— by Madeleine Treneer —
The Sugar Shack at Cascade Lake, operated by Fiona and Edward Stone
Looking for a snack at beautiful Cascade Lake? Then the Sugar Shack is the place for you!
Here, at the little booth at the end of the dock on Cascade Lake you can enjoy a range of tasty goodies, from mouthwatering panini, to grilled cheese sandwiches, to delightful Lopez Island Creamery ice cream. Fiona Stone, one of the owners of the Sugar Shack, recommends her favorites, coconut or strawberry, though all are high quality, locally made and delicious.
The Sugar Shack started three years ago as a simple shop with a few snacks and blossomed into a multi-purpose shop for lake lovers. “We wanted to improve the quality of this charming historical space and to bring that good old local feeling as well,” Fiona says.
First they brought in Lopez Island Creamery ice cream, very popular among locals. As time went by, they added more food products to satisfy hungry hikers, such as hot dogs and kid-friendly options. The shop is an important leisure stopover, providing towels and other supplies for forgetful lake visitors.
Owners Fiona Stone and her husband Edward Stone were both raised on Orcas. Fiona attended high school on the island, and then left for college. She thought she would never come back until she visited “the Rock” ten years later and was struck again by the island’s natural beauty. So she and her husband decided to move back to raise her daughter. And the entire family has been here ever since.
The two owners have always loved working at Cascade Lake. “After all, where else would you want to spend your time? ” says Fiona.
While her job is fun and in beautiful surroundings, there are also some challenging aspects to working at Cascade Lake. Safety precautions and rules must be respected: weather changes can be sudden, making for dangerous lake conditions. With a huge summertime tourist population, Fiona says what is most challenging is to educate people.
Still, working at the Sugar Shack at Cascade Lake is very enjoyable, a wonderful experience involving endless beauty and an amazing energy from the staff—who range in age from high schoolers to college students—and Fiona enjoys watching them grow.
In the future, the Sugar Shack owners plan to expand its services. They will offer paddle board yoga sessions in the mornings and evenings, and also fishing classes for kids, moving up to Mountain Lake and bringing boats up there. This was a very popular pilot program last year, among locals in particular.
The Sugar Shack is particularly excited about an Airstream trailer they recently added at the top of Mt. Constitution, equipped with drinks, snacks and ice cream for tired hikers at the top. However, there are still some debate over the name for the new place. Will it be Sugar Top? Sugar Stream? As the staff voting continues, we shall soon see…
You can visit their website at orcasadventures.com or contact them at: 376-4665
