The grand opening of Amish Country Kitchen in Middlefield June 16 ushered in delicious, fresh and locally sourced meals for area diners seven days a week.
The grand opening of Amish Country Kitchen in Middlefield June 16 ushered in delicious, fresh and locally sourced meals for area diners seven days a week.
The spacious dining room, at 15015 Kinsman Road, provides a comfortable, friendly atmosphere and a buffet or table service by an experienced wait staff, said owner Christopher Kanieski during an interview June 23.
Many of the employees are Amish and the restaurant is in the heart of Amish Country – hence the name, he said.
In keeping with the Amish theme, the menu offers crispy honey-fried chicken, stuffed peppers, cabbage, kielbasa and pierogies, as well as other favorite comfort foods like Lake Erie walleye, broasted chicken and St. Louis ribs to satisfy any appetite.
“When you come here, we want you to come for the fresh food,” Kanieski said. “We don’t want it to be just great; we want it to be fabulous!”
To attain an “old world” approach to food, Kanieski visits the Geauga Growers auction weekly to buy the freshest raw ingredients available, he said.
As the summer advances, he will be finding locally grown fruits and vegetables to grace the Amish Country Kitchen’s tables.
“The entire premise for the restaurant is that eating is traditionally a social experience,” he said.
Guests are welcome from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 9 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Kanieski said, adding they plan to be open on Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as other holidays when many restaurants are closed.
Kanieski said the “Cash Only” sign at the door will be going away as soon as the point-of-sale equipment is installed in the next week or so. The machine accepting bank and credit cards was expected to be in place by Mother’s Day, he said, but installation scheduling was delayed. Meanwhile, the restaurant is only able to accept cash from its customers.
Since Burton is the pancake capital of the world and he understands how popular the traditional hotcakes are among area residents, they are on the menu all day long, he said.
“People love our pancakes, they don’t care if it’s 6 a.m. or 6 p.m.,” Kanieski said.
To keep with its “Buy Geauga” philosophy, the restaurant also offers maple syrup from the Rotary Club of Burton-Middlefield’s log cabin on Burton Square, he said.
Partnerships with other Geauga County businesses make the Amish Country Kitchen’s offerings especially tasty, Kanieski added.
Diane Schneider, owner of DS Cakes and Sweets in Newbury Township, is providing baked goods, such as cheesecake and shortbread cookies for the showcases by the entrance, he said.
DS is closed Sundays and Mondays, so the restaurant is providing an outlet for her desserts.
Fry pies, a famous Amish delicacy, and donuts made fresh at the Amish Farm Market in Middlefield, will also be available as dessert or for take-home treats, Kanieski said, adding the market is closed Sundays.
The patio is lined with pots of hanging flowers for sale, also from the farm market, he said.
“When you live in the country, everybody helps everybody else,” he said. “We need to get back to traditional values.”
It is a philosophy his general manager, Xander Rose, embraces, Kanieski said.
Rose was raised on a farm and started in the hospitality industry at the former Dutch Pantry, washing dishes 15 years ago, so managing this restaurant is a huge accomplishment, he said.
The Amish Country Kitchen is not Kanieski’s first trip down the river, either.
He also owns The World Famous Iron Horse Saloon at 13468 Main Market Road (Route 422) in Troy Township. He renovated and opened the historic eatery on the Cuyahoga River, where he also operates Crooked River Adventures, renting out canoes and kayaks.
Kanieski also has plans to expand the Amish Country Kitchen. The restaurant can accommodate up to 150, so large group get-togethers are possible and Kanieski said the patio will be open for diners.
Alcoholic beverages will be available once he has the licenses, he added.
In the meantime, diners can enjoy the ambiance and fresh cooking every day.
“You can taste the sunshine in our vegetables,” he said.
