Honoring the 1950s and serving fresh ingredients is the main goal of local bakery and deli Clear River Pecan Company.

Growing up in the fast food business, the trio of John Dubea and partners Jim Jarreau and Danita Jarreau, vowed to never serve fried food. The eatery only serves bakery and fresh deli items.

They also loved living in a small town.

“Jim and I grew up in a small town in Louisiana, and Danita is from Llano, so we knew we wanted to be in a small town. We just fell in love with Fredericksburg,” John said.

Originally housed at the current location of Pasta Bella, Clear River began selling pecans in Fredericksburg in 1994.  

“We just sold pecans at first and soon people kept asking what they could make with pecans, whether that be brownies or cookies,” Dubea said. “We eventually started selling ice cream, family recipes and even created some new recipes of our own.”

Today, the store serves hundreds of cookies, pastries, muffins, scones and kolaches, all in a 1950s theme atmosphere.

“The ’50s were a happy time and the ice cream was even happy, so we wanted to recreate that,” Dubea said.

You scream, I scream

Ice cream is the main staple served at Clear River, with the eatery serving over 300 different kinds of handmade ice cream.

“In the summer we can serve around 120 gallons a week,” Dubea said.

Because they aren’t a chain, Clear River can introduce and taste-test new flavors whenever they want.

“We are always looking for ways to change it up and try something new,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, we just end up with extra ice cream.”

Fresh comes first

In addition to ice cream, the eatery serves a variety of sandwiches, salads and soups.

All are made on homemade bread and with fresh ingredients.

And as with their ice cream, Clear River is always trying out new menu options.

“The people that run our deli are always thinking outside of the box and will offer items for a short period,” Dubea said.

More often than not, these items become so popular that the recipes become permanent options.

“Our grilled turkey and brie sandwich was something we thought we would try and turns out, people loved it so we kept it around,” Dubea said.

Local connection

Fredericksburg and Clear River see many tourists walk through their doors, but Dubea said without the locals, the store wouldn’t be able to survive.

“We love our locals,” he said. “We have groups that come in here every morning and sit and have a cup of coffee and I love that.”

Clear River also appreciates the loyalty of its employees, some of whom have been there since the store moved to Main Street.

“Our employees love connecting with customers and getting to know where they are from or where they just went on vacation,” he said.

On-the-go

While many of Clear River’s patrons sit in the red booths surrounded by ’50s décor, the restaurant also offers boxed lunches.

Simple sandwiches with a cookie are often served at church events, city meetings or on winery tours.