Michigan’s Best Local Eats: Italian food, fresh pies are specialties at Booher’s Fresh Market

JACKSON COUNTY, MI – Enjoy a nice conversation and some homemade food at Booher’s Fresh Market in Napoleon.

Craig and Sandy Booher have owned the market, where they sell vegetables and flowers from their garden and homemade pies, since 2000. But, owning a sit-down restaurant was a longtime dream of theirs as a new way to connect with the community, and to share their love of cooking and hosting.

So, when Craig retired from Napoleon High School, they opened Booher’s Fresh Market restaurant on Jan. 4, hoping to achieve this dream.

“We prayed about it, and with COVID it seemed like the right time for him to retire. The building was available, and it seemed like the perfect time,” Sandy said.

While the restaurant is new, it has been non-stop busy, the Boohers said. They wanted the restaurant to feel like an extension of their kitchen, so the food has a fresh, homemade taste, they said..

The food is Italian-American. Some of the favorites include chicken parmesan, fettucine alfredo and the mozzarella sticks. Surprisingly, the burgers have been a hit with customers as well, Craig said.

Soups, salads and sides are also on the menu, as well as slices of pie for dessert.

“The difference with the farm market, is we only sold whole pies, but now we can sell them by the slice,” Craig said.

The garden is a couple of steps away from the restaurant, and the couple said they hope to use some of their produce this summer in the restaurant.

The new restaurant prides itself in being a place where everyone is welcome, the Boohers said. They didn’t want to open a place that was “fancy,” but one where people could come in and feel comfortable having a nice conversation, they said.

Booher’s Fresh Market, 3405 Brooklyn Road in Napoleon is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed Sunday. More information about the restaurant and the garden can be found on the market’s Facebook page.

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