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Grandma's Alpine Homestead Restaurant
By: Mimi Vanderhaven When Lee Ann Miller, the new owner of Grandma’s Alpine Homestead, sent up a little prayer asking for guidance regarding “The World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock,” it took three days to get an answer. The clock, frequently recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records, was for decades a critical part of “Alpine-Alpa,” the Swiss-themed restaurant complex founded by Alice Grossniklaus in 1935. In 2002, after Alice’s death, Lee Ann and her husband Daryl purchased Alpine-Alpa, cleaning and restoring its banquet rooms, restaurant, gift shop, the popular antique mechanical oompa band, and the famed 3-D Swiss dioramas that adorn the walls. But repairing the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock was a project too big for the couple’s small budget. Then the phone rang. It had been three days since Lee Ann’s prayer for guidance. On the other end of the line was a representative from Hampton Hotels’ “Save-A-Landmark” program. “At first I thought it was a joke,” Lee Ann recalls. “I’d never heard of that program. I Googled the name while I was on the phone with her and discovered it was legitimate. A few weeks later the restoration project began.” Today, the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock has returned to its former glory thanks in part to a $20,000 grant from the Save-A-Landmark program. Indeed, the Lord works in mysterious ways, but sometimes He’s astonishingly practical. In 2004, Lee Ann and Daryl changed the name of their Swiss village from “Alpine-Alpa” to “Grandma’s Alpine Homestead” to reflect the restaurant’s many changes and as a part of a co-branding strategy. Lee Ann and Daryl also own Grandma’s Homestead Bed & Breakfast in Millersburg, Ohio, and her mother owns Grandma’s Homestead, a restaurant in Charm, Ohio. But, if you want to see the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock, be sure to visit Grandma’s Alpine Homestead, located between Wilmot and Winesburg, Ohio—about 55 minutes south for most of Mimi’s readers. But being able to tell your friends and neighbors that you’ve seen the world famous divinely inspired clock is only one reason to visit. There is another far more important reason. The food. The all-you-can-eat buffet is a veritable bounty of Amish cooking. And every bit of it is homemade. Every day, all day, a team of local Amish women prepares fried chicken, mashed potatoes, noodles, gravy, stuffing, pulled pork, red skin potatoes, knockwurst and sauerkraut, sweet potatoes, hand-formed meatballs and more. You’ll even find perfectly prepared fried perch filets on Fridays. I know; I ate 12 of them. And these ladies cook for you exactly the way they cook for their own families. “We pickle our own beets, make our own potato salad, ham salad, and macaroni salad, whip our own cream, make our own pie crust, and even pickle our own eggs,” Lee Ann explains. “If you remember what it was like to sit down for a meal at Grandma’s house in the country, then you’ll understand what we are all about.”  On Saturday nights you can enjoy a live Bluegrass concert from 5 to 8 p.m., rebroadcast throughout the region on Sunday mornings. Although reservations are not required during the week, you absolutely must have them for Saturday Night Bluegrass. That’s when locals pack the place. Don’t be surprised if the name Lee Ann Miller sounds familiar to you. She regularly hosts a cooking segment on television news shows throughout the state. Watch for her every three weeks or so on the noon news on WEWS Channel 5 in Cleveland. You’ll also catch her on WCMH Channel 4 in Columbus, WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati, and WCHS 8 and FOX 11 in Charleston, as a part of “Good Morning West Virginia.” And Mimi recently invited Lee Ann to appear at the 2008 Women’s and Family Expo coming to Cleveland on April 5 and 6. If you’re wondering when to visit Grandma’s Alpine Homestead, the answer is—right now. Through March 31st the lunch buffet (offered Tuesday through Friday) is priced at just $7.99. The in-season price of $10.99 returns on April 1. Plus, right now many of the cuckoo clocks in the gift shop are priced at a whopping 50% off. Just not the really big one. Grandma’s Alpine Homestead is located at 1504 U.S. Rt. 62. Although the mailing address is Wilmot, Ohio, you’ll find it between Wilmot and Winesburg, Ohio. It’s about ten minutes from Berlin. Winter hours (through March 31) are: Monday - Thursday, 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Friday - Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Closed Sunday. Summer Hours (April 1 to October 31) are: Monday-Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Closed Sunday. For more information check out Grandma’s Alpine Homestead Restaurant. |
Address: 1504 U S 62 Wilmot, OH 44689 330-359-5454 Visit Us: T-Sat 11am-7pm Sun 11am-6pm Closed Monday Email Us: homesteadcooking@yahoo.com Visit Our Website: www.grandmashomestead.com
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