Bob & Jana MacGinnes at Savory Café
Usually, my writing focus is on fine art, but inspiration strikes at the most unexpected times.
For TheBurg’s dining issue, we felt it important to feature the people responsible for our meals as much as the food itself. After all, they make the magic happen. No insider trade secrets will be revealed for those surprises may be the best part of your journey. Who knows, getting out of the routine of the “same old” could be the best prescription for inspiration. It works for us every time. Our fun dining-out itinerary read breakfast, lunch, then brunch—just not all in the same day.
For us, the sweetest place on earth just got even sweeter. Hershey is so close to home that you too can explore our trifecta of winners. As the art writer for TheBurg, it was high time to cover the “art” of breakfast and lunch, with a Hershey focus.
Breakfast
First stop: First Watch. When we visited in late March, it was sunny and bright but still a bit chilly for their outdoor seating. We welcomed the warm ambiance within. The term, “first watch,” comes from nautical terminology denoting the first shift of duty-standing watch, starting in the early-morning hours. It also stands for a chain of 630 restaurants, coast to coast, that specialize in “daytime dining,” serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. Our destination was in the very heart of the downtown drag, a-bustle with shops, restaurants, bistros, salons and saloons, jewelers and gifts galore. Look for cow crossing signs at the intersection of Chocolate and Cocoa avenues on the First Watch mural on the wall with “HERSHEY” emblazoned in its background. Their special seasonal menu reflects choices for winter and spring, ending right before the influx of the summer tourist swarm.
For adult starters, choose from “organic” or “boozy”—way too early in the day for us. For me, the Colombian drip was a real eye opener, with rich, robust flavor. Their big menu boasts two sides, one for breakfast and one for lunch with a smorgasbord of choices, so much that it created a diverse dish discourse as to which choice to make. My wife Jana opted for the “Breakfast Power Bowl.” She felt transported to a new land with exotic ingredients blended with a lemon white balsamic dressing. As a creature of habit, I ordered “The Traditional, 2 eggs” straight up. The best part was the artisanal toast with real butter and roasted potatoes seasoned to a crisp.
First Watch has their tried-and-true formula down to a science. No bells or whistles, just solid breakfast and lunch fare. The setting is open kitchen with prompt refills, quick orders and an attentive wait staff. Speaking of which, in the rapid turnover world of servers, a dedicated and reliable wait staff is worth their weight in gold. It spoke volumes when we were greeted by our regular server from three years ago, Brianna Davis, who has a memory like a true maritime maven. She sets the bar high with above-and-beyond service and a generous helping of customer satisfaction. This farm-to-table restaurant is as large as a good-sized barn with wraparound windows. As a flaneur in good standing in the summer months, I like to sit at the very front outside, observing life close up and listening to the conversations of the passersby as I quietly sing to myself, “Good morning Mr. Sunshine, you brighten up my day,” as I end my first watch.
First Watch is located at 151 W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey. Visit www.firstwatch.com/locations/hershey.
Lunch
Make no mistake about it, Savory Café’s owner/proprietress, Heather Anderson, is one of the following: the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. If you chose the middle one, she is a baker of renown with a capital “B.” When you walk into Savory, the loaves of baked breads beckon you as do pies and the sweet treats, all laid out on a table up front. Located behind Tanger Outlets and just across the street from a Hersheypark rollercoaster, you can do your shopping and have a great meal.
“After a corporate career with State Farm, I was ready to start my own business, and I always loved to bake so catering was a natural choice,” Anderson said, sharing how she originally started Savory Occasions Catering. “I briefly had a storefront in Palmyra right before COVID hit. It was the catering end that kept me going and paying the bills. Now, here we are years later, serving a full menu of farm-to-table fare.”
Savory is cozy and yet covers a lot of bases from café to bistro, restaurant to boutique, with a little bit of everything going on under one roof. Outdoor seating is a plus with the seasonal change when weather permits. The help-yourself coffee bar is one of the first things you’ll notice when you’re seated. A favorite is Brody’s Blend from One Good Woman in Camp Hill, an intriguing mix of caramel, hazelnut and chocolate truffle providing notes of flavor. Fresh ingredients are the calling card at Savory, with menu choices ranging from quiches to tomato bisque to gourmet grilled cheese to a hearty patty melt, all crowd pleasers. I chose the triple-decker Rachel loaded with sliced turkey, Swiss cheese and coleslaw, with a special dressing toasted to perfection on rye bread. Jana was delighted to see a Waldorf salad on the menu. It was far more than she could eat, along with hand-cut chips, her guilty pleasure. No surprise, we needed to take half our lunches home.
“Savory is not a diner, and our prices reflect that,” Anderson said. “We pride ourselves on delighting the customer with food that delivers what it promises.”
There are components to Savory that are unexpected in a quirky way, like the photo opportunity that awaits. At the rear of the café is a brightly lit neon sign spelling out, “Savory Café,” surrounded by a border of beautiful flowers. Two suspended wooden swings just need friends to sit and swing as part of their movie set. Pair that with the big-screen TV mounted on the front wall playing Sixpence None the Richer’s, “Kiss Me,” sweetly singing “swing, swing, swing the spinning step . . . so kiss me.” As we took our seats on the swings, we “Savored” the moment.
Savory Café is located at 565 Park Ave., Hershey. Visit their Facebook page.
Brunch
Next stop, brunch at Stacks, which operates inside the Hershey Lodge. The restaurant is named after the two yellow smokestacks built in 1905 and 1924 to power the chocolate factory. Inside, the modern-day decor adds to an ambiance of a hip, yet chill vibe with plenty of tables and bar seating.
Before you even get seated, you’ll meet Stacks’ five-star manager, Ashlyn Farkas, who welcomes you with a slight “Southern charm” accent and a big, beautiful smile. Just in case duty calls elsewhere, concierge Dan will make sure you feel right at home. Attentive servers like Annah and John are accommodating without any over-the-top antics. What sets Stacks apart is all the young, fresh faces, reminiscent of Pop’s Diner from Riverdale, serving pancakes and donuts instead of burgers and malts. From superb chocolate dishes as in French toast bites, my personal favorite, to cocktails and mocktails, cocoa flights, and the surprise kid’s menu, a family can’t go wrong. On our three visits, travelers ambled over from the hotel, with couples, families and solos, many enjoying a gourmet coffee or regular cup of Joe, sitting on a stool or at a booth.
On our most recent visit, I ordered their “signature breakfast sandwich” of two fried eggs, American cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato on wheat toast with hashbrowns that filled me to “overflow” on the dining dial. Jana’s vegetable scramble covered the plate and then some, featuring three eggs with spinach, tomato, exotic mushrooms, onion and fresh-cut herbs served with sourdough toast, topped with whipped chive cream cheese. It’s nothing short of a miracle that we didn’t lapse into a food coma. We flipped a coin as to who had to stay awake for the drive home. I lost. Fifteen minutes later, our driveway appeared right on cue. Stacks is like going to your best small-town diner, perfect for all-size appetites and tastes.
Stacks is located inside The Hershey Lodge, 325 University Dr., Hershey. Visit www.hersheylodge.com/dining/stacks.php.
P.S. Let’s face it—one can eat out anywhere. To become a crowd favorite, there needs to be a reason or two to keep going back. Whether it’s the people, the food, the overall dining experience, it all adds up to a sensory journey encompassing cultural exploration, emotional fulfillment and social connection—in other words, experiential dining.
Photos courtesy of Jana MacGinnes
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Last month, on a recent Thursday morning, a handful of people waited outside of locked doors for one of the most anticipated events in recent Hershey history.
