ORANGE — If you enjoyed Antonina’s Kitchen two years ago, you’re in luck.
Frank and Yelena Marchese first opened the barbecue eatery from Memorial Day to Labor Day in 2014 to test the waters, and now they’re ready to dive in. Business was solid that season and the Marcheses are preparing to welcome people back, starting with outside dining on the patio and eventually moving into the dining room for breakfast and lunch.
Frank Marchese reopened the 29 West Main St. joint at the end of last month. Before that, he and his wife served sandwiches, stuffed cabbage, as well as ice cream at Yelena’s Flavorland on Turner Falls Road for 11 seasons.
“We wanted to expand. It was a little small. We outgrew it,” he said, sitting on one of four picnic tables outside the building he bought about five years ago. “It’s got so much room to expand. But the building was in rough shape. We had to do a lot of work to the building. We rebuilt the cupola, the roof, the siding, most of the windows.”
The Marcheses live 12 minutes away in Turner Falls, and spend their winters driving shuttles at Stratton Mountain Ski Resort in Vermont. Frank said a friend approached him last year with a chance to lease the property at 20 Elm St. in South Deerfield, and he and Yelena operated Hillside Dairy & Creamery for a season. Frank, 60, said he had the option of buying that property, but a 10-year commitment to paying it off seemed too daunting at his age.
Frank said the building in Orange has housed two other restaurants in the recent past. The eatery, which the owners expect to soon offer smoked meat catering, is a two-story yellow building that Frank said will be utilized entirely in due time. Frank said the structure is roughly 4,000 square feet. He said the restaurant will start simple, with sandwiches and soft drinks. It is open 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
The Marcheses explained the restaurant is named after Yelena’s grandmother, who lived in Yelena’s native Russia.
“She was a really nice person — always making food with love. She liked to cook for her grandchildren. She would cook in a stove made from stone,” said Yelena, who inherited her grandmother’s passion for cooking and attended culinary college in her hometown of Kaliningrad. She will be one of the cooks at Antonina’s Kitchen.
Frank said Antonina was an excellent singer who chose to stay with her family in Russia even after getting a chance to come to the United States and start a career.
“She was a sweetheart, so we brought her to America and put her name up,” he said.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 258.
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli