78 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2021
MAIN DISH
MILLERIDGE INN
COOKING UP TRADITION
BY ALAN KRAWITZ
Even though the historic Milleridge Inn
in Jericho is not designated as an offi cial
landmark, its origins on Long Island can
be traced back to before the time of the
Revolutionary War, when the 11-acre
property was used as a stopover for
farmers, merchants, and other weary
travelers along what is now Jericho
Turnpike.
“The original property dates back to
1672...the history of the place says
Milleridge has had presidents eating
there, settlers, British and Hessian
soldiers, and even an underground
bootlegging operation during the prohibition
era,” says Butch Yamali, president
of the Freeport-based Dover Group.
Yamali purchased the Milleridge in 2016
from Kimco Realty, eff ectively saving
the centuries-old property from becoming
either a hotel, retirement community,
or another commercial entity.
“We’ve got everything back online, we
updated the menu...we wanted to maintain
the Milleridge history,” says Yamali.
The sprawling Milleridge complex is an
impressive property able to accommodate
about 1,000 diners. It also features
a catering hall, cafe, pub, bakery, fl ower
shop, and general store.
No stranger to the hospitality business,
Yamali founded his Dover Group in 1976
from just a couple of ice cream trucks.
Today, the company owns and operates
several local businesses and restaurants
including Peter’s Clam Bar in Island Park
and the Coral House in Baldwin.
“I’ve made it a practice to take over oncegreat
places that have lost their luster,
where owners have either aged out or
lost interest in upkeep,” says Yamali.
Yamali says he is a self-taught chef who
didn’t go to culinary school but has
worked in many of his father’s restaurant
kitchens since the age of 14. “I did
lots of roasting and curing meats in the
places I worked at,” he says, noting that
his father owned the gourmet meats
shop Pastrami King in Queens when
Butch was growing up.
“I’m now 59, I’ve been doing this stuff
for the past 45 years, working in nearly
every position you can imagine.”
Ironically, Yamali says he doesn’t really
like cooking and that is where executive
chef Chris Seidl comes in.
Seidl, who grew up in Syosset, also
didn’t go to culinary school. He began
cooking at a small cafe in Utica
while attending Mohawk Valley
Community College. “I took a liking
to the kitchen and that was it,” he
recalls.
Seidl has been with Yamali for the past
13 years, starting off at the Maliblue
Oyster Bar in Lido Beach. He now
oversees most aspects of cooking, menu
planning and other logistics for all of
Dover’s properties.
Seidl says the Milleridge is something
special. “What is unique about the
Milleridge is that everything we
make is from scratch, from the freshbaked
popovers and cinnamon bread
to turkeys we roast and sauerbraten
that is brined for at least two weeks...
it’s a traditional, homestyle cooking
restaurant,” says Seidl.
Milleridge specialties include chicken
Milleridge, Yankee pot roast, sauerbraten,
fresh-roasted turkey with all the trimmings,
chicken pot pie, salads, and burgers.
“We sell thousands of meals every week,”
says Yamali, explaining that anywhere
from 1,200 to 1,500 people per day can be
fed when the restaurant is very busy.
In 2015, Restaurant Business Magazine
ranked the Milleridge as one of America’s
top 100 restaurants with about $14
million in annual sales.
Yamali says by the end of 2017, sales had
nearly doubled and continued to rise into 2018.
But then Covid-19 came along and put a
severe crimp in business.
“We want to get things back to where we
were,” Yamaha says, adding that a confl uence
of staff shortages and high-priced
goods has continued to hamper business.
But things are looking up.
Yamali says that now all the complex’s
structures are now up to code with just
a few more things that still need work.
However, he says labor shortages have
continued to plague the venue along with
many other restaurants on Long Island.
Yamali has cut back hours to try and
help matters. The restaurant is now
open only fi ve days per week, from
Wednesday to Sunday, to help address
persistent labor shortages and still
allow staff to take much-needed days off .
He says that as staffi ng issues ease, he’ll
add staff and extend the hours.
“Some of my staff never returned aft er
the closures in 2020, some got real
estate licenses, still other staff ers are
leaving the restaurant business altogether,
and still others have moved out
of state completely for lower costs of
living,” Yamali says.
In addition, he points to food prices
that have doubled in many cases. “Filet
mignon used to be about $10 pound, now
it’s nearly $20. But I can’t raise my prices
because that might mean losing business.”
He adds that while most things are picking
up, larger parties are still lagging.
“People don’t want grandma to come out
of the house yet,” he says, adding that
catered events are still slow, such as
weddings and bridal showers.
“When it’s busy, there’s nothing like
it. But when it’s quiet, you want to cry
because it’s such a big place.”
He says, however, that Thanksgiving
orders and reservations are brisk, and
that’s a “good sign.”
Diners can also look forward to a
traditional favorite, the Milleridge
Christmas Village, which will feature
an elaborate array of music, decorations,
and holiday festivities.
The Milleridge Inn is located at 585 N.
Broadway in Jericho. It can be reached at
516-931-2201. Visit at milleridgeinn.com.
Executive Chef and General Manager Chris Seidl
"Everything we
make is from
scratch”,
says Chef Chris Seidl.
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