The Heart in Hand: Gone With the Wind

“Where is the Heart in Hand?” you exclaim, shocked and saddened, as you drive through Clifton. The familiar sign has been removed. The black buggy parked in front of the restaurant is gone. A peek through the windows shows an empty restaurant, which quietly closed its doors in January.

The Heart in Hand Restaurant was a landmark in the Town of Clifton. The picturesque red building, once the Buckley Brothers’ General Store, has for years drawn the attention of everyone who passes along Main Street. Linked inextricably with the Heart in Hand, The Worsham family moved to Clifton in 1971. Eleven years later, Suzanne Worsham opened a tiny, one-room café for serving lunch and tea. She wanted to attract visitors to the shops in the quaint town. She certainly succeeded.

Within a short period, customers began asking for dinner and holiday meals. They were soon added, along with catering. The mouthwatering lunch and dinner menus were developed by Suzanne Worsham, whose recipes were compiled in Cooking with Heart in Hand. Sherry Harlow, Mrs. Worsham's daughter, proudly notes that the book “has become the gold standard for cooks throughout the region.”

Sherry Harlow and her husband Corey assumed the day-to-day operation of the Heart in Hand not too long ago. They carefully maintained the Worsham family tradition of unrivaled cuisine and a cozy, welcoming ambiance. However, everything is subject to change. Farewell to the tastiest Bleu cheese salad in the world, the mouthwatering muffins and the signature Chicken Suzanne.

And welcome to new horizons. In the fall of 2010, Sherry and Corey Harlow made a difficult decision. It was particularly wrenching for Sherry, a lifelong resident of the town. Like her neighbors, she had attended Clifton Elementary School, Robinson Secondary and even George Mason, where she received a Master’s degree.

For 15 years, Sherry had catered receptions at Alwyngton Manor in Warrenton. “The place is dreamy,” Sherry commented. “I asked the owner if she ever did sell to please let me know. She contacted me in the summer and we settled close to November.” Alwyngton Manor is an estate so beautiful, so majestic that the Harlows simply could not pass it up.

What does this mean to us? We will all be driving out to Warrenton to get our fill of Baked Brie with Mango Chutney, succulent Smoked Pork Loin, Tennessee Ham sautéed in Jack Daniel’s and that fabulous Bleu cheese salad!