Auntie Mimi’s Farmhouse Kitchen to open on Redfield Main Street April 1st

Posted

Auntie Mimi’s Farmhouse Kitchen to open on Redfield Main Street April 1st

By Shiloh Appel

On April 1st, 2020, Auntie Mimi’s Farmhouse Kitchen will open for business in Redfield. Formerly located in Tulare, Auntie Mimi’s is know for its “farm-to-table” meals with meat purchased directly from local farmers. In their new location, Auntie Mimi’s will join several other businesses in a type of “open-concept” design at 608 North Main Street. The restaurant has a total area of about 750 square feet with a maximum capacity of 40-50 people.

“Cozy, but not too big,” said owner, Marie Kimlicka, also known as ‘Auntie Mimi.’ “What we are also going to do is have some fun tables and a living room area throughout the rest of the building. So if people do come in and want a cup of coffee and a piece of pie, they don’t have to sit in here. There is that middle living room there. I am bringing in some tables with umbrellas and it is going to be really cute.”

Auntie Mimi’s will be open from 10:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. Monday through Friday, at least for the first couple of weeks to “figure things out and get organized.”

“The reason we are staying open until 5:30 is, for one, we have a great line-up of affordable after-school snacks for kids. We will be featuring a s’mores panini and a peanut butter and jelly panini and we will have small cartons of milk and juice available,” said Kimlicka. “Another reason that we want to stay open until 5:30 is that we will have a merchandising refrigerator that will be stocked with take-and-bake meals that we make here. We will probably do some really good old-fashioned casseroles, pasta dishes and salads. But also, we are going to have organic fruits and vegetables available as well as soups and sandwiches, Greek yogurt parfaits and acai bowls.”

Among other food items, panini sandwiches are a new venture for Auntie Mimi’s, but they will also be serving old favorites such as their locally popular meat loaf sandwiches.

“The meat loaf sandwich will be available daily now,” said Kimlicka. “Then we are also going to have features where we have Italian buffets and homestyle buffets. Italian buffet will be on Wednesdays. It is going to be really good. We are going to have stromboli and baked chicken dishes and lasagna.”

Kimlicka said she has all of her staff together, known as the “kitchen gypsies”. She has three Redfield High School students working for her part time, one Tulare High School student, two college students from Tulare and one college student from Redfield.

“And the two farm wives that always help me are coming back as well,” said Kimlicka. “It will bring both communities together. We need that.”

The “Feed Wagon,” Auntie Mimi’s traveling kitchen on wheels will also have a permanent location as the weather gets warmer. Kimlicka said she will have it parked at a location in town (to be revealed later) throughout the summer.

“Right now, to put an exhaust system in for the French fries and burger grill it would be about 30-40 thousand dollars,” said Kimlicka. “So, that is why we are not going to do that.  No burgers or fried food in this place. But when the Feed Wagon goes out, it will do the burgers.”

Meanwhile, as Kimlicka works to prepare her space for April 1st, she is taking a little extra time on the kitchen.

“Every kitchen I have ever worked in has been like the arm pit of the place. Clean, but it was never cute. I said if I have to go into this kitchen every day until I retire, I want it to be cute. So, we are decorating the kitchen,” said Kimlicka.

Another thing in the works is a new app that people can use to pre-order their food from Auntie Mimi’s and pay online. Kimlicka said she also hopes to have that up and running by April 1st.

In conclusion, Kimlicka said she is excited about the “open-concept” of the building and all that it has to offer.

“Four or five businesses working together in one building is really what sold me on this. First of all, it is really a positive environment and it is going to be great to do business with like-minded people. We are all enthusiastic about getting some good stuff going on Redfield Main Street again. When I was in Tulare we did numerous projects. We had a car show and a chili feed. There was a lot of excitement,” said Kimlicka. “Jessica DeYoung and I have talked about getting events started. We talked about having open mic nights here in the building, all ages welcome. Some swing dance lessons. Some pottery classes. Anything that the community has an idea for, we will make it happen here. We want this to be not only a place where you can eat and get your hair cut and buy what you need, but a place where we can come together as a community.”