Countryside Café
Address: 8223 Mahan Gap Road Hours: Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Phone: 423-344-8646
I arrived to Countryside Café a few minutes before opening. The staff bustled about the kitchen while a server moved about the dining area, hand-writing daily specials onto the café's whiteboards. "Meatloaf; chicken and dumplings; whole fried trout" she wrote.
Every day, Countryside Café offers an array of fresh meat and veggie specials. After all, the Ooltewah eatery is all about freshness. Much to this fruit-lover's delight, this time of year that means strawberries.
Countryside is officially bringing in ripe Florida berries, which are showcased in recipes such as the decadent strawberry shortcake - homemade shortcake, topped with sweet strawberries and stacked with fluffy whipped cream.
"We'll be getting fresh strawberries from Dayton starting in May," said café owner Marlene Geren.
Then, in June, Countryside anticipates tomato season.
"I want to do a tomato menu," Marlene said. "I think that would be really fun."
Dishes, she told me, may include simple classics such as tomato and okra, corn and tomato salad, or sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with black pepper.
"It's a busy time of year!" Marlene said. "It's a busy time for families, too, between end-of-school-year obligations, sports and, of course, Easter."
While Countryside is usually open for lunch on Sundays, the café will close on Easter. However, it is now accepting bulk pickup orders to help families supplement their Easter dinners.
Popular to-go options include pans of wood-roasted ham or turkey, prepared pulled or sliced. Any one of Countryside's fresh sides are available, as well as any one of its whole cakes or pies – of which the list is quite long.
"Buttermilk, peanut butter, strawberry, key lime pie" the server wrote on another whiteboard; as I I watched, mouth watering.