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Did you know the Hardee’s biscuit guy lives in a small town right up the road from Roanoke? That’s right. Did you know he owns a 125-year-old train station turned restaurant, in that same small town?
It’s true. Harry Leist, native of Rich Creek and long-time resident of Bedford, is co-creator of the Hardee’s breakfast biscuit. The restaurant he now owns and operates with daughter, Heather Williams, is Liberty Station, located in historic downtown Bedford.
Leist spent his career in corporate food America. But in 2001, he decided he wanted to launch a restaurant of his own. He asked his daughter, who also worked in the corporate food industry, if she’d join him. According to Williams, the conversation went like this:
Harry: “Will you join me?”
Heather: “Will we be open on Sundays?”
Harry: “Yes.”
Heather: “No.”
Two weeks later:
Harry: “Will you join me?”
Heather: “Will we be open on Sundays?”
Harry: “No.”
Heather: “Yes.”
Heather Williams says she had apprehensions about opening a restaurant in a town of 6,000. But with the promise of Sundays off and the opportunity to launch something independent, she forged ahead. On August 1, 2001, Leist and Williams bought the very train station where the beloved Bedford Boys had their own launch: leaving for service during WWII. And father and daughter have been traveling the happy restaurant rails ever since.
Not quite.
On September 18, 2009, during a paint-stripping project, a rotten section of the building’s wooden gables caught fire. Within minutes the entire building was engulfed. Williams calls it her worst day, but her best day, too. “I have a 125-year-old building with six-year-old insides,” she laughs.
But really, Williams calls it her best day because it’s the day she and her father witnessed a small town of 6,000 move mountains on Liberty Station’s behalf. It started with the firefighters, who were able to roll out most of Williams’s large furniture pieces because they were regular customers and knew where to find them.
Then there were the donations, opened bank accounts, silent auctions and fundraisers. Bedford citizens poured out so much from their own pockets that Leist and Williams were able to keep their employees on payroll throughout the re-build.
“We were speechless. We met in the community center to disperse the funds. It was unforgettable.” Williams stops to steady her voice before continuing. “That’s why you live in a small town.”
At Liberty Station, the undercurrent of community—past and present—flows strong. The restaurant is decorated with icons of the old station: a ticket cage, wooden benches, an old arrival and departure schedule and giant wall murals painted with trains moving across Appalachia. There’s even a wax mannequin conductor who moves to new spots in the dining room after everyone leaves at night.
The menu also reflects Bedford residents. Williams says in order to be successful they have to get into the community and find out what people want. In a small town they have to keep changing or it’s not exciting.
“We don’t change too much, though,” breaks in Leist. “As people get older, which a lot of our customers are, they want something that’s dependable.”
Liberty Station steak, for instance, hasn’t changed in 15 years. Neither have many of their chicken dishes. Catfish is their best-selling dinner entree, selling 250 pounds a week. And Harry’s Famous Cheesecake has been their best-selling dessert from the day they opened—outselling all their other desserts combined, two to one. Leist personally thinks their current menu is too big. But when asked what items sell well, he smiles and says, “They all do.”
Liberty Station’s expansive menu suits me fine. My favorite sandwich is their Fried Green BLT. The fried green tomato and ciabatta bread create a whole new level of BLT completeness. I like their chicken panini for its nice melding of flavors and have never been disappointed with any of their burgers—made from sirloin ground in-house (Liberty Station cuts all their meat in-house).
I have tried two Liberty Station salads: Cranberry Chicken Salad—the candied pecans, blue cheese and bacon put this one on my favorites list; and Almond Joy Salad—sweet fun—literally; almost too sweet for me, but one of their best-sellers. It is made with coconut, almonds, white chocolate and mandarin oranges, served atop fresh greens, grilled chicken and drizzled with their orange poppyseed dressing (available for sale by the bottle).
Appetizer musts for my family include Onion Rings and Pepper Jack Cheese Sticks. And I always leave Liberty Station with a piece Harry’s Famous Cheesecake for later indulging. Leist says the original cheesecake recipe (he’s adapted into a dozen different flavors), came from an Italian restaurant in Virginia Beach.
“It cost me two steak dinners,” Leist smiles as he tells me, knowing it was worth it.
When Williams reflects on her life and business in Bedford, she beams: “I love this small town,” she says. “It’s nice being tied to the community in this way. I really struck it rich here.”
I’m pretty sure the community of Bedford and all who walk through the doors of Liberty Station feel the same.
Liberty Station, 515 Bedford Ave, Bedford
540-587-9377; oldelibertystation.com
Monday - Thursday: 11-10; Friday: 11-11; Saturday: 11-10; Sunday: closed