Bill Hendrix said he had never eaten a crepe before his wife, Mila, moved from Siberia—a region of Russia—to America three years ago. Now, the two own Wholly Crepe!, an authentic Russian restaurant located at 413 W. Main St., Tomball.
“Crepes [are] absolutely what we do above and beyond,” Bill said.
The restaurant actually serves an Americanized version of Siberian blini, which are similar to but softer than French crepes.
“The difference is a little more egg, a little more milk, maybe a little bit softer, but generally the same food [as crepes],” Bill said.
Mila began serving her Russian cooking at The Woodlands Farmers Market at Grogan’s Mill in January 2015. She had been selling knitted and crocheted items at the market since the previous October, but said the demand for those goods lessened after Christmas.
“That demand died down, so we were looking for something else to do,” Bill said. “Mila said, ‘I’d like to make crepes.’”
Bill said the weather soon became too warm to keep the food cool enough at the farmers market.
Mila and Bill Hendrix opened Wholly Crepe! in May 2015 on Main Street in Tomball.[/caption]
In May 2015, Bill and Mila opened Wholly Crepe! at 307 W. Main St., Tomball, in a shared space with Frosted Bakery. In June 2016, Wholly Crepe! moved to its current location.
Bill said at the new location he enjoys getting to know the customers and customers are able to take time to enjoy their meals.
“We are not fast food. If you are looking to come in real quick and grab something to go, it’s probably not going to happen,” Bill said. “Come in; sit down; bring your family; order what you want, [and] enjoy it.”
Mila also cooks soups, waffles and lunch specials, such as beef stroganoff ($12). Bill said Russian borscht ($7.50)—a beef-based soup with cabbage, potatoes, dill and beets—is the most popular soup at Wholly Crepe!.
The menu also includes sweet and savory crepes with ingredients ranging from grilled chicken and spinach to Nutella and fresh fruit ($8-$10). Gluten-free crepes are also available.
“We don’t use anything canned or boxed. Everything [has] fresh ingredients,” Bill said. “With the size of our menu, we go to H-E-B probably twice a day. We buy enough for today and tomorrow.”
Although Mila does all of the cooking, Bill said the restaurant is her first experience cooking professionally.
“All of her food, her cooking and training comes from her mother and her grandmother and her aunt. She learned from a very young age to cook and to knit,” Bill said.
He said the restaurant is working with culinary school students to evaluate whether Mila’s cooking can be replicated so that Wholly Crepe! can expand.
“How do we translate the quality of food here to the quality of food at the next restaurant, because she can’t be in both [places]? It’s her food cooked her way with her timing,” Bill said. “It’s homemade Russian cooking.”
413 W. Main St., Tomball 832-993-9791 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sun.
