Hermiston typically isnt known for its restaurant scene, but it is known for the food it grows.

One local restaurant is combining both to add to Oregons status as a foodie state.

Thrillist.com, a digital media company consisting of mens lifestyle brand, shopping, fashion, music and culture destination-based web posts and articles, recently released a list that ranked each state in the United States based on food. On that list, Oregon took sixth place, beating out states such as Washington, which took seventh, and Tennessee in eighth place. States ranked higher than Oregon included California, Texas, New York, Louisiana and Illinois.

Not all of the restaurants are based on Oregons west side, however. One local restaurant is making a name for itself to travelers and locals, alike.

Walkers Farm Kitchen is currently ranked first out of the 57 restaurants in Hermiston by TripAdvisor with 38 reviews and boasts a 4.5 rating out of five stars. TripAdvisor is a website that provides travel directory information and reviews of travel-related content.

Walkers Farm Kitchen owners Cynthia and Larry Walker said they attribute their success in Hermiston to the use of fresh, local ingredients, positive customer service and an overall commitment to excellent food.

Its really just about taking high-quality ingredients, keeping it simple and creating a high-quality product, Cynthia Walker said. We do everything fresh and make everything almost entirely from scratch. Food is our life, and I think it shows.

Larry Walker, a Hermiston native, met Cynthia in the late 1980s in Arizona and together ran a catering business for 15 years as well as a

restaurant there.

In the late 2000s, when the real estate market turned, the Walkers were forced to close their restaurant. It was not long, however, before they started their next food venture. During a visit to Hermiston to see family in 2012, the Walkers discovered the owners of what was then the Farmers Kitchen in Hermiston were closing their business. That is when the Walkers put their house in Arizona on the market, rented the restaurant location in Hermiston and moved to the Pacific Northwest.

Larry Walker said their goal with their new restaurant was to provide residents a selection of fine-crafted menu items that feature local and regional fresh produce, meats and other ingredients.

The idea is to showcase what is essentially grown in our own back yard, he said.

Following a 2012 revamp of the restaurant, which is a house converted to a restaurant, they developed a menu customers found appetizing.

Cynthia Walker, who has spent years as a chef and was trained at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona, put together a broad-ranging menu that includes Southwestern salads, entrées and appetizers, Italian pasta dishes and salads, a variety of pork dishes and more. She said she uses simple ingredients such as salt and pepper, fresh local ingredients from growers such as Finleys and meats from ranches in the Pacific Northwest to ensure customers know where the ingredients originated.

Cynthia Walker said it wasnt until a few months after they opened, however, they decided to include what would become one of their most beloved menu items, their Farm Burger.

It took months for Larry to get me to put it on the menu, she said.

Cynthia Walker said it took her five months to find the right kind of meat that she wanted to use, ultimately deciding on Wagyu beef. She said it took her another two to three weeks to find the right bun that would hold up to the juiciness of the burger, ultimately deciding on a pretzel bun.

Walker said because every diner in town features a burger on the menu, she wanted to create something unique and flavorful.

Its a fresh product that we are able to cook to order, and we know where it comes from, she said.

The restaurant is also known for its Reuben sandwich, the sauce for which Walker said she makes from scratch and features arugula, which has a naturally peppery flavor, and is finished off with a marble rye hoagie roll.

Because she makes everything from scratch, Cynthia Walker must spend many hours on prepping the food, but, she said, it is worth it to ensure a good, quality product every time.

Consistency is important, Larry Walker said. Every time we make something, it has to taste the same otherwise youll lose that customer base Reputation is everything. It is something that takes a while to get, but evaporates quickly.

Walkers Farm Kitchen, 920 S.E. Fourth St., is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner Thursday through Saturday.

The Hermiston Herald asked area residents to name their favorite restaurants on Facebook. These were the top favorites:

1) La Palma

2) Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe

3) Hales

4) Walkers Farm Kitchen

5) Golden Palace

6) Tie Taste of Thai and Ixtapa

8) The Chuckwagon Cafe

9) Tie Rutys Restaurant and Lawans Thai Garden

Honorable mentions: Nellys Super Taco, USA Subs and Grill, Chens Chinese Restaurant and Shanons Place