News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Heather Wester is helping Sisters find a healthy lifestyle.
Eating "close to the source" provides many benefits. It's much healthier than a diet of processed foods, and it supports growers participating in a local economy.
Heather Wester has seen the benefits in her own life and now she is bringing them to the Sisters community through Divine Earth, a natural foods store she opened recently at the corner of Cascade Avenue and Spruce Street.
"I want it to be a place where you can get really great food that helps you create a healthy environment for you and your family," she said.
Divine Earth carries produce, bulk foods, supplements and sundries - always with an eye to the organic, the locally produced and sustainable options. One of Wester's suppliers will be Sarahlee Lawrence's Rainshadow Organics in Lower Bridge.
There is a juice and smoothie bar where you can get green drinks and smoothies and by quilt show the deli will be up and going, offering healthy options for people eating on the go.
Matt Marsh is Divine Earth's "fishmonger," and he'll be providing a variety of quality selections.
Customer service is the top priority, and Wester is open to suggestions from her customers.
"We can order pretty much anything from supplements to 25-pound bags of oats if you like," she said.
Opening Divine Earth is the culmination of a journey that Wester began several years ago.
"I started getting interested in healthy food and eating well when I took a class from Kathy Nagel called 'Mindful Eating,'" she recalled.
The realization that many ailments and functional problems can be traced to diet was fascinating to Wester, who was on a quest to become certified as a personal trainer.
"It was always the nutrition part that intrigued me," she said.
She believes that the Sisters community - filled with active people enjoying sports and outdoor recreation - is very receptive to the kind of options Divine Earth
offers.
"People want to go farther and run faster," she said. "A lot of that is based on food choices. Making those changes to better food sources is always beneficial to your health."
Wester notes that many people perceive going organic as an expensive route.
"That's a misconception," she said.
She's determined to price her products at a point where folks in Sisters can afford good, nutritious food.
"I'm a community store," she said. "I want them to be able to come in and get what they need and I want it to be fair and reasonable."
Sue Anderson is joining Wester and Marsh behind the counter, and Jessica Wester will work there during the summer months.
Heather hopes to create a welcoming atmosphere, where people will feel comfortable asking questions and swapping recipe ideas and chatting with friends and neighbors.
"I'd love for it to be a typical old-school general where people come and hang out a bit," she said.
Divine Earth is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)