Preservation Biscuit Company Coming Soon To Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — It took four months for Chef Jonathan Coombs to perfect his biscuit recipe, and that work will come to fruition with the opening of Preservation Biscuit Company in Falls Church.

Coombs, a Purple Heart Army veteran who has worked in the culinary field after retiring from the military seven years ago, is working to open the restaurant with co-owner Tricia Barba at 102 East Fairfax Street in Falls Church. The restaurant is aiming to open during the first week of February.

Preservation Biscuit will be a breakfast and lunch spot with a Southern flair centered on biscuits and biscuit sandwiches. Everything is made from scratch, and ingredients are locally sourced when possible, Coombs told Patch.

While the pandemic has presented challenges to many businesses, it presented an opportunity for Preservation Biscuit to emerge. Coombs and co-owner Tricia Barba knew each other from working at Matchbox Food Group. When the pandemic hit and the Matchbox restaurant had to shut down, Barba came to Coombs with the idea of opening a breakfast location with biscuits.

Coombs has experience opening restaurants with Matchbox. But he says it is different building a restaurant from scratch.

"It was a lot of work even before you turn on the oven," he said.

Preservation Biscuit Company's signature sandwich has fried chicken, candied bacon, honey butter, and smoked Gouda pimento cheese. Coombs describes it as "sweet and savory all in one bite." Others include the "Prime Time" prime rib sandwhich, the "Brekkie" centered on ham, cheese and eggs, and the "Strawberry Shortie" with macerated strawberries, whipped cream and a sugar drizzle.

Coombs says the most important things for crafting a biscuit recipe are quality ingredients and technique, but it also means ensuring biscuits get a proper rise. The biscuits will also be multi-use items for the menu; for example, biscuits can be used as a crumble on the macaroni and cheese.

Along with his culinary work at Matchbox and other places, Coombs brings experience as a "Chopped" contestant. He competed in a military veteran episode of Food Network's show that aired in 2017.

"That was definitely one of the most exciting experiences I've ever had," he said.

Now, Coombs is excited to get going in Falls Church, which he calls a tight-knit community. He also wants Preservation Biscuit wants to have working relationships with neighboring Audacious Aleworks and Bakeshop, so they can rely on each other when one needs help.

Preservation Biscuit will open as a counter-serve spot but will eventually add seating. Once open, hours will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Stay tuned for opening updates at www.preservationbiscuit.com.