A new business, in a familiar location, the Food Farmacy has opened in Escalon, at the corner of Second and Main, at 1764 Main St.
Tiffany Early has opened the Food Farmacy, a restaurant that bills itself as ‘The Hunger Cure.’
For Early, it is the first time opening her own place, though she worked for the past few years for the owner of Leonardo’s Café, which previously occupied the building.
“I liked the location, there’s always a beautiful view because we’re across from the park and the people are always friendly,” Early said of some of the factors that prompted her to take the plunge into running her own eatery.
The Food Farmacy features build your own burgers, with a selection of cheeses, veggies and sauces. They come with a choice of sides and you can also add bacon or avocado to your burger for just 50 cents more.
They also serve up a wide variety of flatbreads, from Hawaiian to BBQ chicken, Margherita to pepperoni. A selection of quiches are available and the restaurant also offers a kid’s menu, with all entrees coming with a choice of seasonal fruit or applesauce and including a fruit snack and drink, at just $4.99.
Open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Food Farmacy is targeting the lunch crowd and features soups, salads and hot and cold sandwiches in addition to all the other menu choices. They also do catering and you can call ahead for a pick-up order, 209-831-7863.
“I went to culinary school for two-and-a-half years and I’ve been cooking since I was 19,” Early explained. “I used to work at the HTC (Howard Training Center) and did everything from being a job coach to food service coordinator; we did catering, provided the Senior Meals and also prepared meals for Juvenile Hall.”
Working with staff members Ayva Costantini and Ally Mendoza, Early said the trio keeps busy throughout the day, arriving well before the 11 a.m. opening to do prep work.
“We get the salad bar set up, make our own soup,” Early explained. “We hand carve our own meat.”
She also hopes to expand at some point to offering a dinner night, but may wait until the spring when there is daylight longer into the evening. She also wants to create a dog menu for those that choose to bring their canine companions.
As for recommendations, she said the pastrami sandwich is always a good choice – thinly sliced pastrami with melted Swiss, served on ciabatta with mustard and dill pickle.
“I just enjoy cooking,” she added of why she chose to take over the location, adding that she loves to barbecue and hopes to incorporate some specialty BBQ items into the menu as well.
“It’s just lunch right now, we are still working on a few things, getting our feet wet,” she added of the limited hours. “It has been going pretty well.”
She said customers have already noted their appreciation for the kids menu and she considers their new flatbreads to be a specialty, though she feels that diners would enjoy any item on the menu.
“We offer a lot of gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options, if you have a food allergy, let us know,” Early said. “We want to accommodate everybody; everyone deserves to enjoy good food.”
