Local Flavor is Fare at Silver Birch Kitchen

In business, the motto is “location, location, location.”

For Jessica and Marc Geanoules, the motto is “local, local, local.”

So when their dinner delivery service–created in a commercial kitchen as they did not have their own working space–grew in popularity, they knew it was time to expand, and what better place to do it than Long Valley?

The town wasn’t picked from a hat, nor was the name of the business. Its Long Valley roots are as long as the vegetables’ picked directly from the local farms.

Jessica Geanoules’ grandparents once owned a small farm in Long Valley, just off Naughright Road, where their granddaughter would spend plenty of time digging, harvesting and cooking the fruits of their labor. The farm’s name? Silver Birch.

Geanoules’ love affair with Long Valley came back into focus when she began operating a booth at the weekly Long Valley Green Market last season. As the season wore on, a discussion with market co-creator Leona Harrington led to Geanoules taking a look at the open kitchen space at 16 Schooley’s Mountain Road, formerly occupied by the Cozy Café.

“It was perfect timing,” Geanoules said. “I’m super excited to be (back) in Long Valley.”

The doors to Silver Birch Kitchen opened Feb. 20, and the couple moved, along with their son, from Totowa to town to be closer to their livelihood.

For both Jessica and Marc Geanoules, it’s not just business, however. It’s a lifestyle.

Marc is a professionally trained chef and life-long restaurant employee, and Jessica spent many years in restaurants as well as marketing, handling business operations.

But it’s about the craft of creating food more than anything, the couple says. It’s also about eating fresh, local food and sustaining an economy for local food growers, the couple said.

‘Real’ Food

Nothing that goes into Silver Birch’s oven or pots and pans comes from outside the United States. In fact, at this time of year, most of their food can be found grown within a short drive of the area.

And in a few weeks, as spring continues to blossom, all the Kitchen’s ingredients will be created less than 20 miles from downtown Long Valley.

“We’ve grown great relationship with local farmers and growers,” Jessica Geanoules said. “They’re just as happy that we’re in town as we are. We’re helping their business and they’re obviously helping ours.”

The food used at Silver Birch won’t have additives or preservatives and comes from Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) farms. All meat served by the Kitchen is anti-biotic and steroid free as well.

The ability to “play” with each day’s food offerings keeps the menu fresh and revolving for customers. “Each day I get to look around, say, ‘what’s fresh, what can I do today?’” Jessica Geanoules.

“We’re not just serving people,” Geanoules said. “We’re feeding families.”

The food’s not out of a box and is created fresh daily. Many customers are trying meals and flavors for the first time–and coming back time and time again for more.

“The reception from families in town has been great since we opened. Some of our customers have sent us photos of their kids with empty plates after getting a dinner from here. We may not know much about your family, but we probably know what you like to eat,” Geanoules said, laughing.

Customers can find a specials menu with two to four different daily items to complement a standing list of meals as well as a frozen prepared meals menu.

Diners can eat in or take out from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and the restaurant’s menu and information can be found at their website.

Silver Birch has also recently partnered with 11:11 Delivery Service out of Hackettstown to have its menu available to those who can’t make it to the shop as well.

“I’m just blessed to be able to do what I love and makes me happy,” Geanoules said.

And now Long Valley gets to see–and taste–that firsthand.