reported that the group is affiliated with Oregon Environmental Council, 1000 Friends of Oregon and Jobs with Justice. Although those groups are listed on Oregon Action literature and provided information to the report, they are not affiliated with Oregon Action. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published October 20, 1999