Lucille's American Cafe

Mediterranean Greek Salad.

LUCILLE'S

AMERICAN CAFE IN WINTER HAVEN

by James Coulter Photos By Chris Douglas

Everyone loves a good homecooked meal. However, sometimes you want one that’s not made at home! Sometimes, you just want to get out and let someone else do all the hard work of preparing a home-cooked meal, made from scratch, and with fresh ingredients.

Whether you crave a piping-hot chicken pot pie fresh from the oven, warm melt-in-your-mouth macaroni and cheese, or Chicken Rockefeller prepared with creamy spinach dip and fresh chopped bacon and cheese, you can eat homecooked comfort food away from the comforts of home at Lucille’s American Cafe in Winter Haven.

From the Black and Bleu Shrimp, lightly blackened shrimp with homemade bleu cheese dressing and the house special chili made with sirloin, to the Bread Pudding with spicy bourbon sauce, or Betsy’s Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting, Lucille’s American Cafe provides the comfort of All-American cuisine. It’s about the homemade meatloaf to smokehouse BBQ chicken to the three-cheese baked macaroni and the grilled pork chops, all enjoyed in a comfortable, hospitable dining environment in Downtown Winter Haven.

Everything from the main course to the desserts is made from

Gimme S'more: homemade graham cracker crust, marshmallow and vanilla ice cream. Chicken Rockefeller: chicken breasts topped with creamy spinach, bacon, and parmesan cheese served with sides.

scratch with fresh ingredients. Even their cocktails are made from fresh-squeezed juices and homemade sour mixes. Nothing is prepared from frozen or pre-cooked ingredients. Everything you eat and drink is as homemade as if they were prepared literally at home.

“It is classic comfort food,” said Beth Nunez, co-owner and manager. “Our motto is: sharing the stories that unite us while sharing classic comfort food that mom and grandma used to make...[It] is all made from scratch, made to order, made with love.”

Beth and Paul Nunez wanted to create the experience of enjoying homemade comfort food outside of the comforts of home. Since opening in April, they have provided residents and visitors alike such a luxury, preparing meals that bring people together for good food and good times.

“Before so many places [were about] eating out with fast food...people would gather at the table as families and talk about their day,” Beth said. “That is what we are trying to recreate in the sense of coming together, bringing people together...whether it is breakfast or cocktails or a family sharing a meal. That is our goal, to bring people together to share a meal with family and friends and enjoy each other’s company.”

Beth and Paul had previous experience owning and operating their original eatery in Weston since 1999. They have since decided to expand their venue by opening another eatery. They searched high and low through Winter Haven until they chose their current location. Witnessing all of the economic development in the area inspired them to set up shop in downtown, Beth said.

They first opened their doors in April. The past three months have seen progress with their eatery in stages to ensure their staff was well trained with only the highest standards. After all, they want to ensure their customers only receive the most personable service as though they were family, Beth said.

“I think it is in my blood,” Beth said. “When you are in the service industry, especially in a business like this, feeding people and seeing people enjoy with friends and family, celebrating, I think those are the things that are fulfilling to me as an owner... It feels good. It is comfortable. It is casual. So, I think providing a respite from the home, if you want a homecooked meal, you can have it here, whether it is an appetizer or cocktail from the bar, or sitting down with the family in the dining room or enjoying our homemade comfort food prepared from scratch by our staff.”

Paul Nunez, co-owner, has had service industry experience since he was 16 years old. After attending Johnson & Wales University for culinary, Florida International University for his manager degree, and running Weston eatery for 23 years, he felt the time was right to open another eatery in Winter Haven.

“I felt our concept could speak for the locals down here, being simple comfort food that grandma used to make, with love from the kitchen,” he said. “We thought it was the right concept for the right market, the right location, the right comfort base. And we felt like we had come in five years earlier, it would have been too early; and if we had come five years later, it would have been too late. So the timing was really good and exactly how it has [been] expected.”

The past three months have been difficult yet fulfilling. They have since started operating seven days a week and offering a full menu with breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. They hope to add blue plate and happy hour drink specials soon. Until then, they hope to slip out of the slow season and experience a greater influx of customers over the next few months.

Both Paul and Beth feel confident that their commitment to fresh food will draw in the downtown crowds. Most other eateries skimp out on their claim to freshness, while Lucille’s makes everything, including the barbecue and ketchup, from scratch.

“Even at the bar, we add a level of freshness that we do not feel people are doing,” Paul said. “[We] fresh squeeze our orange juices, making our own sour mix, there [are] no potions or powders so we are trying to bring a level of quality freshness and homemade prepared food to the community without it being fine dining or deliver an expensive fare.”

Lucille’s American Cafe is located at 205 3rd St SW, Winter Haven, FL 33880. The eatery is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit their website at: https://www. lucillescafe.com or FB@LucillesAmericanCafeWinterHaven