RESTAURANT PROFILE story by Charis Patires
A Lake area tradition at Yankee Peddlers
F in.
or 51 years Yankee Peddlers Tea Room has been a fixture in the Lake area, known for quality food and an ambiance that brings in customers over and over again. They often come for the relaxed tea-like atmosphere, but the large portions and made-from-scratch food keeps them coming
Ron Wilson and Donna Weaver purchased the tea room in 2022 after the previous owners, Don and JoAnn Smallwood retired. They had owned the restaurant since 1996. Both Ron and Donna have been in the Lake area for more than a decade, having owned businesses and worked in the restaurant industry. Donna worked for 16 years for the Smallwoods as the assistant manager running it when they were gone. She is the chef and runs the kitchen. She has many years of experience at other Lake area restaurants including at Rizzo’s, Dorsey’s Pit Stop and many others. Ron has owned Lazer Force Lazer Tag for the last 20 years and been at the Lake since 2010. He would patronize the restaurant and even helped them renovate and decorate, and in 2020 when servers were hard to come by, Ron helped serve customers. When the Smallwoods decided to retire, and he put Lazer Tag up for sale, he talked to them about taking over the restaurant. “There are so many good customers that it is a tradition for generations to come to Yankee for special family times or when they visit the Lake,” Ron said. “I have been thanked so often for keeping Yankee going, but it is really my pleasure. Yankee has many items on the menu but is known for its Go Nuts Salad, quiches, Chicken Salad and Turtle Ice Cream Pie, and of course, the variety of teas. The menu consists of four different salads, 10 sandwiches, quiche and combinations of these. Four fresh-brewed loose leaf iced teas and about 30 hot teas are available. Ron and Donna have made several changes in the kitchen to make it more efficient and better for all employees, but have kept most of the atmosphere that people are used to the same. The menu was revised in December to look different, but it has the same food that people have come to expect. Donna makes different soups and quiche each day from scratch and makes one to three special desserts in addition to the ones that are always available. Customers might recognize a familiar face. Mary from Mexicali Blues is now working at Yankee. She’s been serving at various restaurants at the Lake for about 40 years. Once men come in they come back willingly. They are often drug in by their wives or girlfriends the first time because they have an idea that Yankee Peddlers is a proper English tea room with dainty sandwiches. Yankee is not that, serving all freshmade when you order it food in American sizes. “I have eaten here for years because no matter what you get it is always good,” Ron said. “The roast beef ‘Dunker’ and chicken salad are my favorite.” The roast beef for the sandwich is slow cooked for hours from a 20+ pound roast with potatoes, onions, carrots just like Grandma used to make. That is why the flavor is so good. The juices and vegetables from the roast are then the base for the vegetable beef soup.
About Yankee Peddlers Location 1011 Main Street, Osage Beach (located in The Landing on Main Street) Open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday Contact 573-348-5045 Online Yankee Peddlers Tea Room on Facebook June 3-16, 2022
VACATION NEWS 43
