Ohio Redwood Head Chef Bailey Null and owner Desiree Kerns watch on Monday as “America’s Best Restaurant” host Ashley Dawn tries the restaurant’s biggest dish, the Tall Boy Burger, consisting of four beef patties, two slices of cheese and toppings. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

BELPRE — The Ohio Redwood restaurant got a visit Monday from “America’s Best Restaurants,” a streaming show that will feature the locally owned Belpre eatery in an upcoming episode.

Desiree Kerns, who with her husband, Jared, has owned the restaurant located at 2813 Washington Blvd. since 2019, said they were nominated by local patron Linda Lockhart, who wrote about the home-cooked meals, daily specials and the “friendliest staff you ever met.”

“I didn’t think it was real,” Kerns said. “I thought it was a joke. But then when we realized it was real, we were super excited.”

The “America’s Best Restaurants” crew of videographer Nick Mammone and host Ashley Dawn, spent three hours talking to Kerns and staff, interviewing patrons about their favorite dish and even trying three signature dishes themselves. Dawn said getting to speak with all the local residents is one of her favorite parts of the job.

“I really love being able to talk to restaurant owners and share their stories,” she said. “Meeting new people, seeing new places and trying food is altogether incredibly rewarding.”

Ohio Redwood Head Chef Bailey Null shows “America’s Best Restaurant” host Ashley Dawn how to prepare the Belpre restaurant’s signature ribs. Null said the ribs spend hours baking in a secret blend of spices to get the flavor just right. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Head Chef Bailey Null prepared three meals for Dawn to sample: the restaurant’s signature ribs, the three-egg western omelet and the Tall Boy Burger, consisting of four beef patties, two slices of cheese and toppings that come with a steak knife to help keep it together.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing that Tall Boy Burger,” Dawn said. “Because I feel like it’s just gonna be massive.”

Kerns said it was a favorite among men but that she has a woman who regularly comes in and orders the towering burger.

“She doesn’t leave any on her plate,” Kerns said.

This is also true of the restaurant’s secret recipe for ribs, which is usually a weekend special.

“America’s Best Restaurant” videographer Nick Mammone takes pictures of three signature dishes at the Ohio Redwood Monday as the show was in town to film with the Belpre restaurant. The dishes featured in the episode were the signature ribs, the three-egg western omelet and the Tall Boy Burger, consisting of four beef patties, two slices of cheese and toppings. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“Those plates come back with just bones on them,” Kerns said.

Kerns said the restaurant’s pride extends beyond its menu as they help in the community by working with the Belpre High School Soccer club and even make hot chocolate for the band when they do caroling around the holidays. It’s their way of giving back to the community that helped them survive during a rough time, she said.

“We opened about six months before COVID, and it was because of the community around us that we made it through that,” Kerns said.

She said the restaurant was also able to make it through the lockdown period because of its staff.

“I kept calling in and seeing when I was going to be able to come back to work,” Null said.

The Ohio Redwood’s Tall Boy Burger – consisting of four beef patties, two slices of cheese and toppings – was one of three featured dishes Monday as “America’s Best Restaurant” was in town to feature the Belpre establishment. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Kerns said she was glad she got the chance to showcase her staff as well as the food they serve.

“Everybody under this roof has worked so hard. We’re like a family. It’s insane,” Kerns said. “Everybody under this roof is pretty tight, so just getting to show off every human here, it makes me so proud.”

Another aspect of the restaurant Kerns said she was particularly proud of was the Military Room, which is a tribute to her family’s military service. This includes pictures honoring her son, her stepfather, his three brothers and his father.

“I’m very proud of the service in our family, so getting to showcase that means the world.” Kerns said. “My daughter is a nurse, and then one of our servers that left, she’s a nurse. I have their pictures I want to put up, too. I just haven’t got a chance to get them yet.”

Dawn said “America’s Best Restaurants” is always looking to bring local dining gems to the spotlight through a selection process that combines community input and on-site exploration. “People can nominate restaurants through americasbestrestaurants.com,” Dawn said. “Most nominations come from local food enthusiasts who love their community restaurants.”

Ohio Redwood owner Desiree Kerns and “America’s Best Restaurant” host Ashley Dawn pose for a picture outside the restaurant Monday as the show was in town to feature the Belpre restaurant. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

She said that the entire production typically takes eight to 12 weeks from filming to final edit. Viewers can catch the episode on the “America’s Best Restaurants” and Ohio Redwood Facebook pages, “America’s Best Restaurants” website and their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/@AmericasBestRestaurants.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

Ohio Redwood servers Hadley Bumgarner, Maddie Smith and Elizabeth Blazosky pose for a picture Monday as a crew from “America’s Best Restaurants” was in town to feature the Belpre restaurant. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

The Military Room at the Ohio Redwood restaurant in Belpre honors owner Desiree Kerns’ family members who served, including her son, her stepfather, his three brothers and his father. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)