CHARGERS ON PRACTICE FIELD

CLIFTON FORGE — Tawnya Ross is the new owner and operator of the café, located in the Moomaw Center at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge.
“Family Tree~Ts Café and Catering” is the new name for the restaurant, offering breakfast and lunch, Mon-day through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Everything is made from scratch, we use only fresh ingredients,” said Ross, who is a 2014 graduate of the DSLCC Culinary Arts program.
The café is also offering up professionally prepared meals. “We do all the work, all you have to do is heat it up,” she added.
Ross recently completed classes for a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.
She was previously employed at The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs as a chef and kitchen manager; served as the food and beverage manager at Haywood’s and TAPS, two upscale restaurants associated with the Georges Inn in Lexington; and also operates her own catering business. 
The food service industry is a family affair. Her two brothers, Tony West and Jeffrey West, are actively involved in the business as her associates. 
Their mother, Deborah, manages the Food Pantry in Clifton Forge, and their father was a cook in the U.S. Army.  
Local students may also recognize Ross as a bus driver for the Alleghany County school system, and recently her catering business provided the VIP dinner and hors d’oeuvres for attendees at the Pink Tie Gala.
Ross may be contacted at tross@dslcc.edu or (540) 816-6065.