A pioneering and honest-to-goodness culinary adventure is waiting to be discovered in Hambden Township.
A pioneering and honest-to-goodness culinary adventure is waiting to be discovered in Hambden Township.
“Osso is an experience rather than a dinner,” said Maggie Demko, Osso’s executive chef. “We want to provide a true pasture-to-plate restaurant that offers the transparency of where your food is truly coming from.”
Nestled in northeast Geauga County, Osso is the creation of husband and wife duo Scott and Tara Webster, who have a passion for fresh food and excellence.
The owners designed the pasture-to-plate restaurant with the intent of slowing life down a bit and offering an experience where guests can savor food, enjoy the craftsmanship that goes into it and ambiance of where it originates.
Hopes are to increase the number of “locavores” — those who eat locally grown meat and produce benefitting the area economy, environment, health and wellness.
Osso, situated in the center of Webster’s 39-acre farm off of state Route 608 in Hambden Township, will officially open mid-February, following more than a month of private parties and invitation-only events.
“From the minute you walk in the door, the experience begins,” Scott said. “It is an old world farm with a general store, dry cured meat hanging and cheese aging. It is a warm, inviting space with unique, educational elements.
“Osso, by definition, is based off of multiple meanings and interpretations,” Scott said. “In some cultures, it is referred to as the marrow and in some cultures, it means homeland. Our interpretation is that it is the center for where things begin.”
Plans are Cultivated
The Websters moved from Lake County to Hambden Township in 2008 following Scott’s successful Leroy Thompson Choppers and ZeroSeven Design Concepts businesses.
In 2012, Scott put his creative talents to work again with the birth of their farm.
”Currently, we have horses, chickens, turkeys, guinea hens, ducks, rabbits, dairy goats, dairy cows, hogs and beef cattle,” Tara said.
All breeds are of a bygone era.
They are heritage animals, often considered sturdier and more adaptable to local conditions. In general, their slower growth compared with industrial hybrids results in richer and more palate-pleasing products.
Plans for Osso began in 2016 and the couple broke ground for the new venture a year later.
Demko came aboard at the start.
“I have been in the restaurant industry since I was 16 years old as a dishwasher and worked my way up in the kitchen surroundings,” Demko said.
After high school, she moved to Philadelphia and worked at many restaurants while putting herself through college studying psychology.
However, Demko’s passion returned to culinary pursuits and she returned to Ohio and worked her way to sous chefs at Concord Township’s Pub Frato and BRIM Kitchen and Brewery in Willoughby.
“I have worked under some amazing chefs over the past 10 years, along with outstanding instructors on products like dry cure and cheese-making, old style ways of fermentation and working with other flours when baking,” Demko said.
A Menu of Nature’s Bounty
Osso’s goal is to provide a high quality, pasture-to-plate restaurant focused on ingredients and flavors nature provides on their farm.
Demko’s menu offerings will change to reflect what is seasonably available.
Everything that can be is prepared in-house. Vegetables flourish inside an onsite farm greenhouse.
Grass-fed animals are all raised in a non-GMO, free-range environment without hormones and antibiotics.
“Another adventure we decided to add on is a processing facility in the back of thebuilding called Hambden Custom Harvesting,” Demko said. “This is so the animals never have to leave the farm and go through the stresses of traveling to another facility. They are able to stay in their comfort zone for the remainder of their lives here.”
Scott, who spent time in California and traveled the West Coast, said Osso is unique.
Future plans include showcasing up-and-coming local musical talent.
Dwight Yoakam, known for his pioneering-style of country music, recently played in the background as a few staff members gathered for an evening meeting.
“We are doing our best to implement methods of sustainability that are losing their existence in this world,” Scott said. “We use some old world processes and techniques. Our product starts and ends right on the farm. We don’t waste anything edible. The final product comes from months and years of planning, and are kept under our control from start to finish.”
The multi-course, seasonally changing menus will offer freshness and quality on a nightly basis, and include roasted Aylesbury duck, grilled wagyu beef, Ossabaw charcuterie, aged cheeses and Mangalitsa chops will be common.
Osso will incorporate two different styles of dining service and will be open Wednesday through Saturday evenings.
Wednesday is slated to be a local’s night with a relaxed, family-friendly environment and a la carte menu featuring dry-aged steaks with multiple seatings throughout the evening and a theme, such as burger night, with options to upgrade to a steak.
“We want this night to be more laid back and casual,” Scott said.
Thursday through Saturday will be a coursed out, prix fixe menu with one seating.
Thursdays will have four to six courses on it with the availability of wine pairings.
Friday and Saturday nights will include the larger menu, ranging from six to eight courses and wine pairings.
Scott said there would be a cocktail hour before the first reservation where guests may take a farm tour and journey back to the restaurant for dinner.
Some menu specialties include homemade dry cured items like prosciutto, coppa, pancetta; assorted dry cured sausages like soppressata, peperone and saucisson; as well as other combinations with homemade cheeses, like chevre, gouda, fresh mozzarella and blue cheese.
Some products require months to age, determining what will be on the Flying W Charcuterie board.
Demko’s eyes lit up as she scurried into her kitchen, pausing near the windows that look out into the dining area — giving guests a view of Demko’s culinary artistry.
“At 26, I would have never thought I would be owning my own restaurant and have full creative control over the menus and concepts I want to produce,” Demko said. “Honestly, sometimes I even feel like this is still a dream, but my dream is now my own reality and it amazes me every single day.”
At Home in the Heartland
Scott said he could not have brought this venture to fruition without the Hambden Township community.
“I couldn’t have done this without Hambden Township leaders and fellow farmers. It is not something you just build,” he said. “The community has been extremely supportive of this endeavor. Hambden Township is rich in agricultural history.”
Hambden Township Trustee Paul Molan, also a neighbor, said entrepreneurs, like Scott, built the fabric of America.
Molan said Osso is a farming agricultural dining experience like no other in the area and beyond.
“It’s a country dining experience surrounded by a pasture full of animals, not by city lights and black top,” Molan said. “The food made is top notch, food grown and prepared from the pasture to the plate. It’s an experience that you’ll remember and will want to come back to with more friends.”
Hambden Trustee Scott Yamamoto said he is excited to have a “first-class” pasture-to-plate establishment in Hambden Township.
“I think Osso is truly a one-of-a-kind experience that will be enjoyed by all,” Yamamoto said. “There’s nothing anywhere that I know of that is even close to the masterpiece that the Websters have created.”
Once they are up and running, Osso will have a staff of about 25 people, between kitchen staff, servers, hostesses, bartenders, retail store clerks and butchers.
A small retail store inside the building will complete Osso.
Taylor Palumbo uses the farm’s goats’ milk to make all sorts of soaps, scrubs and bath bombs, along with fresh foods, such as Flying W’s famously packaged eggs, and T-shirts.
“Absolutely, I am living the dream,” Scott said. “Inspiration came from wanting to do this for my family and friends.”
Reservations are required.
Visit website www.ossofarmrestaurant.com.
