SHERBURNE – In its first month of operation, recently-opened bar and restaurant Hops & Chops has found itself right at home in downtown Sherburne.

Formerly the location of Nina's Italian Grill and more notably Lewis' restaurant, which was once a fixture in the Sherburne community, lifelong Sherburne-resident and Hops n Chops Owner/Operator Erin Shapley-Blenis says it has been her mission at Hops & Chops to provide local families within the community a 'destination.'

“Since we've opened, I've had a lot of people come in and say, 'Thank you, thank you for doing this for us. Thank you for bringing a place back where people used to go every Friday night, and can still go back now,'” Shapley-Blenis said.

Shapley-Blenis says that the vibe at Hops & Chops is that of a 'casual kitchen' where local residents can take their family to get higher-end food––“but you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it.”

“We have gourmet burgers, and if you don't want my weird stuff on it, you can build your own,” said Shapley-Blenis. “Everything's homemade, made from scratch: I smoke my own meat here, I make all of my appetizers in-house, everything is made here––nothing frozen or bought from the stores.”

The result, says Shapley-Blenis, is a family-friendly environment that has something to offer for people of all ages.

“When you come into Hops & Chops, it's like hanging out with your family,” Shapley-Blenis said. “Your kids are coloring on the table, your grandmother is loving the food that we serve, dad is maybe enjoying a beer he's never seen before––It's cool things like that that make me love what I do. It's cool to see that everyday.”

The tables at Hops & Chops are all made of chalkboard, which Shapley-Blenis alone says has kids raving about the new restaurant. Shapley-Blenis says the original idea was to use butcher's paper as table cloths that doubled as canvases for kids, but it wasn't sustainable.