MILFORD, Ohio — The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can take up a lot of time, leaving little remaining to make Christmas dinner.

 

What You Need To Know

  • The Governor Modern Diner in Milford is making take and bake Christmas dinners for customers

  • The dinners are themed after the Feast of Seven Fishes, a family tradition for the owners

  • The meals not only serve as a boost for the restaurant but make the holidays easier for customers


But some restaurants are taking the pain out of that process by selling take and bake meals for the holiday.

Paul Barraco is the executive chef at the Governor Modern Diner in Milford, where the team is currently preparing Christmas dinners for its customers in a non-traditional format.



“We grew up, our family, grew up eating the Feast of Seven Fishes, so this is kind of our version,” Paul said.

 

“Lobster mac 'n’ cheese, lobster bisque, crab cakes, oysters Rockefeller, stuffed mushrooms. We’re actually doing a pastrami salmon, so you buy that by the side, we’ve spiced that and smoked it just like a pastrami.” 

The Governor is selling these seven items individually to help make Christmas Dinner easier for families who want to simplify their dinner plans while trying something new.

“We’ve always had people say we’d love to celebrate the holidays with your family,” Paul said. “This gives people the opportunity in a fun way.”

The Governor ran a similar promotion at Thanksgiving with great success, so they brought the promotion back with a Christmas twist. 

Co-Founder Neil Barraco said the Governor has found unique ways to find success in a trying first-year of operation. 

“It’s just been constantly try to innovate and offer specials to the guests aside from our regular dine in to keep people coming,” Neil said.  

The restaurant is also selling specialty cocktails in batches for folks to bring home. 

“We put them in mason jars, so some cocktails you might get three or four and they’re all priced accordingly with a little bit of a deal for carryout,” Neil said.  
 
There’s no doubt The Governor has taken a financial hit during the pandemic, but the Barracos are grateful for the support from the community to allow them to have a semi-successful opening year.

“We’ve got a lot of hope coming out of this,” Paul said. “It’s already been a really year for us and we’ve learned a lot. It’s kind of an analogy for life in a sense that you just gotta kinda get through it. As bad as it was it really wasn’t that bad.” 

For more on the restaurant visit their Facebook page.