Restaurateur speaks 'language of food'

Once a "gentlemen's bar," not always a gentlemen's bar. At least not in Orland.

As far as anyone knows, the old Richelieu Saloon opened in about 1916 on the corner of Fifth and Walker streets. At least that's what it says on the old Richelieu safe that sits in the corner of Farwood Bar and Grill.

The story goes that during the 1930s and '40s, youngsters would go into the Richelieu with their fathers and, sometimes, play behind the bar. Owner Leigh Ann Byerly said customers come into restaurant and tell her stories about what the place used to be like.

"No decent woman walked into the Richelieu. I was never in there and my mother was never in there," said lifelong Orland resident Joanne Overton. "It was truly a gentleman's place."

She also told a story about the Richelieu during the Depression when out-of-work laborers would stand outside the bar hoping to find work. She said farmers would drive by in the morning asking who wanted to work.

"It also was a place to do banking, because the banks only stayed open until 3 o'clock," Overton said. "You could always get a check cashed at the Richelieu."

Byerly said local merchants kept their money in the safe over the weekend, until they could deposit it Monday morning at the bank.

The local saloon had many owners over the years, but from 1937 until late 1959 Art Thomas and Bill Amort were partners in the venture. Thomas sold his share to Amort not long before he died in 1960, according Thomas' daughter Susan Gleason.

"They had a lot of farmers in there and they were just as friendly as they could be," she recalled.

As a boy, her brother Jim Thomas spent more time in the Richelieu. In the 1950s, "the people that patronized the place were cattle ranchers, sheep ranchers," he recalled. "Most all the people came in and looked like they were hobos and they were all millionaires or had a lot of money. They worked hard and they came in and played hard."

Playing hard meant high-stakes poker in the back room and "they drank a lot," Thomas said.

Since he "spent a lot of time in there with Pa," Thomas has many stories to tell. Among them is the time "Pete Montero rode his horse in there through the swinging doors in the front. Pa jerked his (behind) off the horse and said, 'The horse can stay, but you've got to go."

Moving into the 21st century

Amort continued to run the Richelieu for several years, then his sister Agnes took over. After that several people operated the bar and it gained a "less than gentlemanly" reputation.

"I've heard a lot of seedy stories," Byerly said, and several other longtime Orland residents concurred.

Byerly noted that when Jan and Bob Walker bought the place in 2005, "it had to be completely gutted."

"The bar was black, covered with dirt and layers of smoke. It was filthy," Byerly said.

Part of the clean included refurbishing the original oakwood bar. Much of it was disassembled by Bob Nordbye and taken to his shot for repair.

"He's an amazing craftsman," Byerly said.

For example, a carved angel face was missing in the wood surrounding the mirror, so Norbye replaced it with one he created. But, according to Byerly, only Norbye knows which one it is.

The bar has its own history. Byerly said it was made in England, shipped around Cape Horn at the tip of South America and was a bar in San Francisco for some years. In 1916, it was barged up the Sacramento River and installed in the Richelieu.

With the improvements — "the Walkers set up the restaurant beautifully," Byerly said — and the name changed and the atmosphere changed.

Then, in early 2008, Byerly stepped in to help the Walkers and the Farwood Bar and Grill hasn't been the same since.

In March, she brought in Denise Wyser and in April Chef Richard Hirshen joined the team. The idea was Hirshen eventually would manage the operation. But shortly after, he got a job offer in San Francisco and moved away.

At that point, something had to be done. Because of the debt load, either the restaurant would have to close or someone would have to buy it. It seemed natural for Byerly to make the leap.

Making the decision to buy the restaurant wasn't easy for Byerly. She had a successful catering business and home-schooled her children. And there were the financial issues to consider.

Then her husband Jim suggested she talk to a banker.

"We couldn't let Farwood come to an end. It's too special," she said.

Byerly's aunt, Patty Elliott, a certified public accountant, looked over the books and decided she would put up the money.

"From that point "every light was green, every door was open," she said.

By the time escrow closed in November, all bills were paid and Byerly started with a clean slate.

"The Walkers are honorable people, full of integrity," Byerly said, noting they met every commitment to cover the debt. "They made untold sacrifices."

Byerly credits the restoration of the restaurant as being "the beginning of change in Orland revitalization."

Things at the Farwood were a little shaky at first, trying to re-establish a customer base, and Byerly wasn't always sure she was going to make it. But with a smart business plan, great staff and a caring approach toward staff and customers, the restaurant is doing pretty well and Byerly's hopes are high.

She knows things are getting better, because now she can spend enough time at home to cook and sit down for dinner with her husband and their three sons: Levi, 15, Samuel, 12, and Isaiah, 5.

"I'm even on the verge of getting the laundry done," she chuckled.

Byerly knew that to create a successful business, she had to offer good food in a pleasant atmosphere.

"I love food," Byerly said, noting that her mother and grandmother were great cooks.

"People speak different languages," she said, noting that one of her friends "speaks the language of flowers."

No matter what happens, she always sends flowers, Byerly said,

"My language is food," she said, explaining that is her first thought something happens.

"What can I cook for them? I equate food with every important emotion," she said.

That translates into caring about customers, and having a staff that does, too.

"(We) genuinely care about our customers' experience from beginning to end."