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A Familiar Face in the Kitchen at Marshall’s Blue Mountain Grill
A Familiar Face in the Kitchen at Marshall’s Blue Mountain Grill
By Leonard Shapiro
The American Dream is deliciously alive and oh so tasty in Marshall these days at the new Blue Mountain Grill on Main Street. That’s where Manuel Alvarez, an El Salvador native, recently opened his first restaurant in a journey that began 30 years ago when he was hired as a young dishwasher at the old Mosby’s Tavern in Middleburg.
Located in the A-frame space that previously housed Joe’s Pizza, the restaurant is so new the “Joe’s” sign is still in place while Manuel works on getting a new one designed and installed. But sign or no sign, plenty of appreciative patrons are finding their way inside. And when they leave, many express rave reviews.
Word of mouth has spread the scrumptious news quickly about a reasonably priced menu filled with meticulously prepared items—seafood and steaks, salads and sandwiches, big juicy burgers (including veggie), plenty of pasta and definitely no pizza. Beer and wine are available, and a fully stocked bar is soon to come.
“I have a liquor license,” Manuel said. “I just don’t have the liquor yet, but that’s the plan.”
There was no plan when he came to the U.S. in 1992 at age 19 and reunited with a brother who lived in Alexandria. That first dishwashing job was a start, but Manuel soon moved up the food chain so to speak, eventually promoted to line cook. He spent nine years at Mosby’s, then four years cooking at the Red Fox Inn before he was hired as chef at the Middleburg Tennis Club.
He spent 15 years in the kitchen there until the club told him “they wanted to go in a different direction,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. Then came several new directions for him, as well—a year cooking at the Old Ox Brewery in Middleburg, then two years handling the food at The Branch, a Leesburg bowling and entertainment emporium.
Earlier this year, he left his pots and pans behind for about five months, working for a friend’s air conditioning business. It was not exactly his strong suit but at least paid the bills. Still, he always knew that preparing food would be in his future, only this time, in his own place, with his own staff and his own carefully conceived menu.
When he learned Joe’s was closing, he negotiated a five-year lease to start the Blue Mountain Grill. He now shares cooking duties with a new chef, Guatemalan native Marcos Mendez. And, there are several other familiar faces including his girlfriend, Jay Wood.
The restaurant opened in early October and Manuel admitted “I was surprised how many people started showing up right away. I didn’t do any advertising except putting an OPEN sign outside. But they started coming in and it hasn’t slowed down. We’re getting a lot of familiar people, but it’s from everywhere. And they all go crazy with the food.”
He also received an especially warm greeting from another restaurant a few doors down. Neal Wavra, who owns Field & Main, sent over a bottle of his Hearth Red wine with the inscription “congratulations on your opening. Welcome to Main Street. Cheers.”
“So many people know me from all these places I worked,” Manuel said. “The support has been unreal.”
You might even say he’s clearly living that dream.
