The Clubhouse Cafe

The snow we had last month has been a bit of a setback for a new business in Huddleston.

John Barnhart

Kim Laverty in her native habitat.

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    Kim Dunford Laverty opened the The Clubhouse Cafe on Dec. 2. It gets its name due to the fact that it actually is in the Mariners Landing Golf Course clubhouse. A lot of her customers are golfers and she has them even in the winter.

    “They golf year round,” she said. “They’re a great bunch of guys.”

    But, they can’t golf when the course is snow covered.

    Laverty, a Bedford County native, has worked at the clubhouse for four years. Her job was seasonal and she usually found other work in the off season. This year, she started a new business.

    Laverty has been catering for 18 years, so expanding into a cafe seemed the natural step to take. She has also worked the seasonal job at the golf course for four years, which made opening at the clubhouse natural.

    “They gave me a really good deal,” she said. “I know them, they know me, so we had a real good work relationship.”

    Laverty said that it’s important to be able to trust somebody in business.

    The fact that she also knew the regular golfers was  also a plus.

    “I have a rapport with them,” she said.

    Laverty said that she always loved cooking. She grew up in Forest and spent a lot of time with her grandmother, Isabelle Harvey, who lived only a block away.

    “My grandmother was an extremely wonderful cook,” Laverty said.

    Laverty said that she spent many afternoons cooking with her grandmother.

    “She was a lot of fun,” she said. “I associate cooking with good times. Maybe that’s why I like it so much.”

    Laverty said that she specializes in Southern cuisine. She describes it as richly seasoned food that takes time to cook.

    As an example, she cited the meatloaf she recently had on as a lunch special. It was slow cooked for five hours with bacon on the top. The bacon was removed before serving.

    Laverty called it cooking like you’re cooking for family. She uses all natural ingredients and doesn’t cut corners.

    “I use a lot of butter, the real thing,” she said.

    She also describes her food as real home cooking. She uses recipes that she grew up with.

    The Clubhouse Cafe serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday from  8 a.m. until 3 p.m. If you’re a late riser, then The Clubhouse Cafe is for you because Laverty serves breakfast the entire time she’s open.

    To get there, go down White House Road from Va. 122 and turn right onto Smith Mountain Lake Parkway. Turn left at the Mariner’s Landing sign. When that road reaches a tee, turn left. That left turn takes you to the golf course and The Clubhouse Cafe.