The Shadow
Highlighting local entrepreneurs, their dreams, and what makes them
thrive!
This feature is presented in a Q&A format to allow readers to hear
directly from the business owner.
City Café & Brewery: Homemade Flavor and Small-Town Charm
Homemade Goodness Awaits at City Café & Brewery
Tucked into the heart of the community, City Café & Brewery, owned by Jeannie
Boguess, is quickly becoming a welcoming spot for those looking to enjoy
homemade food, delicious desserts, and a relaxed atmosphere. Open daily from
11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., the café offers a place where friends can gather, families
can share a meal, and visitors can slow down and enjoy fresh, homemade flavors.
From comforting dishes to sweet treats made with care, Jeannie has created a
space where good food and friendly conversation come together.
Every business has a story behind it. What inspired you to open City
Café & Brewery, and how did the idea first come to life?
The idea for City Café & Brewery came about in a very natural way. At the
time, I was working as the general manager at Hardee’s. One day, I
stopped by another business we owned, J & E Auto, here in town, while I
was still in my work uniform. People started recognizing where I worked
and began saying things like, “Why don’t you open something like that
here?”
Several of them told me they had driven to Hardee’s to eat there and had
noticed how much it had improved over the years. They kept telling me that
our town needed something like that, something new and different. I heard
that over and over again: “We need something different.”
So, I started thinking about it and began looking for a place. It took a while,
but eventually I found a small location on Hawthorne Street that I absolutely
fell in love with. The moment I walked through the door, it reminded me of
being at my grandmother’s house. It felt warm, cozy, and inviting, and that
was exactly the atmosphere I wanted to create.
From the very beginning, my goal was simple: serve good, fresh, home-
cooked food. Nothing is frozen and shipped in from somewhere else. I get
my hamburger buns fresh every other day from Bartley’s Meat Market, and
all of our meat comes from there as well. Amy cuts our steaks and
prepares our pork, so everything is fresh.
We also try to source our vegetables locally whenever possible. Wiley’s
Garden Center supplies our lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers,
peppers, and jalapeños when they’re in season. When we first opened in
August, they were bringing in fresh produce regularly. During the off-
season, we have to find other suppliers, but as soon as local vegetables
are available again, we go right back to Wiley’s.
One of the things customers really look forward to is our Saturday Night
Steak Night from 5–8 p.m. Each Saturday morning, Amy cuts the steaks
fresh. We return them to the restaurant, let them reach temperature, and
then cook them to order. The response has been incredible; people really
seem to love it.
We also do some homemade specials. For example, one day we baked a
ham, sweet potatoes, macaroni salad, and homemade yeast rolls.
Everything we serve is made fresh, just like the meals many of us grew up
with.
Tell us a little about your background. Have you always had a passion
for cooking and baking?
I’ve been cooking since I was very young. My mother passed away when I
was 10, so I spent a lot of time with my grandmother during the summers.
Many of the recipes we use at the café actually come from her. For
example, her meatloaf recipe isn’t just ketchup and brown sugar; it has a
special sauce she taught me to mix inside, and I think that’s what makes it
so delicious.
Everything we make is homemade, from our cakes to all the classic comfort
foods that remind people of their childhood. That’s really the goal, bringing
people in to enjoy a taste of home, just like they remember from when they
were kids.
Your menu features homemade foods and desserts. What are some of
your most popular items so far?
Customers love our baked homemade cakes and desserts, the kind of food
that I hope reminds people of their childhood.
Another customer favorite is our cheeseburgers with hand-cut fries. We
don’t use frozen fries. When someone orders them, we cut the potatoes
fresh and cook them right then. The same goes for our burgers and hot
dogs; nothing sits around waiting to be served. Everything is cooked fresh
upon order.
Originally, we tried serving breakfast and even opened on Mondays
because so many people requested it. However, after a few months, we
realized it wasn’t sustainable. Mondays didn’t attract enough customers,
and serving breakfast cost nearly $2,000 per week in labor and food. As a
small business, you sometimes have to make tough decisions, so we
adjusted our hours and menu to accommodate.
Is there a signature dish or dessert that customers must try when
visiting?
I would say the meatloaf is definitely a must-try. It has actually earned a
permanent spot on the menu as “Meatloaf Thursday.” Several of the local
contractors requested it because they’re usually off on Fridays, so it has
become a regular weekly favorite.
Our burgers are also a big hit, especially when paired with our hand-cut
fries. If fries or onion rings aren’t what you’re in the mood for, we also offer
homemade sides like macaroni salad, potato salad, and coleslaw, which
are always available on the menu.
What makes City Café & Brewery different from other places someone
might grab a bite to eat?
What makes us different is that everything is fresh and homemade. For
example, we don’t pre-cook our hot dogs. When you order one, we cook it
right then.
Most of our food is made fresh to order, with the only exceptions being a
few of our daily specials. For example, when I prepare meatloaf, it goes on
the hot table around 11 a.m., and many days we sell about 10 pounds of it
by 2 p.m.
Our goal is to keep everything as fresh as possible by continually preparing
food throughout the day, so customers always get meals that have just
been made.
What kind of atmosphere or experience are you hoping people feel
when they walk through your doors?
When people walk through the doors of City Café & Brewery, the feeling I
want them to have is simple: I want it to feel like going to Grandma’s house.
When you went to your grandmother’s house, it was warm, comfortable,
and filled with people you knew, cousins, aunts, and friends. That’s the kind
of atmosphere we try to create here. It makes me happy when I see people
from different tables talking to each other, laughing, and sharing stories.
Kids know where the crayons and coloring books are, and they’ll grab them
and sit down like they’re at home. Sometimes, customers even pop their
heads into the kitchen to say thank you for a great cheeseburger if I didn’t
get a chance to come out and talk with them.
I want everyone who comes in to feel welcome. If someone needs
something special, a different kind of bread, a certain way of preparing
something, or even bringing in their own bread because of dietary
restrictions, we do our best to make it work. If we can help, we will.
At the end of the day, City Café & Brewery is about fresh food, homemade
recipes, and a place where people feel comfortable gathering together.
For someone who has never visited before, what would you
recommend as their first meal or dessert?
I make a really good homemade coconut cream pie with toasted coconut,
and it’s been a favorite. We also started making a milk chocolate cake with
a rich, lava-style chocolate icing, and people have been loving it as well.
My niece, Kimberly Grayson, also brings in some of her desserts from time
to time. I allow her to do pop-ups here, which helps both of us. It brings in
some of her customers who may not have visited the café before and gives
them a chance to discover us.
As for meals, the burgers are definitely a must-try. The cheeseburger and
bacon cheeseburger are very popular. One of the favorites is the Keith
Western Burger, which is a barbecue bacon cheeseburger topped with
jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, onion straws, and a pickle, all served on a
homemade Bartley’s patty. You really can’t go wrong with it.
Owning a business can be both exciting and challenging. What has
been the most rewarding part of opening your café?
Owning a business is both exciting and challenging. One of the most
rewarding parts is when customers ask me to make something special for
them, and I’m able to do it.
The hardest part is when people say they want something different in town
and ask you to open a place like this, only to find the support isn’t always
there afterward. Many people have suggested menu items, such as salmon
patties or other specials, and I’ve added them. But sometimes people ask
for things and then don’t come in to support them.
That part can be discouraging.
Still, the feedback we’ve received has mostly been very positive. People
seem to really enjoy the food.
What has the community response been like since you opened?
So far, mostly all positive so far. So far, I’ve gotten a lot of positive
feedback. People seem to really enjoy the food.
Are there any new menu items, events, or ideas you are hoping to
introduce in the future?
During Restaurant Week, we decided to introduce grilled chicken
sandwiches, something that really wasn’t being offered anywhere else
locally. We thought it would be fun to try something a little different, and it
turned out to be a great addition.
Right now, we offer two versions. One is a grilled chicken sandwich topped
with homemade ranch, Swiss cheese, and bacon. The other features a
special sweet bacon-jalapeño glaze that I cook and baste onto the grilled
chicken. It’s served on a bun with Swiss cheese, bacon, and onion straws,
and it has quickly become the more popular of the two.
At the moment, the grilled chicken sandwiches aren’t officially listed on the
menu, but they’re on our board, and customers can still order them. The
response has been so positive that they will likely be added to the regular
menu soon, as more people continue to ask for them.
Why is it important for communities like ours to support locally
owned businesses?
Running a small business requires significant time, effort, and financial
investment. It’s truly a dream that you pour everything into, and you’re very
proud of it. That’s why community support means so much.
Sometimes people will come in and say, “I didn’t even realize you were
here,” and that can be discouraging, but then the very next thing they say
is, “That was the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had.” When you’ve invested
your savings and put so much into building something, you hope people will
remember you and continue coming back.
What would you say to someone who hasn’t stopped in yet but has
been thinking about it?
I would encourage them to do so; I always encourage people to support not
just my café but other local restaurants as well. If my food isn’t what
someone is looking for that day, I’m happy to recommend other great
places in town, like Tropical Spice, the Hot Dog House, and other local
spots. During Restaurant Week, someone told me they didn’t realize we
had 24 restaurants in the area to visit, and I was quick to point out several
of them.
I try to support other local businesses whenever I can, including sharing
their social media posts and encouraging others to visit them. I want to see
them succeed just as much as I want to succeed. Our community can only
grow if we work together and support one another; that’s the only way it
truly works for everyone.
I may not be originally from here, but I’m a team player. I’m always willing
to jump in and help however I can because I want to see our whole
community thrive.
Are there any exciting plans or ideas you hope to bring to the café in
the future?
Looking ahead, I have a few ideas for the café’s future. One thing I would
really love to do is add a porch or deck along the side of the building where
people could sit outside, enjoy their meal, and even watch the trains go by.
I think it would create a really nice atmosphere, especially during the
warmer months.
I’d also like to add awnings to the front of the building and improve the
entrance area. One of my top goals is to make the café more accessible by
installing a ramp so people using wheelchairs can enter more easily.
That part is especially important to me. I’ve had people tell me they would
love to come eat here, but they can’t get inside because they’re in a
wheelchair. One woman told me she has two daughters who are both in
wheelchairs, and she can’t bring them in because the building isn’t
accessible.
That really breaks my heart, because I want everyone to feel welcome
here.
I’ve looked into several different options for making those improvements,
but right now the biggest challenge is the cost. Starting a small business
requires a significant financial investment, and at this time, I don’t have the
funds to proceed.
But it’s definitely something I hope to accomplish in the future. Making the
café more accessible and adding outdoor seating would mean a lot to the
community and to me.
Where can readers go to learn more about your store, browse your
items, or request custom work?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571761872260
Phone: 540.620.5589
Google
Closing Statement
For Jeannie, City Café & Brewery is more than a business; it’s an
opportunity to bring people together and share the kind of homemade
food that turns a quick stop into a memorable visit. Whether you’re
stopping in for a meal, a sweet treat, or simply a friendly
conversation, City Café & Brewery is quickly becoming a place where
the community can gather and feel at home. If you haven’t visited yet,
Jeannie invites you to stop by, say hello, and experience the flavors and hospitality that make local businesses so special.
