PRESCOTT – Tucky and Rachel Bandaranaike and their Wolfegang, now 4 years old, had been living an unconventional life, traveling the county in an RV. They moved from their home in Orange County, Calfi., to Pierce County on July 29, 2021 when Rachel was pregnant with their now 2-year-old daughter, Wilhelmina.

“After traveling for awhile, we got back to California and that’s when we got the phone call that said the deal didn’t go through that the property is open and they asked ‘Would you like to come over and see it?’” said Tucky Bandaranaike, now owner of The Arbor at Young Acres. “We saw the potential of this property and fell in love with it, not knowing how much work we were trying to give ourselves.”

Within a whirlwind three days, they made an offer to purchase the property and it was accepted. Suddenly, their life of roaming the open roads was put on pause.

“In three days, we had decided that this was going to happen … the next thing you know, we were mad-dash to pack and move,” Bandaranaike said.

Pregnant Rachel, Tucky and Wolfegang made the move from California, while other family members came from all over. Bandaranaike’s sisters-in-law Amy (from Washington) and Carrie (already living in Hudson) joined the couple, as did Bandaranaike’s in-laws from Ohio.

The property became a family enterprise, incorporating everyone’s skills and talents.

“My first job here was to manage the orchard,” Bandaranaike said. “This is a family endeavor.”

Rachel and Tucky took charge of the restaurant, his sister-in-law Amy ran the orchard operations and Carrie lent a hand wherever needed, often in the orchards.

“For four months, it was only Rachel and I, so it was getting the orchard back to normal – we had two officer spaces in the building and this used to be a café when we bough it,” Bandaranaike said.

He recalled sleeping on the floor at the Arbor for those first few months while Wolfegang and Rachel had the twin bed in the RV parked out back.

“We really loved being out here. And every day that I got in here, I sat down and tried to figure out what I wanted to do with this space,” Bandaranaike said.

Once Amy and Carrie arrived, Bandaranaike was able to hand over orchard duties and focus fully on conceptualizing and building out the restaurant space.

“I had these grand plans of hiring people to do stuff, and I realized there were no interior designers, no contractors, there were no electricians – there was no anything,” he said. “So I had to learn how to do all of that.”

Bandaranaike broke through the interior walls, opening up the space.

“We were going to keep the walls, but we took the walls and office down and decided to do a bar,” he said of creating a full liquor-licensed bar space.

Construction started in January 2022 with Bandaranaike managing most of the work.
“I actually found one person that could help,” he said.

When their daughter Wilhelmina was born on Feb. 28, 2021, Bandaranaike brought son Wolfegang to the job site daily.

“He would play in the pile of sawdust and I would do all the work around it,” he said. “We were still in the pandemic, so I ordered the wallpaper and it was sitting on a boat for five months.”

Despite the setbacks, he remained determined to highlight community-based talent.

“I wanted to highlight local talent and artists, so the cabinetry was built by someone who lives right across the street,” Bandaranaike said of Jason Davenport of JD Woodcraft. They met while picking apples.

Every surface, every fixture, every inch of The Arbor’s interior has been handcrafted.

“It was supposed to be a four-month-long project, and it ended up being 10 months,” Bandaranaike said.

The Arbor was finally ready to open its doors on Sept. 16, 2022. As the launch date approached, the Bandaranaikes faced yet another hurdle.

“But then we came to the next issue, which was labor and finding people to work. We had nobody,” he said.

Determined to make their debut a success, Bandaranaike had an idea – to do a taco pop-up to launch their grand opening.

“I did three different tacos and some cocktails,” he said. “We were here until midnight and I think I made 400 tortillas.”

He worried whether anyone would show up to the opening.

“After doing all that, I thought we are going to have a lot of tortillas to eat because we are not going to sell any, at least that was my mentality on that,” Bandaranaike said.

But the taco pop-up was a hit. They completely sold out within hours.

“We got absolutely annihilated; this place was packed,” he said. “Once we did that, I still had no one to work, so we started doing wine and whiskey tastings. That became a pretty big hit, so I started doing cocktail classes.”

As their event offerings became popular, Bandaranaike decided to stick with it.

“Soon we realized that it’s better for us to do events than an everyday restaurant,” he said.

His interest in the restaurant industry took root at age 18 when he took a job as a dishwasher at Denny’s.

“One day they were short-staffed and asked if I could serve. I said sure,” he recounted.

That simple opportunity opened up a whole new world for him. He was quickly promoted to a serving position and began meeting others who offered him broader possibilities.

“I then got a job at a pizza place in California and fell in love with working in a kitchen,” he said. “I was really hungry to do more.”

He began picking up bartending shifts at the pizza place as well. It was then that he discovered a deep love for mixology and wine.

“I realized I had a real knack for tasting and talking about wine,” he said, admitting his initial knowledge was limited. “Granted, back then, I had no idea what I was talking about so I would tell the customers what they wanted to hear.”

Determined to continue learning, he took the initiative to seriously study wine.

“I actually have it sitting on the counter at The Arbor,” Bandaranaike said of his treasured “Wine Bible” reference book. “Every day when I got home, I would read that and try to learn something.”

His passion led him to enroll in culinary school.

“I realized I really enjoyed utilizing cooking techniques that could be implemented into cocktails,” he explained.

In 2008, Bandaranaike graduated from culinary school. He then started his own catering business.

“My chiropractor at the time said, ‘Hey, can you cater a Christmas party for 100 people?’ and I said ‘Yeah, toally.’ I don’t know how the hell I did it,” he recalled.

A couple years later in 2010, he landed a job at Urban Kitchen Group, which operated as a wine shop.

“When I got there, they said, ‘What is your wine knowledge’ and I said I am a fast learner and I would like to learn more,” he said. “He (the restaurant’s sommelier) ended up teaching me a lot about wine.”

Bandaranaike was promoted to the head bartending position and became an expert on every bottle they carried.

“I knew every wine there – the flavor profile, where it came from, and I sold those wines too, which were $2,000 to $3,000 bottles,” he said. “While I was working there, I recommended a cocktail dinner.”

He designed a tasting menu that paired creative craft cocktails with food courses. The first cocktail dinner he hosted was in 2014.

“It was a great success,” Bandaranaike said. “We were sold out within the first three days. The majority of the stuff I have learned over the years have been at the job or just trying, saying yes to anything that could expand my portfolio.”

In 2017, Bandaranaike achieved certification as a level 3 sommelier.

“Once I became a som, there were some great opportunities that came with that,” he reminisced, recalling the days he spent traveling the world’s vineyards.

Now his platform is a 203-acre orchard in the town of Oak Grove.

“We finally figured out the magical number of how to manage the restaurant and incorporate the outside as well now,” he said.

With 16 acres dedicated to apples and 1,500 trees with 17 different varieties, as the seasons shift, so do the orchard’s offerings. For example, from May to September, homemade pizza is available every Wednesday.

“Once August hits, we’ll do apple pickings,” Bandaranaike said.

Upon entering The Arbor, Bandaranaike envisioned a particular ambience for their guests.

“I wanted them to fell like this was an extension of their own kitchen and their own bar, come as you are – in sweats and enjoy a five-course meal,” he said. “I wanted the guests to see something different when they walk in.”

“The Arbor is a name to honor the surrounding property that the restaurant sit on,” said Rachel Bandaranaike. “We wanted to tie in the beauty of the greenery that guests get to see while they’re on property.”

Although Tucky Bandaranaike has helped open eight restaurants for other people, there were some who questioned his ability to succeed.

“There were a lot of people who told me this was not going to be a success because of what I was trying to do – to which my stubbornness came and answered and said, ‘No, you’re going to do it because everyone said I couldn’t,’” he reflected. “I created what I thought I could. I stayed true to my cuisine and did not hold back on anything, which to me, made this restaurant stand out.”

Bandaranaike acknowledged the sacrifice it took to make this dream come true.

“I had to sacrifice a certain part of me to be away from home, and my wife had to be there for the kids,” he said. “It tested both of us, but I think that is a beautiful part of growing into a business as well.”

Reflecting on her part of the journey, Rachel shared, “It is an incredible adventure that we are on. It is humbling being his wife and seeing everything that he has created and watching his process on a weekly basis. He spends hours and hours researching history on each ingredient and what flavors go together. His magnitude of respect and care that goes into every dish is what makes his food so good, which is part of the menu that people do not see but get to experience when they eat his food.”

The Arbor, located at N4380 State Road 35, Prescott, is set to host an event called “Chef’s Table Dinners” starting at 6 p.m. March 16. The experience lasts for two hours. Tickets are $125 per guest; each attendee must secure their own reservation. The dinner experience promises five courses of drink pairings alongside four culinary delights, with the chef present tableside to navigate guests through each course.

Ready to take the adventure? Reserve your spot for all upcoming events by visiting The Arbor at Young Acres on Facebook or youngacres.com/reservations