With a fresh five-year lease signed this week, we can look forward to seeing a new deli café open up next to the Joshua Tree Visitor Center, replacing the closed Park Rock Café. Reporter Heather Clisby has the details…
Though the Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP) and its three visitor centers are currently closed due to COVID-19, a new café will eventually debut alongside the JTNP Visitor Center on Park Blvd. When the park finally opens, locals and tourists can experience Roadrunner Grab + Go which will offer an all-takeout menu of breakfast items, salads, espressos and sandwiches named for noted conservationists.
Once Park Rock Café closed, the Joshua Tree National Park Association, an independent non-profit which supports the Park, actively sought a worthy replacement for that high-traffic spot. Association staff graded a dozen or so pitches based on key factors: business plan, marketing vision, ‘green’ factor, menu variety, food taste, financials and relevant experience.
With just a one-week notice, Merilee Kuchon and Rosa Ficara of Mojave Monaco (“Chefs For Hire”), won the competition in early February with their inspired vision, tasty offerings and established relationships with local vendors. They named their new venture Roadrunner Grab + Go to imply speed and as a clever wink to Coyote Corner across the street.
Ficara, a native of the Morongo Basin, and Kuchon, a 10-year-resident originally from New Jersey, plan to offer Prickly Pear Lemonade, with the cactus fruit sourced locally. The new owners also plan to use local mesquite syrup, honey, dates, pickles, jams, coffee and breads for their menu.
Though site inspections are currently scheduled for May, the San Bernardino County Public Health Department will likely re-schedule due to the COVID-19 shutdown. When the park does re-open, the Roadrunner Grab + Go will keep the same hours as the Visitor Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 365 days a year.
