<p>On May 9, the Eaves family – left to right, Christine, April, Billy, and Jake – opened a new business, The Eaves Drop-In, on West Main Sreet in Enterprise.</p>

ENTERPRISE Faced with a decision to launch her own business or move elsewhere, a graduate of the Culinary Academy in Chico, Calif., and longtime county resident Christine Eaves chose the former.

She opened a restaurant in Enterprise May 9, and is glad she did.

Eaves is delighted to be working with her 27-year-old daughter April a chef at Calderas, in Joseph, for the past six years and sons Billy Tatum, 21, and Jake, 14, at the family operation called The Eaves Drop-In.

April graduated from Enterprise High School in 2005, Billy from Joseph High School in 2011, and Jake now is graduating from the eighth grade at Enterprise Junior High School.

Owned by Pat Leach since the 1980s, the building just east of Warde Park on Main Street where the business is located has hosted several businesses over the years. Although a boutique and a restaurant or two opened briefly, the last business there with longevity was New York Richies.

Two stuffed, 4-oz. meatballs with each spaghetti order; pizzas; sandwiches; salads; soups; and a popular yellow curry-coconut milk broth with quinoa and steamed vegetables is highlighting a menu thats drawing a covey of visitors to the new eatery.

With most dishes made on site and Backyard Gardens beginning to supply produce, the Eaves already are offering specialties such as hummus and gluten-free pizza crusts.

The Eaves Drop-In, located on the same block as Ace Hardware, is open 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Christine says foot traffic at the business over the first two weeks of operation flies in the face of speculators who told her she would need to open an eatery in Joseph, and not Enterprise to realize economic survival.

Enterprise is starting to come back, says the mother of three hard-working children. She next lists a handful of businesses, including the nearby Red Rooster Cafe and Main Street Motors that have opened within the past year alone.

Raised in Oroville, Calif., Christine says she encountered Wallowa County in 1991, has raised her children here, and primarily has called the county home ever since. Notwithstanding, she did spend four years working as chef at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, 2006-2010.

Speaking of Wallowa County, Christine Eaves says, I have to admit Id like to be somewhere warmer in February, but there is nowhere else where Id want to live.

Throughout her tenure in Wallowa County, Christine has cooked at several restaurants and worked as a crisis advocate for Safe Harbors. Still, only now is she experiencing what she hopes to become a steady, reliable full-time job.

And working beside family members close to her heart is a true bonus.