The Story of Julek’s Polish Kitchen

The Story of Julek’s Polish Kitchen

Interview by Diana Roome

Owner: Bogusia Klinefelter

    Julek’s was an authentic Polish restaurant. Everything was made from scratch and made to order by Bogusia herself. Bogusia used organic, non-GMO, pesticide-free, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and free-range ingredients. The restaurant opened in 2012 and was destroyed in the Almeda Fire in 2020.

    Bogusia was born and raised in Poland and moved to Southern Oregon from Poland in 1989. She has always had a passion for bringing people together over homemade meals, and always hosted large dinner parties at her home while raising her three children. She had dreamt of hosting on a larger scale, and eventually she was able to bring Julek’s into fruition. 

Here is her story in her own words:

    I had been prepping all day the day before the fire and had planned to prep all day on the day of the fire as well. I was planning to be open for business the following day. I arrived at Julek’s in the morning, as I usually did, and began prepping and cooking. I remember the horrific wind that had been howling throughout the night and morning. I also remember hearing about a fire that broke out in Ashland. In the late morning, my sons, who also live in Talent, called me in a panic. They were doing everything they could to soak their house with their garden hoses and prepare for the rushing fire to hit their neighborhood. They told me to leave Julek’s right away and that the fire was coming up toward us. They said to grab whatever I could from Julek’s and from my home and get out of the valley ASAP. In a panic I grabbed what I could (which did not end up being much at all) and ran to my home (also located in Talent) to grab a few things. My daughter and her husband were stuck at their jobs, her being in Ashland with no way to get to Talent due to road closures, and him hurriedly evacuating as many neighborhoods as possible, and transporting families who did not have vehicles to the Fairgrounds. My daughter and son in law’s home was also in danger, so I was able to pick up their two dogs and a few important documents from their home. From there I went toward the Applegate but was stuck in traffic with everyone else trying to flee the valley. Eventually I made it to our family friend’s home safely and waited for news from there. 

    It was grueling, spending all night not knowing what was of the valley. All I knew was that my children were safe. 

    In the morning, I got the news that shocked me to my core. Quite honestly, I still have not recovered from this initial shock. I was in pure denial that Julek’s was gone. I did not believe it. Over two years later I still wake up in the middle of the night and think, “what am I prepping tomorrow?” and then I remember. 

    My children did not want me coming back to the valley right away. Their homes, as well as mine were safe, but they said the town wasn’t safe- there were still spot fires breaking out everywhere, the air quality was horrible. And I know they were also trying to protect me from seeing the destruction of what Julek’s now was. 

    When I returned to the valley two days after the fire, I needed to go straight to Julek’s. I had to see it with my own eyes. I couldn’t believe it until I saw it for myself. There was nothing left. It was leveled. I lost my breath. I was crushed. I cannot describe the feeling. I had spent nearly every day of the last 8-plus years there, and before that I had spent over two years planning for what it would be. Julek’s was my home, it was where I spent most of my days, it was where my family gathered.

    I was unable to salvage anything. As I walked very carefully through the dangerous rubble, with metal sticking up and poking everywhere, all I could find were a few ceramics, but as I reached for them, they literally crumbled in my hands. 

    I had many family heirlooms at Julek’s, including Polish cookbooks that had been passed down to me from my Polish Elders, many family photos, and Polish antiques. I had on display Polish tablecloths and all of the large Polish tapestries that had been passed down to me, which were very old and handmade. They were intricate and gorgeous. These were of the most sentimental to me. My most sentimental valuable possessions were at Julek’s. 

    I had insurance however it did not help nearly as much as insurance should, or as promised. The insurance process was exhausting, and the company was so demanding. I did, to the best of my ability, list every single item lost and the amount of which each and every item was worth. This took months and months and pages upon pages of lists. Once I submitted the enormous amount of paperwork they required, they reimbursed a laughable (rather, cry-able) amount, and then later retracted and demanded I return a large portion of what they had reimbursed. I ended up having to hire an attorney to dispute this and thank goodness I did. The attorney worked hard for months to fight the insurance company and eventually the insurance company gave up. 

    I was blessed to have incredible support from the community in the form of a GoFundMe account that my daughter set up. I would not have been able to keep my head above water without this support. A local small business, The Cheese Cave, delivered sweet gift baskets to the business owners who lost their businesses as well. 

    I was in a lease agreement with the owners of the building Julek’s was located in, and they decided not to rebuild. The lot is currently for sale. I have been and am working toward finding another storefront that would work well for me. In these trying times where it is extremely hard to find employees, and seeing many other businesses struggle with being understaffed, I am forced to redesign my business. I want to serve the valley again, and I cannot wait to do so. 

    I greatly appreciate the calls, texts, and emails I continue to get from past customers and friends, it gives me the strength and encouragement I desperately need to push on. I feel the urge to give up, I can’t lie. But then I remember how much I loved serving the wonderful folks of the valley, and how much love and support I felt, and it reminds me to carry on. I hope that whatever shape or form Julek’s is revived in, that I can once again bring forth the same comfort food that fed so many bellies, and once again bring joyous smiles to so many faces. I dearly miss these moments. 

    Thank you for the opportunity to share my story, it was painful and hard to relive these moments that I try to bury down deep in order to protect my heart. My heart breaks for everyone who lost their homes and businesses in this horrific fire that destroyed our beautiful little towns.