Ever since The Grange Community Kitchen opened back in 2016, the Hamburg eatery has been a smash hit, and recently, that success culminated in the opening of a small takeout cafe in Orchard Park called The Grange Outpost.

Recently, co-owner Brad Rowell told us he and his partner Caryn Dujanovich have been thinking about expanding culinary operations for the past two years. The need to expand was made more urgent when Rowell and Dujanovich opened a resort town restaurant concept in Ellicottville in 2019 called West Rose. 

So, in addition to being a smaller satellite of the main Grange, the Outpost has a large production kitchen dedicated to making baked goods for the other two restaurants.

“We probably could have left the Hamburg restaurant a couple years ago,” Rowell said. “We really needed the extra space.”

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The bigger space has allowed Rowell to bring in a large bread oven and gave his team more room to flex their culinary muscles. Central to the Grange aesthetic is creating elevated-yet-simple New American food. The Outpost team carry on that aesthetic by preferring function over frivolity.

“We want to keep things simple but use good technique and good ingredients to create beautiful breads, pastries and cakes,” Rowell said.

In our recent takeout order, the Ham & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich on a split butter croissant was flaky and rich, with a much-needed tangy maple dijon sauce. Our Outpost Hashbrown was a sublime take on the greasy slabs coming out of your nearest drive-thru: super-crispy, textured rectangular prisms with a dill dipping sauce that shipped Eastern European vibes. Other savory and pastry highlights include puffy ‘pastry heart’ palmiers, savory slices of focaccia and delicate macaroons. There are also salads, the Grange’s signature hummus, overnight oats and yogurt parfaits; available in a grab-and-go market cooler.

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While a lot of the food menu is focused on elevating breakfast and lunch essentials, the café also serves up a few wow factors in its cakes, cupcakes and tarts. Our Flourless Chocolate Cake was the stuff Food Channel fever dreams are made of: dense and ultra-rich with a siren’s song of herbal harmonies that keeps beckoning you onto the pants-tightening rocks. 

Being a café, the Grange Outpost also has a full coffee, tea and espresso program, with local coffees from Overwinter Coffee and teas from Massachusetts-based MEM. There is also a range of soft drinks available, including San Pellegrino sparkling water and Spindrift seltzers.

In recent years, the Grange has been recruiting some of the best local pastry talent. Rowell said the new Outpost will serve as a platform for his all-star team of pastry chefs, which includes Christina Difrancisco, Jenn Batt, Molly Schriever and Erin Maskowski.

“We have a really talented group,” Rowell said. “They could all really be running their own pastry program, and this bakery is really dedicated to showcasing them.”

“We try to support them and let their talents shine,” he added. “I think that’s a good environment for anybody, so that’s something we try to do with all of our staff.”

Hours at the time of publishing (Subject to change): Tuesday to Saturday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sunday 8 p.m. – 1 p.m., Monday CLOSED

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