Jennifer McCrystal gives back to Sisters

Jennifer McCrystal is a busy woman. She's a mother of two, pastry chef at her restaurant, Jen's Garden, and an avid outdoorswoman.

She grew up outside of Roseburg in the small logging town of Glide; with thousands of acres of forest land to explore on her horse or hiking, her childhood was spent roaming the hills and finding all kinds of adventure. McCrystal never lost her love of the outdoors and makes sure she takes advantage of all the Sisters Country has to offer.

"I'm out on the trails everyday," said McCrystal, who lives in Buck Run. "I want to make sure my daughters can grow up enjoying the woods the way I did."

Whether she's out hiking, running, mountain biking, walking the dog or taking her daughters on a hike to teach them about nature, she never forgets what a treasure it is to have access to such beauty so close to home. With her love of fresh food and locally grown produce it's no wonder she also supports the Sisters Community Garden.

"It allows our family to live in town but still enjoy some of the treasures of country living," said McCrystal.

McCrystal wanted to do something to give back to the community she calls home, but she doesn't have a lot of extra time to volunteer. So she recently offered up a busman's holiday for her husband TR and herself to help a local organization.

"We can provide ingredients, our time and the use of our restaurant for an evening," she said.

Jen's Garden held a successful fund-raising event for the Sisters Community Garden that raised $1,500 for the organization.

"The (Community Garden) is another one of those assets in our community. We wanted to help them because they add such a special touch to our town," said McCrystal. "Our staff came in on their own time and waited tables during the Garden Club fund-raiser; it's wonderful to have a staff that cares as much as we do about supporting the community."

McCrystal is passionate about mountain biking and in coming months she plans to pitch in to help with the Sisters Trails effort.

Recently, McCrystal saw a photograph of John Rahm and an article in The Nugget about the trails he helped to develop near his home. The Petersen Ridge Trail System will reach over 30 miles when it's completed. On one of her walks through the neighborhood she recognized Rahm and introduced herself.

She explained how much Rahm had inspired her and that she wanted to support Rahm's efforts to raise enough money to finish the trail system. McCrystal sees the new mountain bike trails as a draw for people from outside the area.

"Many of these people saw Sisters as a town to drive through, not a destination," said McCrystal.

In the spring, Jen's Garden will offer a five-course dinner to the Sisters Trails Committee. They will cook the food and give the group all of the proceeds. The date for the dinner is still to be determined. Information about the evening will be publicized later.

"Even when times are tight, TR and I want to keep supporting Sisters. We donate to Wolf Tree, the Sisters Folk Festival, Garden Club and soon the Sisters Trails Committee," said McCrystal. "It's important that we keep supporting the organizations that make this such an incredible town."

Every year Jen's Garden closes for the month of January. They will be open until January 3 and then will open again around February 8.

"We're excited to plan our next fund-raiser," said McCrystal. "The more we invest in the Sisters Country the more we all receive in return."