Bakers transform Richfield eatery into Ocelot Café
A Richfield dining fixture has a new name, a new look and updated facilities after being acquired by two Akron bakers.
The former Richfield Gourmet Café is now the Ocelot Café and Bakery, operated by Plates by Post LLC owners Liz Post and Jason Smith.
Plates by Post began as a home enterprise, Post said, but quickly outgrew the space available.
"We fulfilled custom bakery orders, attended the Medina Farmers Market, and became one of the dessert suppliers for Lannings Restaurant," Post said.
Post and Smith found themselves looking for a commercial business space — and a past connection bubbled up in the the process.
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"I worked at the former Richfield Gourmet Café for one year in college" as a barista and assisting with food preparation, Post said. "We gained wind that the café was for sale" last March, she said — "and by April 1 we had finalized the purchase."
After the ink was dry on the deal, Post said she and Smith closed the café for two weeks to renovate the kitchen, fix the plumbing, add electric capacity, add new equipment and map out a new kitchen plan.
"In the front of house, we tore down cabinetry behind the front counter, and painted the entire dining room," Post said.
Breakfast pastries, ciabatta sandwiches and coffee on the menu
As well as a new name and look, customers will find a new menu, Post said. The food offerings highlight made from scratch breakfast and lunch offerings.
"We’re sourcing some of our kitchen ingredients from other local small businesses," Post said, and the café plans to expand those offerings in the future. The business also works with a variety of coffee roasters from Northeast Ohio, she said.
Customers can choose from up to three different roasters in one day — "a tour de coffee, so to speak.," Post said. "We also sell whole bean coffee including espresso, and will grind to your preferred setting."
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Customers wanting a breakfast pastry will have several to choose from, Post said.
Pastry dough is the key to several of the café's specialty items, including hand pies, "Post-Tarts," and sausage rolls.
"One of our personal favorites is the chorizo hand pie," Post said, describing a dish that incorporates eggs, chihuahua cheese, breakfast potatoes, peppers, onions and spices.
Post said another specialty is focaccia, which the café ferments for several days prior to baking to deepen its flavor.
The Post-Tarts — including a lemon meringue with made-from-scratch lemon curd and topped with torched Swiss meringue wrapped inside of the flaky pastry — as well as recently added sausage rolls are popular sellers.
Post said all selections are baked fresh daily, with the goal of selling out by closing.
"Don’t be surprised if our case is slim near closing time; this is by design," she said.
Post and Smith are still fine-tuning the café menu.
"We’re experimenting with new items on a weekly and monthly basis," she said. "Many of our menu items are seasonal or holiday- based. We plan to keep creating and having fun with ingredients and seeing what our customer base loves enough to stick around for the long haul."
And the café is available for modest-sized meetings and luncheons, Post said, or as a spot to spend some time during remote workdays.
Owners bring many years of experience to the food industry
Both Post and Smith have several years' experience with the restaurant and hospitality industries.
Smith said he worked at Lanning's Restaurant in Bath for about eight years.
"It was my job through high school and college," he said of his time at Lanning's. He also worked for a stint at Breads of Fairlawn, "where I worked nights and learned how to shape and bake a variety of breads. These experiences created a passion for food service and hospitality that came full-circle when we decided to start our own business."
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Post's experience in the food industry started when she was 13, with past jobs including work as a farm hand for five years. That work included attending and selling at area farmers markets. She also worked as a purchasing and marketing manager in a butcher shop before launching Ocelot Cafe and Bakery.
"More than anything, I have drive to learn and work hard," Post said. "Jason and I always loved cooking together. It was our hobby. However, baking was something I took on because it caught my interest. YouTube became my teacher and our home kitchen was the classroom. The rest is history."
The Ocelot Café and Bakery is at 4174 Wheatley Rd, Unit 900 in Richfield. For details, visit https://www.ocelotcafe.com or email platesbypost@gmail.com. Post said that current updates can be found on the café's social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
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Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ocelot Café puts new spin on dining at former Richfield Gourmet Café
