Local eatery kicks off big year with popular food show feature

The year 2025 will be a big one for local restaurateurs Anthony and Tonya Liford. In June, they will celebrate a milestone 10-year anniversary of the opening of The Oven Mitt. In just a few short weeks, the local eatery will be visited by the crew of “America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow” for a featured episode sometime in the future.

The Oven Mitt is one of eight restaurants picked in Kentucky to be featured. They learned around the end of October to early November they had been selected. They were notified by email. “America’s Best Restaurants” had done its homework by scoping out the restaurant, to look at photos of its food, menu and of course, the reviews. With good reviews, photos of delicious food and the fact it is an independently-owned business with the owners highly involved in day-to-day operations, checked all the boxes for the media company.

Thursday, January 16 will be a hopping day as the show’s crew will arrive and be on-location, interviewing those dining about their favorite dishes, as well as watching behind the scenes as some of The Oven Mitt’s popular meals are made. The crew will be at the restaurant from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and they are encouraging the community to come out and participate. While some people will be asked to give a testimonial, Tonya Liford assures the community they don’t have to talk if they don’t want to. “I didn’t want people coming thinking they’re going to stick a camera in their face and make them talk,” she said. Diners that want to remain off-camera don’t have to be on-camera, she said. “But you know, we want the restaurant full,” she added.

The roadshow’s features are similar in style to the popular Food Network show “Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives”, and will be featured on America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Look for more news about the special day on The Oven Mitt’s Facebook page in coming weeks leading up to January 16. 

Kicking off an important year in the life of their restaurant, the Liford’s admit there have been some obstacles over the years. In 2017, a patron accidentally rammed the front door with their car, which lead to the restaurant’s main entrance being covered with plywood until a new door could be installed, which had to be special-ordered since the building, originally the Hardee’s fast food restaurant in Barbourville until 2003, was erected in 1976. In 2018, an electrical fire in the restaurant’s office shut the business down for about three months. What was originally thought to be mostly cosmetic fixes ended up seeing new HVAC ductwork going in to replace the fire and smoke-damaged system. Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt, but thankfully due to the restaurant having a drive-through pickup window, business boomed. “It was a big thing, where a lot of businesses closed, not just restaurants,” Liford said. “But actually during COVID, we were doing record sales through the drive-through.” 

“But we made it, and so as we celebrate that, more than anything we (celebrate) the people that supported us,” Liford said, adding, “people (were) like, we want you to stick around, we want you to make it.” She said customers continued leaving tips for their staff during that difficult time. “We really appreciate our community for doing that, because you know it could have been something that could have really destroyed what we worked so hard for,” she said. “You know, that could just have easily taken us out. Actually, they came out, they supported us and that’s one thing that we celebrate more than anything really.”

With restaurants being one of the most difficult businesses to start and maintain, the Liford’s attribute their staying power to their personal involvement in the operation of the business. Being involved in the cooking, serving and overall customer experience keeps their fingers on the pulse of the operation. When something isn’t working or needs addressed, they are there to fix it.

That level of dedication doesn’t come without some anxiety, however. A few weeks during the year, the Liford’s close up shop for a few days and take a vacation. While they acknowledge it might irk some folks in the community that they close to take time off, their efforts at striving for perfection and a great customer experience would mean they feel better about leaving the restaurant for a few days when its closed and they don’t have to worry if the quality is up to theirs, or the customers’, standards. “If we close, nothing bad’s going to happen, so we can kind of relax, and be still,” Liford commented.

That dedication and attention to detail makes it an easy answer when people suggest they open other locations in Pineville, Manchester or other nearby towns. “Just thinkinga bout that gives me such anxiety, because we are so invested in this location, that I can’t imagine either one of us being able to step away,” she said. “It’s like this is our baby.”

Liford sees their restaurant as an opportunity to build life skills for their staff as well, encouraging them to do the very best they can at their job, and the Liford’s themselves don’t ask the staff to do anything in the restaurant they wouldn’t do themselves as the owners. Teaching staff members about quality control, customer service, and ambition to do the best they can while at work are things that can be taken into any future career. “We’re hoping like a lot of these kids are getting ready to go to college, or they’re in college and are getting ready to go into their careers, we hope that their first stop at a job has taught them something,” Liford said, adding “you know, some kind of work ethic or something they can take into their careers.” She added their staff members are like family members to them, and while it’s difficult to see them move on to new careers, she hopes they’ve built a relationship where the employee can leave and take something with them into their future.

The Oven Mitt, located on Knox Street in Barbourville, is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, with breakfast served all day Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday. A full menu and information, including daily specials, can be found on their Facebook page at facebook.com/theovenmittbarbourville and pickup orders can be placed on their website at ovenmittbarbourville.com.