John and Lila McClellan have been in the restaurant business for more than 16 years and twelve years respectively. They met at the Country Bounty in Salida, Colorado in 1998. John was a chef and Lila was a baker. From 2001 to 2005 they owned their own restaurant L & J country Kitchen, starting in Coaldale, then Texas Creek and ending in Florence,Co.. John was the master chef and Lila was the master baker. They made all their food from scratch and learned many valuable lessons such as having a simple menu and keeping operational plus overhead costs low.
John started his career as a chef working at the Holiday Inn in Waterloo, N.Y. in 1973. He graduated from the culinary institute in N.Y. and has worked off and on in various restaurants all over the world.
Lila began her baking career at City Market in 1997 Buena Vista, Co. She has been baking ever since then in Chaffee and Freemont County.
