by Bea Peterson
Jessica and Howard Steller want people to stop in to Picasso’s, create their own sandwich or salad or ice cream “mix-ins” and sit back and relax. “We want Picasso’s to be a destination,” said Howard.
[private]They opened Picasso’s at 21277 State Route 22, in the former headquarters of Baker’s Nursery, the first week in August. Their grand opening was August 9 to 11. “Business has been really steady since then,” said Jessica.
Their menu offers a variety of interesting wraps, sandwiches, panini and salads. Better yet, they hope customers will create their own ideas for a sandwich or salad. They want their customers to be like Picasso and express their creativity – except they want them to do it with what they eat. Menu ideas are on display. On one wall they have a long list of combinations for “mix-ins” to add to the ice cream. And they mean mix-in. The ice cream is placed on a marble slab and the fruits and/or candies are mixed right in before it is put in a cone or a dish.
Jessica is proud to say they use all fresh local products, and she makes everything but the ice cream from scratch.
There is a cozy dining room for eating inside if the weather is cool or rainy. Otherwise, half the pleasure of eating at Picasso’s is sitting outdoors.
Thanks to the previous owner’s creativity there is a lovely little pond and waterfall fountain with a seating area that is just perfect for relaxing while eating. In other areas there are Adirondack style chairs and picnic tables. The couple expect next year they will create some gardens in the area and add more picnic tables. The Stellers expect to bring their llamas down to the property soon to live. Folks will be able to watch them, but they won’t be close enough to pet. It’s just something more they hope folks will enjoy when they come to eat.
This is an entirely new field for the Stellers. Howard is not quitting his day job. Jessica formerly worked in the legal field. They thought, since their youngest child is in college, it would be a good time for them to try something different.
Picasso’s is closed Wednesdays and open Thursday through Tuesday from 11 am to 9 pm. They know they will be open for the fall HFCS game season for sure, and they are currently working on a winter hours schedule.
Picasso’s is on Facebook® or the restaurant can be reached at 659-6068.[/private]