Mills Family Opens Market, Restaurant on Ridge Road
Louise Hoffman Broach | Wayuga Editor
Tuesday, July 22 2008
HURON - When Verne Mills envisioned putting up a more permanent structure for his seasonal fruit stand and maybe sell ice cream too, the plan wasn’t to have a full service old-time diner along with it.
But, Mills learned, plans change.
When the Mills Fruit Farm stand at 1079 Ridge Road three miles west of Wolcott opened for business around Memorial Day, it offered not only fruit and ice cream, but also an eatery that features everything from Friday fish fries to root beer floats. Mills unabashedly admits that he and his wife, Valerie, modeled it after one of their favorite places, a similar drive-in restaurant down the road in Sodus.
And the concept seems to be working; not only is the new stand a more attractive place to sell produce, but it draws a crowd for lunch and dinner, particularly on Fridays.
“We get pretty busy,” said cook Joe Guay, who came out from behind the grill to ask customers how they were enjoying their meals.
The permanent structure replaced a 30-by-20 foot tent that Mills had used for the past three years.
“We got tired of pulling it out of that tree over there,” Mills said as he gestured across Ridge Road.
Mills’ son put up the new structure, which also includes an outdoor dining area as well as the soda fountain-style counter. His daughter, Jessica Colarocco, manages the restaurant and his mother-in-law, Beverly Masters, runs the cash register. The establishment also employs several other people.
“From the beginning, it’s been great,” Colarocco said. “We’ve had great customers. We even had bikers stop from Canada and they took pictures here. We’re on their website.”
Mills is a third-generation fruit farmer who, for 33 years, has grown apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries on about 200 acres. The stand also offers vegetables, which he gets from other local farms.
“We’ve done better than I expected,” Mills said about how the expansion has been received. “It’s built every week.”
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. every day; the fruit size opens earlier. Mills said the seasonal business will be closed during the winder months.
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