Sticking to the recipe
The counter area of Hills Restaurant in New Eagle
Exterior of Hills Restaurant in New Eagle, which is under new ownership.
The Crockard family poses for a picture in the dining area of Hills Restaurant in New Eagle. From left: Jocelyn Crockard, 2, Frank Crockard, his wife, Jessica, sons Denver, 4 months, Dylan, 17, and Austin, 11.
NEW EAGLE – Jessica Crockard had a culinary background. Her husband, Frank, had a culinary passion.
So when a dining opportunity emerged in New Eagle, they headed for Hills.
The Crockards are the new owners of Hills Restaurant, a longtime gathering spot with longtime patrons a mere sliver from the Monongahela line. They have been in business along Main Street (Route 88) for six weeks, and have enjoyed taking care of business every day.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do. We’ve been looking for something for a while and the timing seemed to be good,” said Jessica, an experienced chef with a bachelor’s degree in pastry arts from Johnson & Wales University.
“All my life,” Frank said when asked about his interest in food and its preparation. He considered culinary school coming out of Carmichaels High, but instead pursued a business degree at Waynesburg University.
Frank came close but didn’t graduate, yet he gained a lot of food for thought for this new endeavor.
The Crockards, parents of four, have gone from frequenting Hills as customers to frequenting it as bosses. Their restaurant operates daily, except holidays. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
All three meals are served on weekdays, breakfast and lunch on weekends. Frank, however, said they plan to extend Saturday and Sunday hours.
“We’re known for our breakfasts, then probably homemade buns,” said Jessica, a Charleroi graduate. Other culinary features include daily specials; homemade ravioli, gnocchi and sauce; and the new Hill of a Burger, featuring three-fourths of a pound of Angus beef.
Hills also was known for being cash-only, but two weeks after the Feb. 18 closing, the Crockards initiated credit- and debit-card capabilities.
The dining room and counter, collectively, seat 75, and the new owners expanded the banquet room to accommodate 70. The dining area is well lit and adorned with a dozen retro photos from the region.
“People ask, ‘If you get rid of them, can we have them?'” Jessica said, grinning.
It is a substantial structure, to be sure, with concrete floors and walls. And a taller structure than the new owners anticipated.
“There’s a third floor,” Frank said. “There’s nothing there. This was supposed to be a five-story hotel, but I guess (someone) ran out of money, put a roof on and called it a day.”
Jessica and Frank have kept the business name, the staff of 18 and the majority of the menu of their predecessor, Patty Radic, who retired. Radic bought the facility in 1981 from the man who launched it in 1963, Bill Hill, then sheriff of Washington County.
Radic’s son, Rick, and daughter-in-law, Mary, oversaw Hills’ operations in recent times, and according to Jessica, helped her and Frank tremendously during the ownership change.
“That was tough for Patty,” Jessica said. “She came in with a briefcase with recipes she got when she bought (the restaurant). She gave it to us with tears in her eyes.”
The Crockards, like many new owners, were a little uneasy at first, but said they’ve been well received by just about everyone associated with Hills.
“Bill Hill’s son, Randy, comes up here for Christmas, always for ravioli,” Frank said. “He was happy to hear we’re keeping the name.”
“Everyone has been welcoming, from the staff to regulars,” Jessica said.
The corps of regular customers is formidable.
“A little earlier,” Jessica said, smiling, “there were eight tables occupied and they were all regulars.”
Four other regulars were on hand last Monday, the final day of spring break. The Monongahela couple was accompanied by their clan: Dylan, 17; Austin, 11; Jocelyn, 2; and Denver, 4 months. The kids were as happy to be there as their parents were to see them.
“It’s nice to see the little ones around,” Frank said.
This is the Crockards’ first foray into operating a restaurant. Jessica was a chef and kitchen manager at Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport for more than eight years. Her resume also includes a kitchen stint at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
Frank worked for Advance Auto Parts for about 15 years, in Canonsburg, Washington, Waynesburg and – most recently – Belle Vernon.
“I had no plans on leaving,” he said. “Then this opportunity presented itself and it was too big to pass up.”
They are pleased they seized that opportunity.