Joanna Lembesis keeps copies of a poem behind the bar of her restaurant. She hands them out to anyone who asks why it’s named What If… of Hershey.
The poem asks a series of questions: “What if everyone had clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, nutritious food to eat?”
It gets even deeper, even philosophical: “What if everyone compassionately interacted with all individuals?”
It was written by a Central Pennsylvania poet, Helen Young King, when Lembesis opened her first restaurant on Harrisburg’s 6th Street in 1996. Inspired, she named her restaurant What If.
“In the very beginning, I felt like the possibilities were endless,” Lembesis says. “So, we elaborated on the poem and said, ‘What if we use the freshest herbs and spices?’”
In response, the restaurant flourished. Lembesis says it was “bittersweet” to close “the restaurant in a little house,” but she kept asking the big questions as she transitioned to a new location, What If… of Hershey.
“We kept going with it—‘What if we do martinis?’ And, ‘What if we do lunch?,’” Lembesis says.
Today, What If… of Hershey has been open for 22 years. Even though Lembesis likes to keep evolving, she’s never forgotten her roots either.
“I grew up with Greek parents in a very traditional Greek home, with the kitchen being the heart of our home,” says Lambesis, 62. “Our lives revolved around food growing up.”
And they still do. Her family tree reads like a Who’s who of the Harrisburg-area restaurant industry. Her sister operates Sophia’s at Walden, Mechanicsburg. Niece AnnMarie Nelms heads up Thea, Mechanicsburg (featured in last month’s magazine). All told, the family has owned and operated a total of 10 restaurants over the years. Lambesis managed the former Casa Rillo’s in Camp Hill for many years.
“If you would have showed us our lives in 2024 when we were little kids, growing up poor on [Harrisburg’s] Berryhill Street, we would have been amazed,” Lambesis says.
With the restaurant business seemingly in her family’s DNA, it’s no wonder Lambesis had the courage to ask, “What if,” over the years.
The Chocolate Avenue restaurant has a strong following among locals, Lembesis says. It’s tucked alongside Hershey’s Howard Johnson Inn. Once inside the entrance, visitors descend stairs to the restaurant.
“We’re like a speakeasy,” she says. “Locals say we’re a hidden gem.”
Inside, there’s plenty of hometown pride, as Hershey Bears memorabilia lines the bar area—thanks to Lembesis’ husband, co-owner Mike McQuaid.
The restaurant’s art deco artwork leans into its speakeasy reputation—and adds warm tones that complement the American and Mediterranean menu. That’s where Chef Andriana Yaremchuk comes in.
“I saw an ambitious energy in her that I haven’t seen in many chefs lately,” says Lambesis, who hired the young chef two years ago.
Yaremchuk, 28, says she enjoys incorporating fruit, especially berries, into her summer menu. She artfully arranges blackened halibut with couscous—seasoned with saffron and lemon—plus mixed-berry salsa and asparagus. The plate receives splashes of color and flavor with two fruit-based sauces— mango and mixed berry.
Similarly, sous chef Charlie Covers creates seasonal baked brie, an appetizer. Encrusted in puff pastry, the brie melts into house-made berry preserves and a berry cream sauce.
The restaurant is known for its crabcakes— listed as Broiled Colossal Crab Cakes on the menu—lemon pasta, cioppino, and a baked seafood dish that features crab-stuffed scallops and shrimp baked in lemon butter and white wine, topped with herbed bread crumbs, served in a crock.
“90% of the soups are my mom’s recipes— with a little bit of my touch,” Yaremchuk says, “which is special, because she’s the one who taught me how to cook.” Cooking, however, didn’t appeal to Yaremchuk at first.
“As a teenager, I hated it,” she says with a laugh. There’s nostalgia in her voice, too, as she talks about growing up in Ukraine.
“Then I went to college in Poland and had no choice—I had to start cooking for myself,” Yaremchuk says. “I fell in love with Italian foods and started cooking a lot of sauces, pastas, and that’s what happened.”
When she had the opportunity to come to the United States for a summer, and work at the Hershey Lodge, she jumped at the chance. When she had the opportunity to stay, it fulfilled the dream of a lifetime.
“Growing up, I always dreamed that I would be here—I don’t know why,” Yaremchuk says.
It’s only fitting that she found her way across the globe and into a restaurant that dares to ask, “What if?”
“We are like family here—all of our employees have been here a long time, and we couldn’t do this without them,” Lambesis says. “They’re an amazing team that’s more like a family.”
Always Remembering
Chef Andriana Yaremchuk wears her heritage like her heart on her sleeve. The blue and yellow bands of the Ukrainian flag are embroidered onto the collar of her chef's coat at What If… of Hershey.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Yaremchuk’s mother, brother and additional family members were there.
“When the war started—I’ll never forget—I didn’t sleep for 10 days straight,” Yaremchuk says.
Her employer, restaurant owner Joanna Lambesis, swung into action. Between Lambesis’ efforts—finding an immigration attorney—and the U.S. program United for Ukraine, Yaremchuk’s mother was able to travel to the U.S. and be reunited with her daughter, in Hershey, three months into the war. A short time later, Yaremchuk’s brother joined them too.
“I knew it was the right thing to do,” Lambesis says. “We set a goal—we needed to get her mother and brother here. We were determined.”
Over the past two years of war, Yaremchuk has fallen into a routine.
“Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is check all my messages to see if all my family members are still safe,” she says. “I’ve lost a lot of people already—my uncle, my godfather, friends, the people I went to school with.”
There’s a duality to her life now.
“It’s sad and devastating and heartbreaking,” Yaremchuk says. “I can be smiling, and I love my work, but I’m always also remembering what is going on. I love America with all my heart, but I will always be a Ukrainian.”
What If… of Hershey
845 E Chocolate Ave, Hershey | 717-533-5858 | whatifdining.com | Facebook: What If of Hershey
