Meghan Winkler
Tom Tieche and Jack Clampitt noticed something missing in Wooster, so in 1964, they launched TJ’s.
“There was no place in Wooster where you could get a beer and eat a steak,” says Greg Tieche, who is Tom’s oldest son. He bought it in 1978 and renamed it TJ’s Restaurant.
Today, TJ’s is still filling a gap in Wooster.
“I have 10 daughters, and three of them are vegetarians. It kind of comes natural to us to be able to have vegetarian items,” Tieche says, adding that TJ’s also offers gluten-free options.
Perfect for a cozy autumn bite, the apple and brie cauliflower crust pizza ($15) made its debut on last year’s fall menu — but stayed year-round because it’s one of the best-selling dishes. It’s also available at its sibling restaurants, C.W. Burgerstein’s and Melvin’s, which all serve the same menu in different atmospheres.
The dish begins with garlic olive oil on a cauliflower crust, which is topped with brie and Granny Smith apples that it gets from Bauman Orchards in Rittman in fall. “Nothing better than when we can get stuff in fresh,” Tieche says.
After it’s baked, the pizza is topped with fresh arugula and a drizzle of red chili pepper-infused Ohio honey.
“It was tart, and the brie’s kind of sweet,” Tieche says. “You needed something to give it … a little zing.”
The result is a dish balanced in flavor as well as texture that lets you savor fall with each bite.
“The brie’s chewy, and apples have a little bit of crunch,” he says. “That hot honey on it, … we spice it up a little.”
And if you’ve never tried gluten-free cauliflower crust before, its interesting texture stands out from the typical bread crust.
“It’s more like a cracker on the outside edge, and then it’s a little bit softer toward the middle — where all of the flavors are,” Tieche says. “It’s just a different combination of flavors that appeals to people.”
359 W. Liberty St., Wooster, tjsrestaurants.com
