What's Happening in Youngstown, OH…

A new restaurant will soon open in Fellows Riverside Gardens in Youngstown's Mill Creek MetroParks.

The Georgetown operated at the site for 13 years, but its lease came to an end last year, allowing a new restaurant to take over the space. The building will reopen next month with a new menu and name – The Friends Specialty at the Garden Cafe.

The Friends won the spot by outbidding the Georgetown, but also because the tea-and-coffee shop offered a proposal that connects people with plants. This relationship is a main consideration of the MetroParks' horticulture director, Keith Kaiser.

Kaiser noted that Mitch Lynch, who is a co-owner of Friends along with his wife Patricia Tinkler, plans to connect menu items with plants growing in the gardens. He might use spices from the gardens in tea, or create a coffee blend that reflects the gardens. Lynch says he wants the focus of the experience to be the plants, the woods, and the lake.

Lynch confirmed that new recipes are still being tested, but such staples as salads, soups, and sandwiches for lunch will remain. He also notes they will be locally sourced to as great an extent as possible, and prepared in healthy ways.

The new restaurant could work with a flyer printing company to create handouts, including a coupon, for distribution on opening day.