Opportunity Village teams with restaurateur to offer Clear Lake unique dining

(Above) Joshua Frederick has partnered with Opportunity Village to soon open The Fieldhouse, serving Farm to Table lunches and dinners in the former Angelina’s location at 14 N. 3rd St.  The building, offering beautiful views of City Park and the lake, had been empty for seven years.  Frederick is pictured along side the new wood-fired grill in the refurbished kitchen.-Reporter photo.

Clear Lake residents and guests will soon have a unique dining option.

The Fieldhouse will open in April in the former Angelina’s- and later Splash, location at 14 N. 3rd Street.  The restaurant will use a Farm to Table concept featuring foods that are fresh, regional and in-season.

In addition to the lunch and dinner menus, the business model for the restaurant is unique.  Opportunity Village has entered into a partnership with Forest City native and trained sommelier Joshua Frederick to run the business.

Opportunity Village Chief Development Officer Michael Mahaffey explained the restaurant is one of a number of ventures the Village has initiated in recent years in an effort to reduce the organization’s reliance on Medicaid funding.  Eighty-seven percent of services offered by Opportunity Village are funded by Medicaid, he said.

The Village had already begun to tap into the growing local food movement.

For more than 30 years, greenhouses on Opportunity Village’s Clear Lake campus were used to grow starter plants and garden produce which were then sold at the General Store or consumed among the campus’ 10 cottages.  Individuals supported by the Village often received job training in the greenhouses, learning soft skills while earning wages.  Last year, under the direction of Jim Jackson, the operation was expanded to new markets.  In a partnership with North Iowa Fresh (NIF) the Village was able to get its products on the shelves of local stores and restaurants.

It will play a key role in shaping the menus at The Fieldhouse.

“We will be buying our produce, as well as meat, local.  The menu will contain a substantial amount of vegetables not certified as organic, but grown in an environmentally responsible manner,” explained Frederick.  Menus, which will evolve seasonally, will note where the meat or main ingredients were produced.

Frederick moved to Los Angeles, Calif. in 2007 to pursue his interest in food with a goal of becoming a sommelier.  While still in school he was hired by a new restaurant in Venice, Calif., called Gjelina.  He began as a server, then was handed the wine program and became a manager of the restaurant within a year.  After nine years in California, Frederick said he began to consider moving back to North Iowa and when property and a home next to his parents’ place became

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available the time seemed right.  Frederick was also drawn in by knowing that his cousin, Nathaniel, had purchased the former Fertile Cafe.

That business is expected to open this summer and will be run as a partnership between the two men.

“When we were back in Iowa, I was contacted by Opportunity Village and met with development team members to learn about their idea for an eating option in Clear Lake at a great location which would integrate their clients.  Their vision and my vision was strikingly similar.  I will be taking what I know and my experience and help the Village facilitate and create a restaurant,” said Frederick.

The building had been empty for seven years and has required some renovation and painting prior to opening.  New kitchen equipment is being installed and hiring will begin soon.  The business will be staffed with 20 to 30 employees, split almost evenly between disabled and non-disabled persons.

The Fieldhouse will serve lunch and dinner five days a week initially with a goal of transitioning to six days a week service; Wednesday will be the closed day.  Hours will likely be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The details have not all been finalized, but Frederick says guests can expect an interactive dining experience in a beautiful setting.

“We will serve dishes family-style and look forward to seeing guests pass the dishes between them, trying new things and experiencing new tastes,” said Frederick.  Elements of the menu may change weekly, based upon available products.  Among the options will be food, such as pork chops and steaks, prepared on a wood-fired grill.  The business will also have a full bar.

Barb Rahmani, a local baker who has worked independently, as well as for the Village, has agreed to be the baker for the business.  Her creations will be prepared at a separate location, which could potentially spin into another Village business/partnership.

    “This idea surfaced because the environment provides an opportunity for those we support to work as dishwashers, bussers, prep cooks, and more,” Mahaffey said.  “They can start working with us, and it will prepare them to work elsewhere.”

Mahaffey noted it is an exciting time for Opportunity Village.

“It is both unique and a privilege to be involved in an organization that has the resources and stability to develop these diverse businesses, and it’s because of community support that it’s possible.”

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