Director’s Note: Museum Welcomes Open Face
From the inception of our Visitor Center Project, we planned to transform the experience of eating in the café at the George Eastman Museum. The new café is located near the new main entrance and at the heart of the museum complex, within the area formerly occupied by the museum shop. In the Palm House, the limestone columns have been freed from the (not original) narrow brick walls that had surrounded them, allowing sunlight to stream into the main café space. With its additional seating in the Palm House, the café will have the capacity for more than 70 people.
One of my greatest pleasures in life comes from eating. When I took the position as director of the George Eastman Museum in October 2012, I sought recommendations of the best places to eat in Rochester. One of the suggestions was Open Face, an unassuming and perennially hip sandwich shop in the South Wedge. It immediately became my favorite place for lunch, but eating there remained an infrequent treat. I ate almost every workday at the museum’s café — where the team led by Mary Scholl (who retired in early 2020) provided consistently good food, friendly service, and irresistible convenience.
Open Face Sandwich Eatery, on South Avenue, was founded by Jared Valentine and a partner in 2004, when the South Wedge still had many empty storefronts. Without culinary training, Jared spent a year freely creating and then carefully refining a variety of signature sandwiches, soups, salads, savory sides, and desserts. The luncheonette attracted a loyal following among a diverse clientele. Jared continued to invent new dishes, while mindful not to deprive customers of their longtime favorites. Despite thirteen years of success, Jared closed Open Face in 2017 to pursue other interests.
Several months ago, I approached Jared about reviving his vision for Open Face in the beautiful new café space at the Eastman Museum. We are most fortunate that our proposed collaboration captured his imagination.
At the museum, Open Face redux offers similar fare. The soups are consistently excellent. There are numerous vegan or vegetarian sandwiches, such as corn mash, chickpea, soft brie, and toasted Havarti.
The chicken salad and maple turkey sandwiches are available closed face or as open-face melts. The sides — ginger carrots, pickled beets, a simple salad with a bright ginger dressing, and sublime baguette chips — inspire cravings. Jared’s oversized cookies and sandwich cookies, Cheesy Eddie’s carrot cake, and Red Fern vegan jam bars each offer a welcome indulgence. We continue to serve Royal Café gelato, which has long been a favorite at the museum’s café, and are now featuring New City coffee.
Currently, Open Face is offering its full menu for dine-in, takeout or curbside pickup. I have been truly thrilled to be able to take food from Open Face back to my desk for lunch or back to my home for dinner. Ample parking is convenient to our new entrance and the café, and going to Open Face does not require museum admission. I heartily recommend that you give Open Face takeout a try.
Jared Valentine is the creative director and manager of Open Face at Eastman Museum. Heather Southern is the lead café associate. They are assisted by Pauline Coles. Please join us in welcoming them to the George Eastman Museum team.
Bruce Barnes, Ph.D.
Ron and Donna Fielding Director
January/February 2021 Bulletin
