A letter from Frankwood · near Highway 180
Schoolhouse Restaurant & Tavern
A restored 1890 schoolhouse turned farm-to-table dining room on the road to Sequoia
The 1890 schoolhouse that became a restaurant
Chef Ryan Jackson grew up in Reedley among fruit-farming families, trained at the California Culinary Academy, and cooked under Robert Curry at Napa Valley's Domaine Chandon before returning home. In 2012, Ryan and his wife Michelle Jackson spent two years restoring the original 1890 Frankwood schoolhouse — with 1921 architecture still intact — and opened Schoolhouse Restaurant & Tavern.
The building had been a working schoolhouse; today diners eat in train-car booths overlooking orchard land.
In the kitchen
Jackson calls the cooking a contemporary twist on classics — house-made New American plates built on seasonally fresh Central Valley ingredients. Everything from ketchup to sauces to desserts is made in-house.
The kitchen doubles as a teaching kitchen for up-and-coming Central Valley chefs.
The road to Sequoia
Sanger sits at the eastern edge of Fresno County farmland, the last real town before the road climbs to Sequoia and Kings Canyon. The restaurant is surrounded by fruit orchards, olive groves, and mushroom growers — many of them named on the menu.
Locals come for anniversaries. Travelers detour off Highway 180.
With gratitude,
Ryan & Michelle Jackson
Chef & Managing Partners, Schoolhouse Restaurant & Tavern
Order this
The dishes that made Schoolhouse Restaurant & Tavern
Pan-Seared Salmon with Rosemary Gnocchi
House-made mustard, rosemary gnocchi, parmesan-fennel broth.
Duck Bruschetta
Basil goat cheese on the bottom, braised duck leg on top — a Jackson original.
Signature Meatloaf
Topped with red-wine braised Swiss chard — the dinner menu's most-ordered plate.
Good to know
Schoolhouse Restaurant & Tavern, answered
What's the best seat in the house?
Book a train-car booth if you want the full Schoolhouse experience — they go first on weekends.
When are you open?
Dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday; the kitchen closes at 8pm sharp.
What should I save room for?
The chocolate hummus — an unlikely dessert that has become a regulars' order.