Tasty Tuesday: The Grill behind Gardner’s Frozen Treats serves up Latin, American classics

Everything from cheesesteak to empanadas can be enjoyed before grabbing some ice cream

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – A couple of weeks ago, we took you to Gardner’s Frozen Treats in Christiansburg. Behind it is The Grill, where the Hernandez sisters are bringing the flavor. Karla Hernandez manages The Grill, and she says this spot is near and dear to not just her heart, but the hearts of her two sisters.

Their mission is “For everyone to try a little bit of different flavors.”

Some of these flavors might be different for us, but they’re familiar tastes to the Hernandez trio. They’ve brought childhood favorites to the New River Valley, which makes them think back to being kids.

Karla tells us that a lot of what they make comes from her mom’s recipes. As kids, she says, “We were happy just to help her out…cook something. Even if it was just homemade tortillas or move the beans, we were so happy just to be with her.”

Now, she tells me her mom is so excited to see her recipes shared with the public. Everything is fresh and homemade, with Latin food like

Pollo con Tejadas, which is the big piece of fried chicken. We would look at it and be like, oh my God we have to eat all of it…with the green plantains. Fresh baleadas, which is a fresh flour-made tortilla. We make it ourselves. We added the empanadas last year, and those became a hit.”

These are such a hit that it doesn’t matter the weather. Rain or shine, people come anyways. On opening day a few weeks ago, “It was raining and ice, and they came and supported us.”

Of course, it helps when the weather is nicer. You can knock out lunch, dinner and dessert in just one parking lot.

“You can eat anywhere outside on the patio, and then you can come up front and get some ice cream at Gardner’s.”

Call it a win-win for at least the next several months, while both spots are open.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.