OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — Not just soup, salads, sandwiches and lunch.

You can say that’s the mantra of Clementine’s new owners – Gabby Metz-Colcord and Mike Marich.

Gabby and Mike purchased the Grand Pacific Junction restaurant/bakery in November. This month (February) they introduced a new menu, added breakfast and changed some restaurant opening hours.

“We’re slowly reorganizing,” Mike said. “We want it to be bigger than before, bringing it into the future and using new (cooking) methods. It’s a new era with a feeling of country of origin.

“Quality is our main concern. We don’t want to take shortcuts,” Gabby added. “We want you back.”

It’s all in the little things. For example, Mike uses grated potatoes as a crust in his quiche recipes.

“We have people who don’t just buy a piece, but the whole quiche,” he said.

This is Gabby and Mike’s first time running a restaurant together, although both have extensive experience in the food industry. Gabby, owner of Cherry on Top Bakery with Mike, grew up watching her grandmother bake. His sister started baking, then decorating cakes.

“I learned cake decorating with her and a lot of YouTube videos. I also did it in high school (Padua) and after. I flowered from there. I cooked for my family and friends , I’ve posted on community groups and many have heard of my cakes by word of mouth,” she said. “I’m 100% self-taught.

When she worked at the Brunswick Dairy Queen, her decorated cakes attracted an audience. Mike, her best friend, encouraged her to open her own bakery. That’s when she and Mike started Cherry on Top, located in Hinckley Township in Medina County.

Gabby is known for the pictures she draws on her cakes, including pets. She said her favorite cakes centered around events, especially birthdays. Many say his cheesecakes are the best around.

Mike is a self-taught chef. He said he grew up watching his mother “in the kitchen” and his father “outside” at the barbecue. Mike has worked in several restaurants including the most recent Taste of Excellence Catering.

“My mother, one of 17, grew up on a farm. We had great home cooked meals,” he said. “I watch when people are cooking. I have to know how I can do everything,” he said.

“I just have to be better than you. You can tell I’m a bit competitive. Many will mop the floor with me with their experience and techniques. But food has become a love for me. I can’t see myself doing anything else. Me and food get along well.

Neither were looking to own their own restaurant together. Gabby heard that the owners of A Bit of New York, which supplies the bakery to Clementine’s, were selling their business. Mike urged her to take a look. When she went to Clémentine to talk about the bakery, she learned that the restaurant would also be for sale.

“When I walked in, I fell in love with it. I love everything about it,” she said.

Gabby and Mike took the next step: they bought the bakery and the restaurant.

“Who better to run a restaurant than your best friend? said Gaby. “He’s the only one I would do business with.”

Mike believes in making food from scratch and using fresh ingredients.

“When I walked in here, this place screamed ‘homemade’ at me,” Mike said. “This is what we do.”

He brines and roasts the turkey, marinates the roast beef overnight and roasts the chicken. He makes his own pickles, uses fresh vegetables and spices, and plans to make most of the items you’ll find at Clementine, including ketchup and, possibly, jams.

Mike uses fresh Atlantic salmon in his salmon patties, along with a variety of fresh ingredients, like dill and lemon zest. He also browns the garlic and adds other spices and sauté vegetables for the soup.

“The spices and vegetables need to bloom to bring out their natural, distinct flavor,” he said. “We put love into it.”

He hopes to attract more men to Clementine. To this end, he introduced the chicken lollipop. It’s a chicken wing/thigh that’s stretched to look like a lollipop. He cooks them in a brine with a few vegetables and spices and poaches them at 200 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

“They’re tender, full of flavor,” he said. “It’s like a cooked wing. They are delicious.”

This week (February 1), the restaurant is introducing a new menu, featuring many of the old favorites. It will also start offering breakfast and extended hours.

Clémentine’s new hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. They will be offering breakfast from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday only.

The morning menu includes three breakfast pans, with hash of short ribs and eggs; sausage, gravy and fallen cookies; and a vegan specialty. There will be bread pudding, Clementine’s Bénédictine, a classic breakfast, homemade pancakes stuffed with various options and a breakfast sandwich. Expect these dishes to have their own flavor and ingredients.

Appetizers include hot artichoke dip, chicken lollipop barbecue, and brie cheese, all of which have their own twists. Mike has made his own ricotta and mozzarella cheeses at other restaurants. Expect this and other fresh produce coming to Clementine.

The bakery now produces several flavored scones, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, pies and cheesecakes, as well as popular gluten-free and vegan product lines.

The two also offer parties of all kinds at Clémentine’s and organize outdoor events. They’re also opening the restaurant up for after-hours events, like the upcoming Galentine’s Day High Tea Feb. 13-15, which features a variety of fresh sandwiches, strawberry scones, tea buns, and small four-shaped cakes. of heart with a teapot for $24.99. Reservations can be made by calling 440-235-1223.

This Friday, Feb. 4, he’s hosting a Valentine’s Day Gnome Workshop from 6-8 p.m. with all the supplies to make a gnome and food offerings from the entire restaurant menu. Gabby and Mike promise more events like this.

You haven’t been to Clémentine lately? You should try.

“I’ve been a single dad for 13 years,” Mike said. “When I go out, I expect to get my money’s worth. We want you to find that right here.

Best wishes to Gabby, Mike and their families as they bring this fresh, country, homemade food with a new-age twist to the community.

Senior pizza pickup: Next Wednesday, February 9, seniors who ordered their free cheese pizza as part of the Pizza Across America promotion will be able to pick up their reserved order from 3-4 p.m. at the Olmsted Township Administration Building, 7900 Fitch Road .

Ann Reichle of Angelina’s Pizza has partnered with the Township of Olmsted to bring this campaign to the community. Thank you to everyone who coordinated this effort for seniors in Olmsted Falls and Olmsted Township.

Preschool registration: Olmsted Community Preschool is now accepting online registrations for its 2022-2023 school year. Although there is no in-person open house, you can view video tours of each venue on their website under “Our Facilities”.

If you prefer to see the preschool in person, call 440-235-3326 or email [email protected]

The nursery school is part of the Olmsted Community Church on Main Street. It offers extensive programs for 3-year-olds, pre-kindergarten and pre-kindergarten. Visit olmstedchurch.org/preschool for details and registration information.

Pictures of animals: The Olmsted Chamber of Commerce is once again partnering with the Kiwanis Club of Olmsted Falls for the Fur-Ever Love Pet Photo Contest during the month of February.

As of this writing, not all details have been fully disclosed. As with previous contests, however, residents are encouraged to submit photos of their pets online. The community will then vote for their favorites.

Check the chamber’s Facebook page and website, olmstedchamber.org, for more details. You can also visit the Olmsted Falls Kiwanis Facebook page.

More details will be provided in next week’s Olmsted Dates and Data column online and in the newspaper.

Well done Kampus: Resident Tate Blain has won the Fall 2021 Semester Honor Roll at Dixie State University. Congratulations, Tata.

Information, please: To include news, information, honors or activities in Olmsted Falls and Olmsted Township, contact Joanne DuMound at [email protected]. She is also on Twitter, @JoanneDuMound. The online version of the section on cleveland.com/olmsted has direct links to many news articles.

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