Meet the Owners
Callie Opie’s Orchard – 4533 Zachary Taylor Hwy, Mineral, VA 23117 – (540) 894-4343
We met with Mike Kavros, owner of Callie Opie’s Orchard. We sat down with him to learn more about the restaurant and how it came to be.
Q: How many years have you been in business?
“We are in our 3rd year of business. We started in August of 2017.”
Q: What made you want to start your restaurant?
“We moved here full time in 2008. It became evident quickly that there wasn’t many choices when it came to dining out in the lake area and even in the county. I looked at it as an opportunity. I also did some research and found that weddings in a rural & rustic settings were popular. I had combined the ideas of having a unique restaurant that also offered onsite catering for events which could range from weddings, to music events, to wine tastings. We wanted to give the community more choices when it comes where they could eat and hold events.”
Q: Why open your business in Louisa County? What makes Louisa County special?
“The lake was the draw. When we lived in Alexandria, we came to the area to look at homes and the people who invited us down back in 1984 lived in the county. That is when we were first exposed to the community. Ten years later, we decided that we wanted to come back and build a home that we would eventually retire in.”
Q: What is your most popular dish?
“The pan seared scallop dinner is the #1 favorite, a close second is our rib-eye steak and our spiced pork chop. We are also known for our appetizers. They vary per season but we’ve had buffalo cauliflower which is very popular. Our brussels sprouts are a hit as well. We do the brussels sprouts multiple different ways and those have been very popular.”
Q: If I were a visitor from out of town why should I come to your restaurant?
“If you are looking for something that is different, not a chain type of restaurant, but something that has its own special character and ambiance then this would be the place to come. We do as much as we can in the farm to table area and our customers really appreciate that. We do have quite a few items on our menu that are gluten free. We are increasing the vegetarian options and we usually have at least one option for the true vegans. We can accommodate pretty much any diet with a little notice.”
For more information on Callie Opie’s Orchard please go to their website: http://callieopiesorchard.com/
