You’d be hard-pressed to find a more enthusiastic person to praise Oregon’s rich bounty than John Nelson, owner and executive chef at the new Anna’s Table in Cannon Beach.

Whether field or forest, ocean, estuary, bay or beach, Nelson is someone who knows the territory — someone who’s foraged, caught, dug, fileted, shucked and cooked while thoroughly enjoying the North Coast’s natural resources.

“I love doing what I do, but I don’t think of myself as a chef,” said Nelson, who grew up in Astoria and whose roots are deeply embedded in the sea and landscapes of the North Coast.

“I’m not the sort of person who’s driven to compete. You wouldn’t find me on a television show like ‘Iron Chef.’ I cook because I guess I have a talent for it and it feeds my soul. I love the area and love showing it off through food.”

He said that’s what Anna’s Table is about, an experience of place.

With a commercial fisherman father and a mother who operated a small chowder shack on the docks in Ilwaco, Washington, Nelson early on was exposed to local foods, as well as being influenced by his Scandinavian heritage and a fusion of cultures mingling on those early docks.

“I was very young and I’d tag along with my mom and kinda help her out by eating chowder,” Nelson said with a laugh. “I’d hang out on the docks all day, fishing, playing with my cousins, or running with my wooden wheelbarrow to greet the arriving ‘pukers’ — what we called charter fishing boats back then. I’d get salmon from them and deliver the fish to the cannery next to my mom’s for processing.”

Later, when Nelson was in his teens, he began waiting tables and helping his mom out in the kitchen at her celebrated restaurant, The Sanctuary, in Chinook.

“I guess I just fell into cooking,” Nelson said. “I didn’t feel like it was a passion. Maybe it was a lack of direction.”

That “lack of direction” is an understatement. Nelson has spent his adult life cooking up culinary excellence, from his restaurant, Kalypso, in Cannon Beach to Brasada Ranch in Central Oregon, where he also spent some time working as an instructor at the Cascade Culinary Institute.

Nelson, and his wife, Jennifer, returned to the coast as he took up residence as executive chef at the Meridian Restaurant and Bar at Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa in Pacific City.

“I loved teaching about food,” Nelson said. “There’s something special about introducing people to where food comes from, how to handle it, and how to prepare it. You’d be surprised how many people have no idea where their food comes from.”

Nelson said he enjoys talking with people and telling that story.

“I guess that’s what I’m really passionate about: the experience of sharing with people. Helping folks be comfortable as they slow down and explore the specialties of our North Coast, that is what I love. The connection that’s forged over food.”

Because Nelson likes connecting with his customers, four chairs are kept open at the bar overlooking his kitchen workspace.

“As long as we’re not screaming busy, I’m happy to talk with people,” continued Nelson. “They might pick out a fish, watch me prepare it, or I can help them select a dish that maybe they haven’t tried before.”

Nelson said he likes to keep things simple letting Northwest flavors shine. Many small plates are on the menu so people can taste a variety of flavors.

Smaller portions might include house-cured salmon lox, oysters on the half shell with ginger-infused steelhead roe, albacore Carpaccio, or, as Nelson said, “a sprinkling of my heritage, Scandinavian fish cakes.”

Entrees may include Manila clam linguine, rib steak with local mushrooms, a hearty vegetable curry, or the beachcomber stew — a mélange of Manila clams, octopus, petrale, prawns and salmon.

Pairings suggested from a select list of Northwest wines can enhance the experience, but don’t forget desserts. Those are the forte of Jennifer Nelson, whose chocolate budino or Swedish creme topped with local berries with gingerbread and brandy caramel sauce finishes off any meal with a flourish.

The duo has striven for an intentional experience at Anna’s Table — named in honor of daughter Anna, and Nelson’s mother, Joanne — with a cohesive concept of branding, decor and food. The rustic wood beams, vintage photos, cannery sign, the big wooden U.S. Coast Guard oars and other coastal objects add to the comfortable ambiance they’re hoping to reflect.

“I love what we’ve done and that everything has a story,” added Nelson. “It’s really, working, the intimacy, the atmosphere, the food … everything.”

Anna’s Table

Anna’s Table

188 Hemlock St., Cannon Beach

Open from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays

For reservations, call 503-436-4272

Seasonal menu is online at www.annastablecb.com