Hilary Kemmling always loved to cook. “As a kid, I opened imaginary restaurants where I’d be the chef,” she says. “And when my mother had parties, I’d jump into the kitchen.” Eventually, Hilary graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, filled with ambition to open a real restaurant.
In 2007, when her family began renovating the historic schoolhouse atop Jacksonville’s Bigham Knoll, they agreed that the building’s lower level—where the school cafeteria had been—was the perfect location for Hilary’s endeavor. But what kind of cuisine would be a good fit with the town?
The answer came quickly. “Jacksonville was founded largely by people of Germanic heritage,” Hilary explains. “The oldest houses have signs with German names on them. We thought, ‘German food!’ So we took a trip.”
The family traveled to a Bavarian town near the base of the Alps, where they happened upon a restaurant named Zum Wildschütz. “We had a phenomenal meal,” Hilary recalls. “After we’d eaten, my mother completely embarrassed me by marching into the kitchen, proclaiming that it was the best meal she’d ever had, and asking the chef if her daughter could work for him.”
With a handshake, award-winning Bavarian chef Dieter Platte offered Hilary three months of toil in his kitchen. After which, in 2010, her training—and hundreds of authentic recipes provided by Chef Dieter—allowed her to open the Schoolhaus Brewhaus.
“Everyone can find something relatable in Bavarian cuisine,” Hilary notes. “It has influences from Austria, Italy, France, and Switzerland. One of our most popular items is Wiener Schnitzel, an Austrian dish. We make it with a breaded pork cutlet, pan-fried in clarified butter, and served with lingonberry jam.” The restaurant has a weekly ‘Holy Schnitzel Tuesday,’ with ten to fifteen different schnitzels served in a variety of sauces, from pear chutney sauce, to garlic pan sauce under a fried egg.
Game meats are a big component in Bavaria, as are wild mushrooms and greens. Likewise, The Schoolhaus Brewhaus offers game specials, currently Venison Stroganoff, Veal Rouladen, and Poached Wild Pacific Salmon (topped with ginger honey-lemon cream). “If wild game is available,” Hilary enthuses, “we get it.”
Other dishes include Grilled Chicken Breast with house-made creamy mushroom sauce, and Pazifik Lachs (pan-fried wild Pacific salmon with white wine cream sauce). Hilary’s personal favorite is on the sandwich menu: Sennertoast. “It’s an open-faced Cordon Bleu,” she says. “Grilled chicken breast on a pretzel roll with ham, mushroom sauce, tomato slices, Swiss cheese, and onion straws.”
In the bar, five German “biers” await on tap: pilsner, hefeweizen, dunkel (dark lager), dopplebock (double-fermented), and lager.
Ein prosit!
SCHOOLHAUS BREWHAUS
525 Bigham Knoll Drive • 541-899-1000
Monday-Thursday 11:30 am-9:00pm
Friday-Saturday 10:30am–10:00pm
Sunday 10:30am-9:00pm Bar stays open later
Paula and Terry identify as writers, with an ever-increasing number of published works to support the supposition. They live a primarily pastoral life in the enchanted town of Jacksonville.