PINEOLA — Mountain Boomer, a new restaurant in Pineola, held its ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, June 28.
Mountain Boomer is located at 1600 Jonas Ridge Highway, the former location of Christa’s Country Corner. Currently, pulled pork, stuffed portobello and potato salad are a few items on their menu.
The restaurant is owned by Dean Reed and Willie Olson, two graduates of Appalachian State’s Fermentation Sciences program. The two men met in school, and after being paired together for many of their projects, they realized how well they work together. Both Olson and Reed are veterans, and as the two got to know each other, they began cooking up dreams of someday opening a restaurant and cidery. By the bar of the restaurant, there is a wall where visiting veterans can sign their name, and above that is a tribute to two of Reed’s companions who died in action.
For now, Mountain Boomer serves alcoholic beverages on tap, but eventually, Reed and Olson plan to start making and serving their own ciders made from local heirloom apples. This, the pair said, has been the ultimate goal for sometime now.
Mountain Boomer hosts live music often, and celebrated its opening on Friday, June 16, with live music. Upcoming performances can be found on its Facebook page.
Reed and Dean said that in just the few weeks since they opened, they have received a lot of support from the community.
“The community so far has been super awesome and welcoming,” Olson said. “We want to be a place where people can come and hang out, like you would in someone’s living room, dining room or backyard. We want it to feel like a family.”