|
Leland’s
Lakeside Grille now open for business
By
Ross Norton
 By
day, Leland Officer worked in construction in oil fields. But many
of his nights and weekends were spent pursing his real passion:
cooking.
Much of that cooking took place on his houseboat and
friends and family often had the same suggestion. “You should open a
restaurant.”
After moving his boat from northwest Georgia’s Lake
Allatoona to Lake Hartwell two years ago, Officer saw that
opportunity where he docks at Hartwell Marina. He had given the
restaurant business a trial run first in the town of Hull, but
traffic there never slowed down enough to taste his food.
The marina had a space, however, and the operators
welcomed the idea.
Leland’s Lakeside Grille opened for business on the
last weekend in May.
With outdoor picnic seating, the grille offers some
of the usual fare such as burgers and hotdogs, but also some of
Officer’s specialties: pressed Cuban sandwiches, oyster and shrimp
po’ boys, steak and cheese sandwiches and gourmet grilled chicken
salad.
“This is just the beginning,” Officer says. “It will
get bigger and better.”
Now attracting as many as 200 diners on the weekends,
Officer and his wife Terri are hoping word of mouth spreads from
boaters to local residents.
Officer said his goal is to deliver a high-quality
meal at a good price, and to do it consistently. With the exception
of frozen French fries and veggi-burgers for the occasional
vegetarian diner, Officer makes all of the food himself, even the
seasonings and sauces.
The hamburgers are hand-made, the beef for the steak
and cheese sandwiches is hand-shaved. The chicken salad is made
daily from chicken he grills himself. He shops for food daily and
buys in small quantities so that his stock never gets old.
“I cook a lot and I have a good product,” he said. “I
know how to work it. That’s all.”
Leland’s Lakeside Grille is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Thursday through Sunday. If the customer base – which already
includes a number of regulars – grows to include substantial car
traffic, those hours may be extended.
|
