Friends cafe takes root at Fellows Riverside Gardens

By JORDYN GRZELEWSKI

jgrzelewski@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Mill Creek MetroParks is now bringing the experience of Fellows Riverside Gardens right to your plate.

The Garden Cafe, now operated by Friends Specialty, a coffee-and-tea business with locations in downtown Youngstown and Salem, features a new menu and look that are intended to reflect what’s outside the cafe.

“They really wanted an emphasis on the garden. So they wanted a more healthful, green approach” to the food, explained Patricia Tinkler of Salem, who owns Friends with husband Mitch Lynch.

Friends was awarded the contract to run the cafe in the D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center in December, taking over after the park system’s leadership decided to make a change after 13 years under The Georgetown.

“We were asked to do more local, more sustainable, healthier, fresher fare,” Tinkler said.

“Everything we do at Fellows Riverside Gardens has to connect people with plants,” Keith Kaiser, MetroParks horticulture director, said.

The lunch menu, which changes

daily, is crafted primarily from fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Friday’s menu, for example, featured line-caught tuna and cannellini salad with roasted red peppers, cilantro, red onion and preserved lemons over a bed of local spring greens; a roasted turkey, red pepper and Jarlsberg cheese panini; and homemade potato and leek soup, among a few other options — all for less than $10.

Tinkler and Lynch continue to make adjustments to the menu to make lunch as efficient as possible.

“I really believe this deserves to be a power lunch spot,” Tinkler said. “People can still get in and out in an hour.”

The ingredients, whenever possible, are from local producers such as Iron Roots Urban Farm and Grow Youngstown.

“Youngstown has a burgeoning local food scene,” said Tinkler, who grew up on the North Side and fondly remembers visiting the gardens as a kid.

“The whole idea of Youngstown downsizing in population, you have these wide open spaces — it’s perfect for urban farms,” she said

The goal, Tinkler and Lynch said, is tasty, healthful food.

That’s exactly what Charlotte and Joe Dercoli of Youngstown said they got when they stopped in for paninis and coffee Friday.

“This is real coffee. This is not coffee in disguise,” Joe said.

“I like the healthy, vegetable focus,” Charlotte said. “We’ll definitely come back.”

The cafe also has a new style to complement the menu after a few months of renovations.

The room, which overlooks Lake Glacier, has new furniture, earth-toned walls and decor, and live plants and flowers. The dining experience is different, too. The cafe is now full service, and tables outside on the patio allow more seating.

Another addition to the cafe is Friends Specialty’s selection of tea and coffee, which is roasted at the Salem store. Friends offers a wide selection of each; the tea list has nearly 20 kinds, ranging from a “hearty and malty” Breakfast Assam to a “sweet and floral” Blue Beauty Oolong.

Friends also serves an assortment of baked goods; Friday’s menu featured cookies, biscotti, and tarts.

The cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Lunch is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.