WHIDBEY ISLAND — Arnie Deckwa emerged from the same marine fog as Ivar Haglund.
He grew up in the Northwest, had a sideline singing career and became a purveyor of food.
And he got his start with fish.
Deckwa calls himself “The Singin’ Salmon Man from Cornet Bay” and has an autobiography out by the same name.
He’s been a commercial fisherman like his dad, a rodeo cowboy, a deputy sheriff, a land developer, a building contractor and the lead singer in a five-piece band.
It was when Deckwa went to Nashville to pursue fame as a country-gospel singer and songwriter that he realized he also had a passion for food.
That’s logical, considering his parents fished for or grew most of their food.
During the 1940s, the Deckwas made only monthly visits to a grocery store in Mount Vernon.
“We ate good,” Deckwa said of his time growing up at Cornet Bay, where he has returned to live. “I thought my parents were the richest people ever.”
Food, family and friendly hospitality are looped together in Arnie’s life. This become even more true when he met and married Joanne, a Tennessee native.
The Southern hospitality Joanne Deckwa brings to their partnership has been an important part to their business, Cornet Bay Foods. Among the items they sell are spice mixes, sauces, mustards and salad dressings.
But it started with smoked salmon dip — one that included a little mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice and finely minced onions.
Arnie likes to joke that he is the first and only cowboy ever to ride into the history of Nashville’s country music scene on a smoked salmon.
That’s kinda how it happened.
While hanging out at the Grand Ole Opry waiting for his big break, Arnie, then 45, brought in smoked salmon from back home on Whidbey and shared it with the stars.
Later he whipped the salmon up into dip and soon, as Deckwa says, the food was a bigger hit than his music. He began hawking his product to Tennessee groceries (“I got the best smoked salmon you ever put your teeth into”) and ended up being picked up by one of the country’s biggest grocery chains.
The road to that point is paved with many stories, which Arnie wrote in his book and loves to tell, often with a choked voice when it’s about his parents.
Joanne just smiles.
“What story are you on? Number 19?”
Arnie smiles back as they relax in their office, originally the small house where Arnie was raised.
“The organ my mother played sat over there,” he said. “There was always music in our house. I played the accordion, my sister did her tap dance. We sang.”
At some point his grandparents gave Arnie a guitar.
“Here I was, out on the gillnetter, knee-deep in slimy fish, trying to practice my guitar,” Deckwa said. “I always tried everything I was interested in. My dad encouraged that. He told us to always be ourselves and that we were no better than anyone else, but always just as good.”
That’s the attitude, along with a strong work ethic and a lot of faith, that keeps Deckwa, now 74, in an enduring good mood.
Joanne, 64, was a corporate benefits manager before jumping into the food business with Arnie. Indulging in hospitality while getting back to her Southern food roots has been a pleasure, she said.
“We always have people coming over for a meal on our deck. Fish fries. Grilled salmon and steak on our cedar planks. Roasted pork butts,” she said. “For us, food is entertainment and it’s exciting.”
Bourbon-glazed broiled salmon
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
1/2 cup Cornet Bay Sweet Bourbon Sauce or other smoky barbecue sauce
Shake of Cornet Bay Best Steak &Seafood Seasoning or garlic salt, pepper and other spices
2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
Lemon slices
Sprinkle the salmon with seasoning, place in a zip-top plastic bag, pour in the bourbon sauce. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, turning once.
Get the oven broiler ready and preheat. Remove salmon from the bag. Discard the marinade. Place the salmon on the broiler pan. Broil for about 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with sesame seeds, lemon and green onions.
Roasted asparagus with cherry balsamic butter over pasta
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Cornet Bay Cherry Balsamic Sauce or other fruit-enhanced balsamic vinegar
¼ pound butter, cut into pieces
1 pound asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound penne pasta, cooked and drained
To make the butter, melt the butter in a small pan and stir in Cornet Bay Cherry Balsamic Sauce. Heat the mixture and keep warm.
To roast the asparagus, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and ¼ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Toss the warm penne pasta with the butter, cheese and remaining salt.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Online
To learn more about Arnie Deckwa, his new book and the products he and his wife Joanne put together at Cornet Bay Foods, go to www.cornetbay.com.
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