Chef-owner Josh Fidler waits, poised with tongs, until he sees the perfect amount of charring, then flips a piece of octopus on the grill. His eyes, trained by a degree in photography, give him an artistic edge in the kitchen. The rest of his senses follow suit: He routinely stops and inhales the scents around him, making sure all the aromas are in perfect harmony. But the sense of taste is tops at Adams County’s Fidler & Co.
“I would describe my food as rustic cuisine,” Fidler explains. “I like to take a very thoughtful approach to all the ingredients, sourcing locally as much as possible.”
Surrounded by rolling farmland and apple orchards in Biglerville, just a few miles from Gettysburg, Fidler & Co. is a small, 50-seat restaurant making a big name for itself.
Although there’s some joking about the octopus possibly hailing from the Susquehanna, the star of the dish eventually sits atop a base of carefully crafted local ingredients: chimichurri, corn salsa and fried fingerling potatoes. Fidler meticulously and artfully places the octopus, seared with grill marks, on top, followed by a sprinkling of paprika.
“I try to push the envelope a little,” Fidler says. While octopus isn’t a common dish among central Pennsylvania restaurants, his clientele has embraced it. The dish, one of his personal favorites, has been on the menu since Fidler & Co. opened in September of 2014.
Fidler begins preparing another signature dish, fettuccini, but with a seasonal twist. “We make all of our pasta homemade in the restaurant…this is an egg noodle fettuccini made with a butternut squash cream, sage and mushrooms, then garnished with a 63 degree egg—cooked in a 63 degree water bath for about an hour, which comes out like a poached egg—with a custardy, creamy yolk, then finished with panko and parmesan,” he details.
Fidler, 35, has worked in the restaurant business since he was 15, but it wasn’t until about five years ago that he decided to “get serious about it.” He honed his techniques by working under a number of area chefs, then had the opportunity to purchase Pomona’s (Fidler & Co.’s predecessor) and felt like he was ready to take that step.
Family support plays a central role at Fidler & Co.—the restaurant is co-owned by brother and general manager Dan Fidler.
“It’s great—we complement each other so it’s the ideal partnership. Our employees are like family too, so it’s a fun environment, a supportive environment—because it’s by no means an easy business,” he says.
Sous chef Sam Strock has been with the restaurant since its opening, as has Fidler’s girlfriend Maria Wolf, who serves as the front of house manager.
Fidler believes in forging relationships with local farmers. His menu features pork and chicken from Gettysburg’s Rettland Farm, pheasant and duck from Keiser’s Pheasantry in Glen Rock, vegetables from Orrtanna’s Beech Springs Farm, and apples and seasonal fruit supplied by local orchards. All of the bread is baked by Gettysburg Baking Company’s Marc Jalbert, who formerly operated the restaurant under the name Pomona’s.
Fidler says the centrally-located wood fired oven was a major factor in the decision to purchase the restaurant. “It’s what dreams are made of,” he raves.
Built by an area stone mason, the oven utilized bricks salvaged from an 1800s-era schoolhouse in the Hanover area.
“It’s really three ovens in one,” says Fidler, as he prepares a duck confit. Placing the duck inside, he demonstrates how the 500-600 degree oven easily reheats key ingredients.
“We love it…it’s a Roman style bread oven, which means it doesn’t run as hot as a traditional Italian pizza oven.” Since air circulates through the oven, Fidler says it can be considered a convection oven. Additionally, since there’s access to the open flame, broiling is an option. Brick oven pizza is a menu staple.
As the duck warms in the oven, Fidler constructs a dish he describes as “winter comfort food,” starting with a base of cassoulet style beans cooked with pork belly. Fidler adds a layer of carmelized Brussels sprouts, followed by the duck—he points out the beautifully oven-browned duck skin—and tops with a sweet cherry gastrique.
Working near the oven gives him the opportunity to glance through the restaurant’s windows. “I like to peek out and see customers’ reactions…make sure they’re comfortable, having a good time.”
Fidler says he enjoys getting to know his regular customers, but also enjoys creating a culinary destination for first-time visitors.
“It’s fun to go for a drive on the weekend and discover a quaint little town with a good restaurant…it’s an adventure,” says Fidler, who enjoys culinary adventures of his own on his days off. Fidler says those adventures help him continue to evolve as a chef.
His goals? “It feels great to make people happy. At the end of the day, that’s what matters…I believe in old school hospitality.”
Fidler & Co. Craft Kitchen & Grocery 213 E. York St., Biglerville/ www.fidlerandcompany.com / 717-677-7014
By Karen Hendricks, Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
