The Cafe at Patterson Fruit Farm, 11414 Caves Road, just might be the best kept secret in Chester Township, said Traci Burzanko Holzheimer.Holzheimer, of Burton,…
The Cafe at Patterson Fruit Farm, 11414 Caves Road, just might be the best kept secret in Chester Township, said Traci Burzanko Holzheimer.
Holzheimer, of Burton, worked at the Caf last year. This year, she manages it.
Bob and Chris Hanratty, of Willoughby, agreed.
They were enjoying a late lunch recently on the outdoor deck overlooking the walking trails at Orchard Park below with a view that extends all the way to Lake Erie on the horizon.
“This is just like being at a resort,” Bob said. “It’s one of my favorite places. We like to visit during apple season. It feels comfortable and everyone is so friendly.”
They weren’t alone. The shop was bustling with customers.
Inside the restaurant, Gigi Erickson, of Burton, was dining with her mother, Kathy Gemmell, of Bainbridge Township, and her mother-in-law Carol Erickson, of Russell Township. It was a family affair with Gigi’s 5-month-old son Forrest.
They had gone to a program on creating a will at the senior center on the property and stumbled upon the caf. After lunch, they intended to walk on the park trails.
“I didn’t know this was here,” Carol explained. “It’s our first visit.”
“You can’t beat the view,” Gigi added.
Holzheimer called the park, the trails and the view a “magical place.”
“The people who come here are happy, patient when I’m very busy and so nice,” she added.
The caf serves up sandwiches, wraps, salads and seasonal favorites that incorporate strawberries and blueberries in season 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Breakfast sandwiches and specialty scones are served on weekends.
Holzheimer said she is known for her fried bologna sandwiches with sauted onions, red peppers and melted provolone cheese along with award-winning chili and pumpkin milkshakes, which will be back on the menu soon.
Her chili recipe won as a runner-up in the St. Ignatius “Blue Pot Chili” contest. But, it was a customer who took a $5,000 prize after using her recipe and entering a chili contest.
“He asked me if he could have my recipe, and I gave it to him,” she said. “Then he came back a few weeks later to tell me he won a competition. I’ve never won $5,000 for anything.”
So why is the cafe a best kept secret?
Holzheimer does not know.
“I get so many first-time customers who live in Chesterland and tell me they’ve lived here for 20 years, but didn’t know the restaurant was here,” she said.
One reason might be the seasonal nature of the business. It closes in early November and reopens in time for the strawberry season.
“The Pattersons tell me it’s too hard to get a snowplow through here in the winter,” Holzheimer said.
However, once customers discover the restaurant, they have a tendency to return.
“I have two moms who meet here,” Holzheimer said. “They are friends, but one lives in Buffalo and one lives in Toledo, they meet here in the middle and bring their toddlers to play. Another woman greeted me this year saying she had waited all winter to return and have another fried bologna sandwich.”
When Holzheimer took over the operation of the former golf course sandwich shop, she added her recipes and touches to the menu.
“I added salads and vegetarian dishes to the burgers and brats that had been offered, so there was something for everyone to eat,” she explained.
Holzheimer also has a catering business called Chefs for Hire, which she operates with other partners.
She had been a stay-at-home mother for 15 years, who loved to cook.
“Other parents began asking me to cook for their functions,” she said. “They said, I always provided the food anyway for the different events and I may as well turn it into a career. What can I say? I like feeding people comfort food.”
Her son is now 18 and her daughter is 15, however she still volunteers to cook for their school functions.
She explained that she learned to cook from her mother as well as from cooks during her travels to Europe. When she lived in New Zealand for a year, she acquired recipes for fresh fish, leg of lamb and corn fritters.
What does she like to eat?
“I like grilled chicken with my southwest salad,” she said. “But, sometimes I like a plump kraut dog cooked on the steam grill. That’s my comfort food.”
