Known for a menu incorporating the best in local organically grown foods in its breakfast and lunch menu, Farmhouse Cafe reopened on Nov. 15 after a long closure due to COVID-19. Owner Becky Herbert has brought Corina Gitmed, co-owner of Off the Hook Essentials, on board to help bring back customer favorites and add a few new delights.
“We had a really nice crowd the first day,” Herbert said. “A lot of our regulars came to support us, which is really cool. I mean, that’s a reason for me to open the door—I missed seeing all the regulars and feeding them. I missed having the camaraderie and the laughter.”
Herbert said she lost staff during the pandemic and needed to take a break from the restaurant to focus on her prepared foods business.
“I’ve been talking to Corina about doing it for a while,” Herbert said, “and it’s just been a matter of finding the right cook and a barista to do the coffee. But I just decided to go for it, and, all of a sudden, everyone’s just kind of come together, and it feels like a really strong team.”
Herbert met Gitmed during the pandemic when she started using fish from Off the Hook Essentials for the prepared meals she created for delivery.
“I told her that I would help her with the deliveries,” Gitmed said. “We started bouncing various ideas back and forth to each other, which is how this started. After a while, she said, ‘Why don’t you just come work here? Let me just handle the back of the house and the prepared meals.’ She allowed me to step into my potential.”
Herbert’s new chef, 24-year-old William Loomis, is running a kitchen for the first time after starting as a dishwasher at the Dunneville Market and working the counter at Pieology in Gilroy before landing a job at Running Rooster under chef Lance Ramhurst. Some of his specialties, including bread pudding and crepes, have made it onto the new menu.
“My mom made a lot of crepes when I was younger,” he said. “I always thought they were great so I wanted those on the menu. I have also changed up a few things, like the Breakfast Burrito Bowl. Instead of making everything separate, one thing I learned from Lance was to make it all together so that every flavor goes into every component.”
Currently, the menu is relatively stripped down compared to what Farmhouse offered pre-pandemic, but Herbert says that more of the favorite dishes will be added as everyone gets used to the routine and what customers are ordering. Ramhurst also has a few ideas for the future, including pork belly bao buns and Cubano sandwiches.
It will be fun to see how Farmhouse Cafe evolves as the staff gets its footing and the menu adapts to the new chef and Gitmed’s input. The two things that will not change are Herbert’s dedication to local organic products and her pleasure in having her restaurant open again.
“I am so excited to be back,” she said. “I really missed it, and it is still just fun to be here.
Farmhouse Cafe will be closed Thanksgiving week, except for the evening of the Lights On Celebration on November 26 in downtown Hollister. Regular hours will resume the following week: Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Menu of Farmhouse Cafe
Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry Sauce – “The reason this is on the menu,” Herbert says, “is because when I was living in Boston, I would get these to remind myself of my family at Thanksgiving.” The turkey is range-raised Diestel with a schmear of cream cheese, but the real star here is the made-in-house cranberry sauce made with orange zest. The flavor is intense and compelling—it elevates a very simple sandwich into a work of art.
Chicken Salad Sandwich – Roasted chicken, coarsely chopped and mixed with sliced almonds and sun-sweetened cranberries. “That is definitely one of our biggest sellers,” Herbert said. “People come in and buy that in containers to take home.” Not as brightly flavored as the turkey sandwich, but a nice combination of ingredients brings everything together in a very satisfying way.
Bread Pudding – “This is Will’s creation, and there is a syrup he puts on it when it is warm,” Herbert said. “He wanted to do a bread pudding, and we decided to do it in muffin form so people could grab it with our coffee and go.” Once again, Phil Foster’s farm is highlighted in the slices of fresh apples mixed in with the bread pudding. The density is similar to a bran muffin but chewier and with excellent texture. I did not have this with the syrup—the apples were sufficient to bring enough sweetness to enhance the flavor.
Breakfast Burrito Bowl – An all-organic dish, eggs and roasted potatoes are served with either pasture-raised pork sausage or marinated tofu—the version I got had both— a house-made salsa made from tomatoes, jalapenos, and red onions. “You should be able to taste the freshness,” said Herbert. “It’s our trademark. Does anyone else have Phil Foster’s potatoes or jalapenos? And there’s a huge difference between the eggs we get from Glaum Ranch and the ones most people use.” The dish, as served, is great, and the salsa takes it to another level with a slight kick that compliments the freshness of the ingredients.
Poblano Tomatillo Stew – This vegan-friendly soup has chunks of roasted poblano chilis and tomatillos from Phil Foster’s farm combined with slightly firm cannellini beans and canned organic tomatoes. “There’s just enough a little heat to it to wake you up in the morning,” Herbert said. “You can feel warm all the way down.” The very mild heat from the peppers is more of an accent than a full flavor component and does not mask the beautiful tomato taste or the spices, like cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon, which add a subtle Indian accent to the dish. This is a must-try dish, and I could eat it all day long.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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