As Lancaster locals, Karen and Chris Fisher always regarded Pennsylvania Dutch dishes as the perfect comfort food. But, inspired by their travels across the United States, they wanted to open a restaurant to experiment outside their comfort zone.
“I’m a creative person. So for me to have to limit it to Pennsylvania Dutch foods would be constraining. I always wanted to have just a little place where I could just have whatever I wanted, no boundaries,” said owner Karen Fisher.
The Fisher family saw this dream realized three years ago with the opening of the first Tomato Pie Café in Lititz, and again, in October 2012, with the debut of their Harrisburg location in Swatara Township.
Their dishes bring a bit of worldliness while still staying local. Moving to Florida in her teens opened Fisher’s eyes to Southern dishes, including the tomato pie. This pie is not the pizza that New York and New Jersey natives recognize. Her pie is a blend of fresh tomatoes seasoned with herbs and baked into a pie shell with a cheesy topping.
Although she was unaware of other versions of the tomato pie when she named the shop, she has now learned that some varieties are, as she puts it, “not round.”
“Does not a pie refer to something that’s round? [Their tomato pie] is not round,” she asked. “So, I don’t think that they should be able to call that tomato pie anymore! I have tomato pie. They do not have tomato pie.”
The rest of the café’s dishes, however, won’t be mistaken for anything controversial. The artful combinations—like a sweet potato used as a spread with mascarpone cheese on brioche bread or the peanut butter, banana and Nutella panini—are originals with the fingerprint of the creative culinary mind of Fisher. Even the basics, like grilled cheese or the TPC house salad, have a unique style to them.
“I try my best to create dishes that you can’t find anywhere else. I take things and add a little twist to it, add a little wow to it, put some more love into it,” she said.
The coffee shop half of the café also reflects this creative sentiment. For example, a drink highly recommended by the head barista, the Raw Cap, is a traditional cappuccino topped with honey and raw sugar.
Although the dishes are inspired from traveling, the food is made with only local ingredients, even as local as right outside the door. The outdoor dining area—the tomato patch—has tomatoes, basil, mint, dill and rosemary growing in pots lining the patio, all of which get used in the cooking process. “On nice days, the tomato patch fills up more than the inside,” said Fisher.
The atmosphere, inspired by the Lititz location’s early 1900s-era building, feels urban and creative. The old building was built during the swing era, which gave Fisher the idea for the staff’s uniform of muted colors, a hat and the choice of a bow tie, vest or suspenders.
“My goal is always to seamlessly blend the old with the new,” said Fisher. The furnishings also give a nod to the past, while staying fashionable. The coffee bar is from an old apothecary in Phoenixville, and some wall coverings are reclaimed barn boards from a Lebanon farm.
The Fisher family brought a Lancaster tradition to the Harrisburg area: the barista throwdown. At this event, hosted by the Harrisburg Tomato Pie Café in May, different baristas competed for the title of best barista. “It is just a way to pull all the local coffee shops together,” said Fisher.
Barista throwdowns have happened for years with the Lititz shop and its surrounding coffee shops. However, only the Tomato Pie Café’s baristas were representing an area coffee shop this time. Fisher looks to change that. “We’re going to continue to do it on a regular basis in hopes to accomplish that same thing: just bring coffee shops together,” said Fisher. “We’re hoping to bring some positive energy to businesses.”
The owners had opportunities to move to other locations, but they chose Harrisburg, in part, to join what they hoped was an emerging economic recovery. “Our desire is to see the economy in Harrisburg turn around. Harrisburg is beautiful. I personally just believe that it’s one business at a time,” she said.
Tomato Pie Café
3950 TecPort Dr., Harrisburg
717-836-7051
https://tomatopiecafe.net
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 7 a.m to 9 p.m.; Saturday: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
