While North Street Treats has been a familiar part of the Geneseo Farmers Market for years, this season marks the debut of a new venture for husband-and-wife team Jill and Jarred Gephart: Hayshaker's Grill.
Jarred and Jill Gephart
The Gepharts met while working in the restaurant industry and had long talked about starting a business of their own after retirement.
"We met in the restaurant business & always talked about starting our own business after retirement," they said. "Passion for cooking and serving quality food. I felt there was a gap in the food truck industry that we could fill."
The opportunity to join the Geneseo Farmers Market came after organizer Jill Darin approached the couple about serving breakfast. The Gepharts said they believed it was "the perfect opportunity to introduce Hayshaker's Grill to the Geneseo community."
Each Saturday morning, Hayshaker's Grill prepares fresh breakfast scrambles to order before transitioning to its lunch menu. The business's top-selling item is its unbreaded pork tenderloin sandwich, followed closely by its smashburgers.
When asked what first-time customers should order, the answer was immediate: "The un breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, it is the best in the QC area."
According to the Gepharts, the business is built on quality and consistency.
"The quality of the food and the fact that it's cooked fresh over a charcoal grill set us apart," they said. "Consistency is what brings customers back. We strive to deliver a good, quality product every time."
Although Hayshaker's Grill is new to the market, the Gepharts are well known to many regular shoppers through North Street Treats, their gluten-free dessert business, which has been a longtime Farmers Market vendor. North Street Treats specializes in gluten-free desserts and continues to operate through farmers markets, events and custom orders. The Gepharts noted that, despite some community confusion, North Street Treats is not currently opening a bakery.
Looking ahead, the couple hopes to have Hayshaker's Grill operating from a food trailer by the start of next season, with the long-term goal of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant within the next five years.
The response from the Geneseo community has been stronger than they anticipated.
"Amazingly overwhelming!!" they said. "The support so far has been beyond expected."
Visitors can find Hayshaker's Grill and North Street Treats each Saturday at the Geneseo Farmers Market in City Park, where the Gepharts continue serving fresh, made-to-order food alongside the gluten-free desserts that have become a longtime market favorite.
