Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Upton.
Hi Maria, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Maria Upton, and I was born in Sevilla, Spain in 1954 as Maria Josefa Calado Reyes. When I was 3 our family moved to Belgium and I grew up with 4 sisters and 3 brothers, in a little town called Houthalen. I had a pretty normal life until I met my husband who was stationed in Belgium with the U.S. Air Force. We went out for a week, and he asked me to marry him. My response was “I don’t have anything else to do”, and here we are 36 years later, and we are still making it work. Even working together every day. When we came to the States after my Husband was Honorably Discharged from the Air Force, we moved to Lakewood, Ohio so he could work at the NASA Glen Research Center in Cleveland. He worked as Armed Security and I ended up working there for the janitorial department and then as a receptionist. After being laid off there I got a job with Continental Airlines in the Kitchen. Continental merged with United, and I retired from United in 2017. My husband at that time was running our food trailer, selling our Waffles, Crepes, and a Breakfast Menu. I had always wanted to open a small coffee shop, so we decided to combine our efforts and opened “Oma’s Belgian Waffles & Café”. Oma means Grandma in many of the Bavarian Languages, so when you come to Oma’s, it’s like coming to Grandma’s house. We are a small European-style Café with only 20 seats. I have taken my own Vanilla waffle recipe and created a nice variety of flavors that you can only get at Oma’s. On April 20th we will have our 4th Anniversary as Oma’s and we are looking forward to many more. We pride ourselves in having a unique Breakfast and Lunch Menu. Please feel free to visit our Facebook page @ Omas Belgian Waffles and read our reviews. We now have customers coming from all over Ohio to visit our little Shop. This of course is just a condensed version of our story and look forward to telling you more.
Thank you for your consideration,
President
Oma’s Belgian Waffles & Café, LLC
9 Main Street Greenwich, Ohio 44837
(567)459-4108
omaswaffles@gmail.com
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Neither one of us had any experience in running a Restaurant or a business. We are very fortunate that we opened in a small town with a small Café. Had we opened a larger store we probably would not have made it this far. Our obstacles now are we are unable to expand in the building we are in and with our growing clientele, it is becoming challenging on the weekends.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have a small Coffee Shop/Café where I Specialize in Flavored Coffees, Crepes, and Belgian Style Waffles. I do have a line of flavored waffles that I created myself. I took an old family recipe that I have had since a child and created my own line of waffles that you can only get at Oma’s Belgian Waffles & Café. I have Cinnamon Crunch, Lemon Crunch, Apple Cinnamon, Almond Cranberry, Blueberry, Pumpkin Spice, and of course, Waffles on a stick made with plain Vanilla and dipped in chocolate. I have a homemade icing¸ homemade strawberry and blueberry sauce and fresh whipped cream for toppings. I also specialize in Crepes with our homemade pudding/cream cheese filling topped with my strawberry or blueberry sauce, and my fresh whipped cream. My waffles are not your typical breakfast waffles that you get at any other restaurant. My waffles are more of a dessert waffle. You can eat them hot, straight out of the waffle iron or you can save them for later. Like cake, if you keep them covered or sealed in Tupperware or a zip lock bag, they make a wonderful snack. I think they taste better the next day.
What are your plans for the future?
Oma’s has become so successful in the past 4 years that I am looking into expanding into other small to medium towns with very little to offer their locals in dining choices. I do believe that with the decor and homey atmosphere, Oma’s would be a hit in any town. I would love to expand my little store in Greenwich, but I have nowhere to go with the building I am in. Nowhere to put a patio or outside dining area.
Contact Info:
- Email: omaswaffles@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omaswaffles
