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Customer Sylvia Lennon with a slice of carrot cake. Photo by Robert Eliason.<\/p>\nFor Julia Blom, being hired a year after Country Gourmet opened in Sunnyvale became the \u201csummer job that never stopped.\u201d Now, as owner, she is celebrating the eatery\u2019s 40th anniversary and the customers who have loyally supported the business all these years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI realized a long time ago that the job was more than serving food,\u201d Blom told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIt\u2019s about how people feel when they come in and their relationship with the staff. It\u2019s watching the different generations of people interact, from the young to the older.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her love for her customers is evident in the three rows of photos of her regulars displayed clothesline-style in Country Gourmet\u2019s lobby \u2014 and in her circulating among them in the dining room, checking on orders and taking a moment to chat.<\/p>\n
Customer Sylvia Lennon with a slice of carrot cake. Photo by Robert Eliason.<\/p>\n
The restaurant\u2019s regular customers respond in kind: It\u2019s impossible not to notice how many diners are wearing 40th anniversary commemorative t-shirts, such as Sylvia Lennon, as they gather in groups around the tables, comfortably chatting long after they finish their meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been coming here almost since they opened,\u201d Lennon told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cSo, I\u2019ve got a lot of memories and history. It\u2019s very warm, kind of a home away from home. You always feel accommodated here, which is a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lennon\u2019s favorite menu item is the Mexican salad, which includes a spicy mix of greens, avocado, black and pinto beans, tomatoes and jack cheese on a bed of tortilla chips, dressed with a lemon-jalape\u00f1o vinaigrette.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a vegetarian and it\u2019s just wonderful,\u201d she said. \u201cI like the crunch of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor Martendale opened Country Gourmet in 1986 as a counter-service, no-smoking restaurant, very much ahead of its time. But most importantly, according to Blom, Martendale actively listened to employees and customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had been a family counselor and he really wanted to know how he was doing,\u201d Blom said. \u201cHe asked everyone their opinions and was very supportive toward the employees. It felt good to be working for somebody like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The eggs Benedict at Country Gourmet features house-made buttermilk biscuits and the restaurant\u2019s own hollandaise sauce. Photo by Robert Eliason.<\/p>\n
Martindale offered to sell the business to Blom and her husband in 2005. The Blom family maintained the standards of scratch cookery, sustainable sourcing and healthy, fresh ingredients and made sure to keep the \u201csacred cows\u201d on the menu.<\/p>\n
That includes Lennon\u2019s favorite Mexican salad \u2014 using chips from the same supplier for all 40 years \u2014 the almond chicken salad, made with smoked chicken, grapes and pecans, topped with a homemade shallot vinaigrette, and perhaps the most sacred, eggs Benedict.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe use house-made buttermilk biscuits and we make our own hollandaise sauce,\u201d Blom said. \u201cThere\u2019s a little bit of Tabasco in it, and people claim it\u2019s the best they\u2019ve had. It\u2019s all in the way you whisk it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Owner Julia Blom said the Buddha bowl, which features beans, cooked beets and purple cabbage, is a good source of protein. Photo by Robert Eliason.<\/p>\n
The eggs Benedict can also be made with the house-made gluten-free cornbread, and while the kitchen is not designed officially as \u201cgluten-free,\u201d Blom\u2019s own issues with gluten inform a large part of the menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I found out I had gluten sensitivity, I felt like my world burst,\u201d she said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t dine out with excitement because I didn\u2019t know if there would be something I could eat. It\u2019s important to me that people with dietary needs feel nurtured and welcome here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the 17 dishes offered for breakfast, 11 are gluten-free. The lunch menu has some gluten-free options as well, including enchiladas verdes, with a spicy, brisk tomatillo sauce served with whole black and pinto beans, and the star \u2014 the Buddha bowl.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Buddha I\u2019m quite proud of,\u201d Blom said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a good protein source from our beans. You\u2019ve got cooked beets, which are wonderful for blood sugar. Purple cabbage. I feel like you\u2019re set for the day if you order this. It\u2019s just got all the colors of the rainbow and good nutrition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on Country Gourmet\u2019s 40 successful years, Blom said she is conscious of the number of restaurants that go out of business \u2014 a reality that makes her not take for granted her staff or the people who make a choice to eat there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t control the world, but we can be kind in here,\u201d she said. \u201cI have this kind of hokey thing that I say. The \u2018country\u2019 in Country Gourmet is synonymous with \u2018community.\u2019 That\u2019s what feeds me. That\u2019s what I am most proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n Contact Robert Eliason at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: The Biz Beat is a series highlighting local small businesses and restaurants in Silicon Valley. Know a business you\u2019d like to see featured? Let us know at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Country Gourmet<\/p>\n Located at 1314 S. Mary Ave in Sunnyvale<\/p>\n (408) 733-9446<\/p>\n Open Tuesday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n Closed Mondays<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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