Crossroads receives State Senate Empire Award

Last week, The Crossroads Bar & Grille — a mainstay in Lansing that has served the community with more than just food for several decades — received the New York State Senate 2021 Empire Award from Sen. Pam Helming. The award is in appreciation for the hard work owner Jay Dietershagen and others have done throughout the pandemic to support those in Lansing and beyond.

Dietershagen took over as owner of Crossroads back in 2009, and while he’s long been dedicated to having a community-oriented business, he really ramped up his efforts over the past couple of years.

Back in March of 2020, Crossroads was among the many restaurants in the county that had to switch to all to-go orders for several months. But, fortunately, Crossroads fared considerably better than others.

“We were doing just as much business out the back door as we would on a Friday or Saturday,” Dietershagen said. “Obviously, we weren’t selling alcohol, but food sales were there. So, it was incredible. And then, you look at it from an operational standpoint where it’s like, OK, well, I don’t have all the labor. I don’t have all these food costs or all this liquor cost. … So, we fared pretty well when it was to-go only.”

Still, Dietershagen knew that plenty of others were struggling, so he set out to do something about it.

“I had a little bit of downtime,” he said. “I don’t have a wife and I don’t have any kids. I have a cat. So, I’m pretty free to roam around the cabin, if you will. … So, with that free time, I was like, ‘OK, well, what can I do of service?’ And I was like, ‘Alright, think about this.’”

That line of thinking led Dietershagen to decide to turn a long-held interest of his — baking cookies — into a community service operation he dubbed Cookies for Causes. About once every three months, Dietershagen picks a theme like Cookies for Clothing, Cookies for Cans or, his most recent effort, Cookies for Kids.

For each theme, Dietershagen bakes hundreds of cookies and prepares them in bags. Then, he sends the word out on social media that he’s collecting various items to be given away to families in need, like nonperishables, hats, scarves or toys. Each person who donates then receives a bag of cookies in exchange for their donation, and that incentive has gone a long way.

“I will say [that they’re] the best cookies,” he said. “I will pat myself on the back.”

Dietershagen’s first theme was Cookies for Clothing, and he asked folks to come and donate the clothes from their closet they weren’t wearing anymore to fill Crossroads’ catering van, which didn’t take long. The Salvation Army in Ithaca helped out, and together, they filled over 30 laundry carts with clothing to donate.

This month, with his Cookies for Kids theme, Dietershagen is working together with the organization Cops, Kids and Toys to collect toy donations to be given to county families who would otherwise not be able to afford Christmas presents (see today’s cover story for more information on their work). So far, toy donations have filled over four of Dietershagen’s donation bins, and residents have donated over $750 in cash to give to Cops, Kids and Toys.

“If I did it under my own banner, I don’t think it would have nearly as much traction,” Dietershagen said. “They’ve already established themselves. They know how to allocate stuff. They know where it’s going. … Obviously, I want the kids to have Christmas. … In a grandiose scheme, I’m trying to bring a little bit of light into some dark places.”

Dietershagen put his culinary skills to work this Thanksgiving when he and his staff cooked and donated 55 meals to residents like those living in Woodsedge Apartments in Lansing and deputies at the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department.

“I’ve been here for 12 years, and I have a great community that supports me,” Dietershagen said. “I feel like giving back is the way to go. And if we can be as infectious in that way as possible, then that’s a good thing.”

In addition to his passion for the culinary arts, Dietershagen loves riding his bike — often biking at least 30 miles a day — so, he decided to turn that into a community service opportunity over the summer.

This summer, Dietershagen partnered with Future Farmers of America to create a GoFundMe page where folks could sponsor Dietershagen’s long bike ride across the state. He biked to Niagara Falls, Albany and New York City, with the whole trip taking about 31 hours to complete. The proceeds — about $7,000 — were then donated to the county’s six school districts — Lansing, Trumansburg, Ithaca, Newfield, Groton and Dryden.

Next summer, Dietershagen is planning a similar bike trip, this time from Key West, Florida, all the way to Myers Park in Lansing.

The Empire Award was a great way to recognize these and other efforts, even though Dietershagen still can’t believe it.

“It’s still kind of like, is it real?” Dietershagen said. “It happened. It transpired. [Sen. Helming] was here. I shook her hand. We took pictures together. … Everything was surreal. … I didn’t expect any kind of awards. And I don’t need any kind of awards.”

As humble as Dietershagen is, he is appreciative of the award and hopes it’ll help shine the light on the work he and others are doing so they can reach even more people in need.

“Hopefully, it’ll give more traction to what I’m trying to do or what we’re trying to do,” he said. “It’s very wonderful. I’m glad because a lot of people, not just me, were a part of that. Obviously, the community is a big part of it. All my employees are a big part of it. My parents are a big part of it. But yeah, anything we can do to draw attention to … needs, inadequacies, where we can help, where we can be better people.”

Already, the award has garnered Crossroads plenty of attention, with hundreds of residents saying “congratulations” on Dietershagen’s Facebook announcement.

“It’s been crazy,” Dietershagen said. “My phone’s been blowing up with people who I don’t even know, just like, ‘Your restaurant’s great. You’re an inspiration,’ which is very cool. I just want to be a guy in the world making something a little better.”

Dietershagen said that beyond donations, he encourages residents to think conscientiously about what they can do to help others around them. Check out Crossroads in person at 3120 N. Triphammer Rd. or on Facebook at facebook.com/crossroadsbarandgrille to keep up with ways you can participate in Dietershagen’s efforts.

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.