It all started many years ago in a not so small kitchen in a beautiful turn of the century hotel in the bustling tourist town of Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. One sweet gentle lady, Laure Marietta, known affectionately by her family as Nanny, turned out delicious stick-to-your ribs home cooked meals for tourists and locals alike at the Ohiopyle House hotel. Nanny, and her husband, Robert “Buck” Marietta were caretakers of the Ohiopyle House. The Ohiopyle House offered overnight rooms, a full formal dining room, and a well-stocked bar. The hotel was the toast of the town. While Buck made sure the hotel looked great, Nanny ran the show in the kitchen. Her homemade noodles for chicken and dumplings and delicious desserts, like Texas sheet cake and orange cookies, hold a special place in the hearts of many.
Linda McCarty, Nanny’s granddaughter, spent many hours in the kitchen of the Ohiopyle House watching her grandmother work her magic, whipping up large meals mostly by herself. In 2002, Linda and her husband, Mark opened the Ohiopyle House Cafe in the hopes of carrying on the tradition of offering tourists and locals a cozy place to get a good meal and a cold beverage. Linda and Mark had been involved in the white water rafting community since the late 60s. After they married in 1975, they purchased Laurel Highlands River Tours. The company has grown exponentially since then. Laurel Highlands Outdoor Center opened in 1986, where the McCartys began offering rentals of rafts, duckies, and bicycles. Additional services were added over the years to include guided rock climbing, mountain biking, and most recently, the Ohiopyle Zip-line Adventure Park. The McCarty family recently celebrated the opening of Yough Lake Campground on the Youghiogheny River Lake in the nearby town of Confluence. Linda and Mark also purchased some of the houses in town to create the Ohiopyle Guests Houses, further continuing Nanny and Buck’s tradition of genuine Ohiopyle hospitality.
The Ohiopyle House Cafe has served many different items over the years but we’ve come to appreciate the importance of locally grown and organic foods. Our farm-to-table menu items debuted on our menu in 2014 and were extremely well receive and super popular. We are now proud to serve many items from local farmers. And when we can’t buy local, we try to buy organic. We serve locally roasted organic off from Old Linn Run Coffee Bean Roastery. We even serve locally brewed and organic beers. And don’t forget to try one of our fruit infused waters or cocktails!
Linda, Mark, and their family, now in the 5th generation of serving the Ohiopyle community, welcome you to the Ohiopyle House Cafe whether for a quiet afternoon lunch, or for a week-long outdoor adventure vacation. We hope you will enjoy all the offerings of our beautiful little town and come to love it as much as we do!