LUCERNE >> When you ask chef and owner John Arslanian of Fresh and Bangin’ Eatery to describe Lake County in two words, “hidden gems” is what he would say. And when his customers think about hidden gems, Fresh & Bangin’ Eatery is what comes to their minds.
After an extensive, two-month-long closure, customers had the chance to re-enter this Lucerne find on Wednesday.
The restaurant’s closing, began back in February, due to an emergency knee surgery that Arslanian had to undergo. He and his team of four came to a decision to temporarily pause business until a Arslanian’s complete recovery.
“We didn’t want to stay open and have bad customer service,” Arslanian said.
But they did not have to pause the entire business. Fresh & Bangin’ also offers catering and meal prepping options. Arslanian’s partner Scott Price, who is in charge of the catering and meal prepping programs, continued to offer customers regular service all throughout the recovery. When a public statement on the latest at Fresh & Bangin’ was posted on social media, myriad comments came flooding in response. Customers expressed how thankful they were for the continued service, though limited, and wished their hometown chef a well and speedy recovery.
In fact, Arslanian says he was able to get through physical therapy because of the support he received from customers and local businesses, post-surgery.
“We have so much positive rapport from them,” he said. “I’m flabbergasted every time I open my email. I received about 50 emails from customers and businesses hoping that I’d get better soon. There is a community support, and I feel at home in Lake County.”
Lake was not always home, however. Both chef Price and Arslanian came from Los Angeles to their hidden gem — Lake County. They attribute their impressive 10-to-15-minute wait time reputation and professionalism to their learnings at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena.
Now with a complete team and re-opening on Wednesday, customers expected a “bangin’” comeback.
Two customers stopped by on opening day with more than just a crave. Kimbralee Guerra and Cynthia Barnes from Nursing Education and Skills Training (NEST) could not wait to say hello to Arslanian and hand him a wrapped gift. It was a white apron with “Chef John” imprinted on the top and four hand-painted pairs of NEST’s toddler’s hands and feet below.
“We were very pleased to have John come and offer cooking classes at NEST and we wanted to give him something in return for all he’s done,” Guerra said.
Arslanian and his team kept busy serving the Guerra and Barnes, and many other guests all throughout the day. Customers were not only greeted by their favorite menu items, but by a few new features in the restaurant. Right outside the eatery are new signs and four patio tables the team built, to which they guarantee are perfect for big parties. Though it rained on Wednesday, Arslanian was happy to have added new ceiling fans inside for the warmer days to come. They also announced on social media that their delivery services are now available to cities like Clearlake, Lakeport, and surrounding areas. Taco Tuesday is now a thing at the eatery, running from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., serving tacos and tapas. The second Wednesday of the month will be dedicated to wood-fired pizza. And despite being closed on Sundays, they will have a pre-fix, four-course date-night dinner offered on the last Sunday of every month.
Fresh & Bangin’, rated five stars on Facebook and Yelp, made it up to their customers for missing on Saint Patrick’s day by bringing back the celebration on May 17. They will serve the highly requested corn beef and cabbage dish, and Scottish eggs.
“Our customers are so loyal. We want to focus on getting better,” Arslanian said.
You can catch a seat at Fresh & Bangin’, located at 6244 E Highway 20, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
