Valor House offers fresh food made from scratch, honors military and first responders

Re-creating the feeling of a good meal at grandma's house is Nancy Cole's goal. 

The owner of Valor House Restaurant in Pittsville aims to offer fresh, high quality comfort food in a welcoming atmosphere. Located on Gumboro Road, the eatery opened in late September and continues to work on providing the best meals to its customers. 

But the mission of Valor House doesn't stop at the food. Cole wants to honor military members, veterans and first responders through the restaurant's decor and its valor wall where those who served or currently serve, plus first responders can sign the wall or place photos. 

“I refer back to military, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics," Cole said. "Anything that symbolizes an everyday hero.”

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Cole pulls from her experience at her family's restaurant in Seaford, Delware, The Dairy Bar Restaurant, for her knowledge on running her establishment. She and her husband moved to Pittsville almost a year and a half ago for him to be closer to his job in Ocean City. The drive up to Seaford became a long commute and Cole was looking for a change.

Add to that moving to a town with slim restaurant options and Cole was inspired when she saw a Realtor's sign on her now-restaurant. Looking to her faith, the owner said she felt like she had the strength to branch out and open her own establishment. 

“They always say if it was that easy, everybody would be doing it," she said.

Before turning the building into the Valor House, Cole said the space was empty except for a few tables and booths. Now those wooden tables, booths and rustic brick walls pair well with Valor House's decor. Cole said she replaced the flooring with a dark tile. 

The lighting is also new, with wide black metal lamps hanging from the ceiling. Cole warms up the space with wall decor including metal stars that help with the patriotism theme of the eatery. 

The valor wall is still at beginning stages, but it displays a few signatures from those currently serving in the military, veterans, firefighters, police officers and other public service workers. 

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The wall also holds patriotic photos of Cole's family members who served and other themed artwork pieces. 

For the menu, Cole focused on providing the comfort food dishes she knows best. Everything is made fresh and from scratch. The restaurant owner learned how to cook from her family, especially her mother. 

“I just want people to be able to come in and say it’s comfortable," she said. 

The menu spans breakfast items and sandwiches to hearty dinner dishes. Cole said popular dishes include the roast beef, crab cakes, jumbo crab, hamburger steaks, Salisbury steaks and liver and onions. 

One challenge with serving up fresh food to Cole's standards was the wait time when Valor House first opened, she said. But working the kinks out over the first few weeks have made the kitchen flow better and serving time improve.

However, quality still comes first and Cole said about a 30-minute wait time is what customers should expect, allowing them time to sit down and enjoy the atmosphere until their food arrives.  

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“For 30 minutes you’re getting fresh food, good service and that’s what it’s going to take," she said. 

Due to customer demand, the restaurant now sells beer and wine. Cole also plans to begin a military and first responder discount, plus a senior citizen discount after Jan. 1. 

Cole said patience and hiring a reliable staff are the two biggest things she's learned during the process of opening her own restaurant. Looking forward, she hopes to become a staple in Pittsville and serve the community for years to come. 

“I’m here, I’m not planning on going anywhere," she said. "As long as the people come through my door, my door will be open.”

If you go: 

What: Valor House Restaurant 

Where: 7456 Gumboro Rd. in Pittsville 

When: Tuesday through Sunday dining from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and bar 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

Contact: 410-835-2720, Facebook

On Twitter: @The_MegRyan