“It’s the first time we’ve done a restaurant,” Roper said. “We’ve been doing catering after we did the food truck.”At the restaurant, Roper said most of the recipes are from her family.
“Heirloom is because most of the recipes that we have here are from me growing up with my grandparents, learning to cook,” Roper said.
The family ties at Heirloom are also found in the furniture as Roper said another grandmother’s china cabinet is in the restaurant.
Her family also helps out with the business with her daughter working at the cafe, her son representing Heirloom Cafe and Market at the Tomball Farmers Market and her husband helping out with the business’s maintenance needs, Roper said.
“It has definitely been a family affair,” Roper said.
As for the food at Heirloom Cafe and Market, the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, Roper said. “Everything that we’ve ever done, I would say it’s very familiar,” Roper said. “People are very familiar with these dishes, but I like to think they’re a little bit elevated.”
Some of the dishes on the breakfast menu include Belgian waffles and avocado toast, while the lunch menu features dishes such as pan-fried chicken; flatbread pizza; and a soup, salad and slider combo—a dish Roper said is very popular.
“People say they love the food,” Roper said. “And we have a lot of regulars now, and they’re very comfortable telling me if they don’t, which has been very rare.”
Meanwhile, the other half of Heirloom is a market born out of the additional square footage Roper had in the space.
In the market, Heirloom sells frozen versions of its cafe meals; food products, such as herbs and sausage; and kitchen-centric products, such as cookbooks and trivets.
“There’s about 10 different dishes that we do that are good in the freezer,” Roper said. “I’m not going to put anything in that freezer that doesn’t come out like it did originally.”
When it comes to the future of Heirloom Cafe and Market, Roper said in the next year she has plans to introduce supper club pop-ups, where the restaurant will take reservations for multicourse dinners a few times a month.
The cafe also occasionally does high tea events, and Roper said she is considering introducing cooking workshops for customers.
Roper’s favorite part of Heirloom Cafe and Market is meeting people and getting to know the community better, she said.
“That was my goal—to make something where people felt comfortable to come,” Roper said. “And I think that we’ve achieved that so far. We have people that are in here three days a week, which is really cool.”
Business Breakdown
Heirloom Cafe and Market
The cafe serves breakfast and lunch with dishes based on family recipes.
The market makes up a third of Heirloom’s sales, serving about 10 different frozen dishes.
Picnic On The Green
Carrie Roper’s food truck, started in 2017, is located at 2424 W. Alabama St., Houston.
Willow Basket Catering
Carrie Roper also has a catering business.
Heirloom Cafe and Market
30522 Hwy. 249, Tomball
713-582-5052
https://heirloom-cafe-market.square.site
Hours: Tue.-Sat. 7 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.
