BY SARINA LOPRESTI
The Parthenon
Nestled in the heart of Central City is Central City Café, a small restaurant that's been serving up comfort food to local residents since owner Dave Luther decided to open the eatery 16 years ago.
On a warm summer morning in June, about 25 minutes before the restaurant opens for the day, Luther is placing crisp white tablecloths and the day's menu on all the tables in the restaurant. The walls are covered in framed newspaper clippings and old photos that show the city in a different time.
"I can talk and work at the same time," Luther said.
At around 10:45 a.m., the front door boasting the "closed" sign swings open and a couple of regulars stroll in and take their places at the counter, ready to have something to eat, calling greetings to everyone they see.
The comfortable eatery is expanding its business - now selling to customers trekking to town just to eat there - all because of a short clip that aired on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" earlier this month.
Luther said he owes thanks to another local eatery - Hillbilly Hotdogs.
"(The Food Network crew) was here filming Hillbilly Hotdogs and Rocco's and the truck stop in Olive Hill, Ky., and they asked the people at Hillbilly Hotdogs where they could film another place in the area and they sent them down here, so we're very thankful for that," Luther said.
The clip originally aired on the Food Network on June 15, and Luther said he's seen a bit of a change in the amount of customers he's had.
"We've had a small increase in the number of people coming," Luther said. "I'm excited about the phone calls I get...I've gotten calls from St. Louis, Denver - you name it. People just say they're going to be in the area and they want to stop by and they want to know my menu. I don't have fax machines or anything like that so I try to explain to them over the phone what we have here. It's exciting to know that people 2000 miles away are thinking about you."
Luther said he thinks his menu is simply full of the types of food people in the area like.
"We just serve good old comfort food," he said. "It's just something people are interested in around here. A lot of people don't like the fast food restaurants and more expensive restaurants. I'm sort of in between. I'm not a five-star maybe or anything like that. I don't know, but all of our food is good."
The Food Network clip featured the eatery's sweet cornbread and white bean chili, but also drew attention to the feeling of camaraderie and friendship that envelopes this small restaurant.
Tom and Laura Blake of Huntington said they've been going to Central City Café for about 10 years and that the food, the atmosphere and the people are what keep them coming back. Tom is even in the short clip on the Food Network.
"We're here almost every day," Laura said. "They're almost family here."
Tom echoed Laura's feelings about the restaurant and, more specifically, its owner.
"Dave would probably give you the shirt off his back if you wanted it," Tom said. "That's just the way he is."
While Tom said he's glad to see that the restaurant landed a spot on the Food Network show, he said there are some things he would have changed.
"I would have liked to have seen maybe 10 minutes of footage instead of just three," he said. "They were here for days. I would have liked to see them interview more people here."
"It's just a good place to eat," Laura said.
Central City Café is located at 529 14th Street West and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.
Sarina LoPresti can be contacted at lopresti1@marshall.edu.
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