Chef Point Cafe entertains with unique location, 5-star food

Beyond the Conoco sign and gas pumps lies a hidden jewel. Yes, what you may have heard is true, the Chef Point Cafe is in fact a 5-star restaurant in a gas station.

Franson Nwaeze, Chef Point head chef, and his wife Paula couldn’t get a large enough loan from the bank to open up their own restaurant due to no prior experience, so a gas station was opened instead in 2003.

“[People] think it’s weird; they’re like ‘a restaurant-gas station sounds disgusting’ but then after I explain to them that it’s a fine dining restaurant they get very excited and want to come and try it out for themselves,” waitress Mia Sandora said.

Over the years Chef Point Cafe has gained significant publicity from publications including The New York Times, ”Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives” and Cooking With Paula Deen magazine.

“To be successful in the restaurant business you must first be passionate about you do,” Paula Nwaeze said. “After passion you need great marketing. You can have the best product in the world but if no one knows about it, they can’t buy it. Third, manage the money. Anyone of those three things can easily break you.”

Among being famous for their bread pudding and Top-Knot mushrooms, this cafe has a wide variety of food. Ranging from burger, to chicken and waffles, to lamb chops and roasted sea bass.

I had opportunity to enjoy the calamari, chicken and waffles, bread pudding and a chocolate flourless brownie. The calamari was perfectly crispy, sprinkled with their secret seasoning and served with cocktail sauce. Although I enjoy the tentacles and not the actual small squid bodies, my family enjoyed the other parts.

The chicken and waffles were my favorite. The waffles were perfectly cooked and the chicken had a fine crispy coating. The chicken went along perfectly with the hot syrup, and the fresh berries added another taste.
Once I tasted the bread pudding, I instantly understood why it is famous. The bread melted in my mouth, and when I tried it with the homemade cognac sauce, I tasted heaven. Along with the bread pudding, the flourless brownie softened with the vanilla ice cream, melting upon my tongue.

Although Chef Point Cafe has the prices of a 5-star restaurant, the quality of the food went beyond my expectations, and is definitely worth the higher prices.

“People like the feel of the restaurant, not only because the food’s really good but they’re surprised when they walk in because it’s a gas station,” host Randall Friday said. “It’s pretty energetic all the time which adds to the atmosphere.”

This is the only location so far for Chef Point Cafe, but the Nwaezes have been thinking about opening other unique restaurants with a different concept.

I will definitely be on the lookout for more unique restaurants like this one and I’ll be back to Chef Point Cafe for more delicious food.

Aubrie Sisk
Brave Heart rib eye steak served with mixed vegetables and pan roasted potatoes.[/caption]