Chef, owner drawing more fans to quaint Vista cafe

By: SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | Friday, September 29, 2006 10:18 PM PDT ∞

VISTA ---- It was John Randall's passion for the "sweet and simple" that first drew the 46-year-old into the culinary business decades ago and eventually led him to Vista.

Since he arrived here four years ago, it has been the sweet smell of homemade cinnamon rolls in the morning, simple, savory soups and a welcoming atmosphere that have beckoned customers, friends and employees to the doors of the Curbside Cafe, 307 Main Street.

"Food is one of the best pleasures in life," Randall said, his speech colored with a thick Buffalo New York accent. "I love for you to come in and sit down in my restaurant and say 'Wow John, that was good.' "

Randall will be celebrating his fourth year as the owner and chef of the cafe Monday. He said he has quadrupled profits since his start, but declined to provide specific figures.

The cafe's success, he added, is a testament to quality of the food and the excellent service his employees provide, as well as the originality of some of the hangout's more popular specialty items, such as the more than 50 homemade soups, sweet potato french fries, crab cake benedicts and, of course, the plump, fresh cinnamon rolls.

"John just has the best food in town," said Andrea Vollmer, a Vista resident for more than 40 years and the widow of the former Vista Unified School District trustee Lance Vollmer. "Once you have something here, you will be stuck."

Vollmer said she has frequented the restaurant several times a week for years, long before Randall bought the place. She said Randall's years of working as a chef in upscale restaurants around the country has "refined the menu."

Before taking over the popular hangout, Randall held a number of positions at Four Seasons hotels throughout Southern California. He was also a chef at a handful of fine-dining restaurants along the East Coast, working everywhere from Florida to New York.

Now, tan and laid-back in his demeanor, Randall's flat and nasally vowels are one of the only clues to his northeast upbringing.

From his start as a short order cook to eventually managing and heading up the kitchen, Randall said he has lots of experience working both the front and back of the house.

"(This) is a dream come true," he said about being in business for himself. "I don't really have to answer to anybody else but the customer."

That's not to say, however, that pleasing customers is not a lot of work.

Randall typically clocks 15-hour workdays, arriving at the cafe at about 4:30 a.m. to start baking the rolls and staying till 5 p.m., long after it's closed. Curbside serves breakfast and lunch ---- a menu that Randall wrote when he took over ---- from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. everyday of the year except Christmas.

"I come in on Christmas," he said, cracking a smile. "Why do I come in on Christmas? Because it's my baby and I like to wish it a happy holiday."

Kelly Burk, who has been waitressing for Randall since he took over, said watching the cafe and community grow together the last four years has been a great experience.

When Burk first came on board at the restaurant, she said, she was unsure how the customers were going to take to Randall's revamping and if his hard work was going to pay off.

But since then, she said, the restaurant's had "a record breaking weekend every other month."

On any given Sunday morning, there's a line of hungry customers waiting for a table.

"The people that come here, 90 percent of them are regulars, and the other 10 percent will become regulars," Burk said.

While Randall acknowledges that having a steady stream of customers is obviously great for business, he said the best part of his job has been getting to know his clients and give something back to the community.

"If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't pick a different spot," he said.

Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 631-6604 or schabner@nctimes.com.

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