Allen Stone’s Chewelah: The Oasis Tavern

Allen Stone has traveled the world performing his unique blend of soul and R&B music. He has played to crowds at Radio City Music Hall and the Gorge, Hyde Park in London and Grant Park in Chicago. This summer, the 36-year-old Stone is opening for Grammy Award winner Chris Stapleton in 12 cities across the country. At each stop, the number of people in attendance will vastly outnumber the population of 2,500 in Stone’s hometown of Chewelah.

We traveled to Chewelah with Stone and Chef Chad White, who spent summers working on his family’s dairy farm in nearby Addy as a child. The two have become friends in recent years after first meeting in 2015 at a music festival in San Diego.

THE OASIS TAVERN
109 N Park St.
Chewelah, WA
(509) 935-8580

The Oasis Tavern is a Chewelah icon, but one that Allen didn't discover until returning to town as an adult.

Stone says he has had burgers all around the world, but there are none better than those owner Terrie Norblad serves from the vintage griddle at the Oasis.

Norblad has been making and serving the famed burgers at The Oasis Tavern for over 30 years, but even she doesn’t know the true origin story of their iconic flat-top. Allen’s version is that the grill dates back to World War 1 and was shipped west from Pennsylvania to serve hungry loggers in the area.

Having heard stories about the griddle, Chad was eager to try his hand on this equipment, jumping behind the bar and preparing a round of burgers for patrons. Supplemented by a round of shots poured by Stone, mini-tacos, chicken gizzards and George Jones on the jukebox, it's clear why the Oasis is a Chewelah mainstay.

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