FLORENCE – Nancy Carver is sharing her family’s love of food service and zeal for hospitality with Northern Kentucky.
She and her family also are introducing a “Kentucky tapas” style of dining to Boone County at President’s Inn in Burlington.
“Tapas is a style in which you serve small portions on small plates to share with the family,” Carver said. Family members can combine dishes to make a full meal.
Carver was one of two Boone County business people who spoke at the Florence Rotary Club on Monday, February 8. Confectioner Jennifer McCool shared samples of cake balls from Heavenly Bites with Rotarians in keeping with their Valentine’s Day theme.
Carver and her husband have worked in the food service industry for more than 30 years. They were looking for a place to open an independent business when they stumbled upon an empty building in Burlington built in 1840 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The first time they looked at the building, rain was pouring into the kitchen.
“When we told people we were going to open a restaurant, our friends asked, “Are you out of your mind?” Carver recalled. “We really did this for our family.”
Their daughter, Christina Erion, is the general manager. Their son-in-law, Brian Erion, is the chef. Three grandchildren are among family members working in the business.
Michael Carver came up with the name President’s Inn, reflective of the restaurant’s location where Washington and Jefferson streets converge at the intersection of Ky. 18 and Ky. 338. The menu builds on the theme with such dishes as Monroe’s Louisiana-style shrimp, Reagan’s ribeye and JFK’s fried cod.
“We actually did a lot of research on foods the presidents’ liked,” Carver noted.
Portraits of United States’ presidents adorn the walls in several rooms. The pictures are in keeping with the Carvers’ sense of ambience and hospitality.
“There’s a little bit of magic in hospitality,” Carver said. “Good hospitality puts the food on the table precisely when it’s ready and just when the customer wants it. We get our report on how well we’re doing that at the end of every day.”
McCool describes herself as “a little mom who bakes.” A former kindergarten teacher, she started her cake ball business two years ago. A sister gave her four cake balls for her children. She ate three of them herself, she admitted sheepishly.
She warned the Rotarians to be wary of a similar experience.
“Women prefer to get these at home,” she joked. “If they get them at work, they feel the need to share.”
