Just 16 miles north of the California border, enchanting Ashland, Ore., has drawn theater fans for more than 90 years. The city owes its modern tourism economy in large part to William Shakespeare...While it’s hard to escape the Bard’s reach in the downtown core, Ashland and environs offer much more than theater.

These five dining destinations capture America’s bounty on the plate. They’re worth the trip.

In this interview with CanvasRebel, Chef Joshua Dorcak, the visionary behind Ashland’s acclaimed restaurant MÄS, delves into his culinary journey and the philosophy that shapes his approach to Cascadian cuisine. For those interested in the intersection of place, process, and palate, Dorcak’s insights offer a compelling look into the ethos of one of Southern Oregon’s most innovative chefs.

The James Beard Award finalists have been announced, and Oregon’s top chefs are once again in the national spotlight.

The James Beard Award finalists were announced on Wednesday, April 2 in Los Angeles. For the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific award, three Oregonians stayed in the running. Joshua Dorcak of MÄS in Ashland, Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro in Portland, and Timothy Wastell of Antica Terra in Amity advanced.

Chef Josh Dorcak appears on Think Out Loud on Oregon Public Broadcasting to reflect on the Ashland food scene.

This tasting menu–only restaurant from a 2023 and 2024 James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific offers a parade of 10-12 exquisite Japanese-influenced courses, mostly showcasing seafood.

Where to find tasting menus, crab rolls, Indonesian food, and more in the hilly home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Josh Dorcak is hoping the second time’s a charm. The chef and owner of MÄS in Ashland is one of five finalists for a coveted James Beard Foundation Award in the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category. In 2023 he was among the semifinalists in the same category.

Chefs behind Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Kann, and MÄS move forward alongside restaurants and bakeries from the state.

How easy it is to overlook the sleepy little alleyway tucked behind the bustling shops of Ashland’s Main Street. Here you may encounter the occasional electric bicycle or employee taking a break. If you look closely, notice a warm light and welcoming door with three simple letters: MÄS.

Each year the James Beard Awards endeavor to recognize the talent and achievement of exceptional culinary artists. Among this year’s prestigious nominees, is Ashland chef and owner of MÄS, Joshua Dorcak.

It’s the second time Josh Dorcak, who runs the restaurant MÄS, was chosen as a semifinalist for “best chef.” Josh Dorcak has dubbed his menu “Cascadian cuisine.” It’s Japanese-inspired fine dining that includes local ingredients, like wild flowers and vegetables, sometimes from Ashland's own mountains. JPR’s Justin Higginbottom visited Dorcak at his cozy restaurant, MÄS, where he first explained how he made it to Ashland from his hometown in Silicon Valley.

Beat the crowds and check out these four award hopefuls in Oregon while you can still get in.

In Ashland, one local chef’s Japanese-inspired Cascadian cuisine is impressing diners and critics not only in the Rogue Valley, but across the United States.

The James Beard Foundation released its list of semifinalists today for this year’s Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Today in a press release, the James Beard Foundation revealed the semifinalist nominees for the 2024 James Beard Awards.

THE JAMES BEARD AWARDS are the Oscars of food. If you are nominated, the name “James Beard” will appear before yours in your own obituary; the only way out of this is by winning an actual Oscar. Eleven Oregon chefs and restaurants were named semifinalists this morning. Finalists will be announced on April 3, and winners on June 10.

To experience meals as theater — where Oregon’s chefs show off their creative skills and talent in intimate settings — try a tasting menu. At these fine-dining experiences, you sit back and enjoy a series of multiple prearranged courses, a few bites at a time. Each small plate celebrates local agriculture, heritage and seasonal influence and changes frequently. Here’s what to expect at some of Oregon’s most celebrated restaurants with tasting menus in Portland, Ashland and the Willamette Valley — just be sure to make your reservations ahead of time to mark a special occasion or impress your date.

Tucked away in a secluded alley off the main downtown drag, Mas is not a place that one just happens to stumble upon. But seek it out, you definitely should.

An arty town ensconced by mountains and vineyards, Ashland is an enchanting cultural hub in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, with exceptional food, a budding wine region, and nearby natural wonders.

The James Beard Award-nominated, New York Times-lauded tasting menu restaurant has accrued plenty of praise, but not many people actually know the chef. Is it worth the price tag and four-and-a-half-hour trip?

House-cured meat and handmade pasta, a three-course American menu where French techniques shine and a seasonally inspired eight-course tasting menu are among the offerings from the nominees for one of the culinary world’s highest honors — the James Beard Awards.

Winners of the prestigious awards, which debuted a new Outstanding Bakery category this year, will be announced June 5.

The James Beard Foundation announced the restaurant and chef nominees for the 2023 James Beard Awards this morning, with nods ...

A list of finalists for the prestigious awards, which debuted a new Outstanding Bakery category this year, will be released in March, followed by a June 5 announcement for the award winners.

In a petite tasting menu restaurant down an alley in downtown Ashland, Josh Dorcak is creating what he calls Cascadian cuisine ...

Got room for a little more food? That seems to be a common issue around the holiday season. Can we chalk it up to needing to ...

In Spanish, the word “más” means more. In Josh Dorcak’s world, MÄS may as well mean less is more. The plates presented at his ...

If you mentioned the term Cascadian to me several months ago, I would have had no idea that the region covers parts of Southwestern ...

Josh Dorcak is co-owner and chef-for-all-seasons at MÄS, Ashland’s only “tasting menu” dining experience. After a year long ...

The 23 Essential Restaurants in Ashland, Oregon — Where to find moules frites, banh mi, biryani, and burgers in the hilly home ...

MÄS is located in Oregon, USA, led by Joshua Dorcak. It started in the form of a pop-up meal at a communal dining table, and ...

One of the features of the "eat local" movement has been an urging to get to know the farmers who grow your food. ...

MAS serves regional Cascadian cuisine (what you might call Pacific Northwestern) omakase style, meaning that you’ll leave it ...

MÄS, a dining experience that began as a pop-up in the basement of Mix, opened its own space downtown in mid-April. Co-owners ...

MÄS, the Japanese-inspired kitchen with a Spanish name, is unassumingly located in an alley in downtown Ashland. Chef-owner ...

Everyone dreams of "going rogue" and leaving their day job for something unconventional. Joshua Dorcak took the risk. ...