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New Ferguson Restaurant is What Dreams Are Made Of

The Dining Divas

By Lisa Kampeter

Cathy’s Kitchen is Trip Around the U.S.

Usually, it’s all about us, the Dining Divas.  This month, it wasn’t about any of us.  This month, our small group walked into a new restaurant in Ferguson hoping for a belly full and a few laughs, but we walked out larger than life.  And we’re ready to return.

When I hear “road trip,” I’m ready for an adventure.  And Cathy’s Kitchen in Ferguson is just that.  It’s a trip and an adventure!  A trip down memory lane for Cathy and Jerome Jenkins, the owners.  A trip to the South.  Colorado.  New Mexico.  And so on.  The menu is based on their adventures.  Life is about living, and for once, they were able to slow down and enjoy life and take a two-month journey throughout the states.  Little did Cathy know, her culinary curiosity along the way and talent for tastes would turn into her own restaurant some day.

On her two-month trip, Cathy tried out many dishes, and those that she really enjoyed, she’d ask the cooks how they made them.  Often times, they just gave her the recipe.   It was obvious to us that Cathy’s warm smile and infectious laugh would be hard to resist.  No surprise to us that they would be so willing to share their recipes with her.

And then there’s Jerome, her husband.  What an inspiration!  You’ll have to stop in and hear his story.  I don’t think I can do it justice.  But let me just say this.  Honest to goodness hard work, perseverance, and simple kindness truly is rewarded.   Even if it’s in strange ways.

Ask him about his dream.  And not about his dream to be successful.  His dream that he had one night when he was sleeping.  I bet you’ll keep a pad and paper by your bed like I do now after hearing what happened to him.  It’s a great story.  A story about believing and never giving up.  Oh, and a little praying.  God truly does work in mysterious ways.

Cathy’s Kitchen is a diner with a twist.  You’ll find a hamburger and fries on the menu, like typical diner fare.  But Cathy’s burger has a little southwest in it.  The New Mexico Burger is served with Muenster cheese, lime, avocado, tomato, and corn chutney.  Hungry for a taste of the Windy City?  Try out the Chicago Style Vienne Polish Sausage.   Or how about the very popular Memphis Style Gumbo?  The menu is broken out by states and cities.  There are so many tempting choices

Cathy’s Pastry Chef Cortez is fantastic.  This big, high school football player-type does not look like your average pastry chef.  And when he showed up at Cathy’s restaurant one day and asked her to hire him, she made him prove himself on the spot.   She gave him her dessert recipe book, sent him to the kitchen, and told him to make a Dutch Apple Pie.  To her surprise, it was perfect!  But get there soon.  Cortez is leaving for culinary school.  Not sure if Cortez made the cookies we tried that night, but they were delicious.

For once, I was thrilled the Divas group was small this night.  We were so pleased that Cathy and Jerome visited with us at our table.  With a larger group, that may not have been the case.  In all my Dining Divas outings, I doubt I’ve felt so strongly about wanting to see a place succeed.  They really deserve it.

Fortunately for those of us in North County, we don’t have to take a long trip to enjoy Cathy’s Kitchen.  Stop by and meet them.  You will love them and the food.   And more than likely, you’ll then rush home to your dreams.
 
Drawing from inspiration gathered during a cross-country trip, the Jenkins family decided to pursue their love of cooking and open a diner-style restaurant in the heart of downtown Ferguson.

Cathy’s Kitchen celebrated its grand opening on Mon., July 8. The eclectic menu is filled with items that Cathy Jenkins, co-owner and chef, perfected during the family’s travels across the country, when she had the opportunity to work side-by-side with expert chefs to learn classic regional recipes and dishes.

The menu features Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza; Italian beef (from a recipe picked up in Chicago); and fish tacos from New Mexico, which are currently the restaurant’s top seller. According to a news release, Jerome Jenkins, Cathy’s husband and co-owner of Cathy’s Kitchen, also highly recommends the Fried Shrimp with Mild Sauce from Chicago, which he says is cooked in corn meal batter and will not taste the same unless it is served in a Chinese take-out box, allowing it to cook just a little bit longer.

The news release also provided the following information: “The restaurant is a new business venture for the Jenkins family, but Jerome and Cathy have owned businesses in St. Louis for decades, beginning with a hand-cut, handmade silk necktie business that opened in 1992, which started with door-to-door sales and eventually moved into St. Louis Center in Downtown St. Louis. Although the necktie business was somewhat short-lived, Jerome and Cathy were undeterred and started a new business by developing a chemical that pre-treats fabric in order to print permanent images on it with inkjet printers. This one-of-a-kind product, called Bubble Jet Set 2000, has gained global recognition from companies such as Disney, Hewlett Packard, Mattel, NASA and more.

“With one successful business under their belt, Jerome and Cathy decided to sit down with their three children and talk about doing something that they would all love, and since Cathy and their two daughters loved to cook, the family began to set their sights on opening a restaurant. They began by getting a manufacturing license so Cathy could distribute her own line of spices and seasonings, then she began catering area school functions and other places in the Ferguson community, and eventually she and Jerome got advice and encouragement from other businesses in the district to learn tricks of the trade when opening a restaurant.”