The wall Cathy's Kitchen To-Go (10198 West FlorissantCathy's Kitchen's new location is full of stories. It's decorated with personal photographs of husband-and-wife co-owners Cathy and Jerome Jenkins, who started out in a custom necktie business and eventually developed chemicals for printing space suits. Along with photos from the journey funded by this discovery, there are displays of many of the dishes that inspired the original Cathy's Kitchen, which the couple founded shortly after their return in 2013.
The plywood mural tells the story of what the store owners experienced in 2014, when unrest following the shooting of Michael Brown left them worried about the survival of their businesses.
Plus, there are tons of photos of the famous people the Jenkinses have met along the way, from Tom Hanks to Paul McCartney to their best friend Melissa Etheridge. “We're so grateful,” Cathy says. “It's much nicer to be invited to a party than to have to ask someone to come.”
Located in the R&R Marketplace development in the heart of Dellwood, Cathy's Kitchen ToGo will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting today at 10:30 a.m. The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant offers dine-in, takeout and delivery.
Here's what you need to know before you go, including details about the robot server Plato.
menu
Though the space is new, customers can expect the same beloved Cathy's Kitchen food they've had for the past 11 years. Cathy Jenkins continues to draw on the culinary traditions she learned while traveling from New Mexico to Florida, California and the Southwest. Favorites include the delicious shrimp and grits smothered in cheddar cheese and spicy sausage gravy, creamy Cajun chicken pasta (seafood also available) and the Friday special, which combines fried chicken, shrimp and catfish. The Friday special proved so popular that it's now available every day. “Guests kept requesting it, so now we offer it all the time,” says Cathy.
In addition to classic favourites, Jenkins plans to add more items to the menu, including jambalaya, which will be available at the grand opening, and is also excited to share some of the cooking he learned about on a recent trip to Australia, including Aboriginal cuisine.
“My goal is always to recreate the tastes of this place,” Jenkins says. “What's interesting about Australia is that it's such a melting pot. There are so many cultures, but I really enjoyed learning about Aboriginal foods. I tried kangaroo, emu and crocodile tongue. They were all delicious except for the kangaroo, which was quite gamey and tough, but worth trying.”
atmosphere
The dining room has six booths; dine-in diners can order at the counter or at one of two kiosks. The space is bright, with red walls covered in the aforementioned artwork and a small window that looks into the spacious kitchen, which is much larger than Ferguson's original location. With the extra space, Jenkins is confident the kitchen will be able to cut ticket times and offer more menu specials.
One of the new locations' most notable additions is a robot server called Plato, who delivers food and collects customers' trash. “I first saw this at the airport and knew we needed it because we don't have enough staff,” says Cathy. “It allows the counter staff to talk on the phone or take orders while they deliver the food. Customers love it – they take the trash, they say 'happy birthday,' they're helpful and friendly, and they're never late.”
The owners are excited to be part of R&R Marketplace, a project spearheaded by Jerome's brother, pastor Ken Jenkins. The vision for the development is to be a one-stop shop for social services, where community members can get everything from child care to job training to addiction treatment.
“We started working together in a tie store and now we're back together,” says Cathy. “I can't help but come here to spend time with my family. It feels like I've come full circle.”
background
After his wildly successful invention of inkjet printing on fabrics, the material was used in everything from NASA space suits to George Clooney's costumes. Ocean's TwelveKathy and Jerome Jenkins could afford to take a big trip every year. Usually it was a trip to Disney World, but one year they decided to do something different and set off on a culinary adventure across the country where they learned about the different food traditions across America. The trip was so inspiring that upon returning home, Kathy decided to use what she had learned on the road to start a take-out service from her home. She was so successful that she decided to open a full-fledged restaurant, Kathy's Kitchen, and welcomed her first customers to her Ferguson location in 2013.
Much like her travels, the menu is based on the greatest hits of the country's diverse cuisines. The restaurant has garnered a loyal fanbase, and she looks forward to expanding it with the new location. “We're so excited to be here,” Cathy says, “and to be a part of this vision for the community.”
