Lambert placing stamp on Fort Worthy of culinary landmarks

Of the many items the Greek immigrant has bestowed on American lifestyle, the thought of the greasy spoon coffee shop and diner stand out.

Lots of of the diners serving New York Town to this working day are owned and operated by any a person of the many descendants of the inflow of Greek immigrants who arrived at the starting of the previous century. To the shores of Ellis Island, they brought with them the kaffenion, that area again at residence the place the blue-collar class collected to discuss more than espresso or perhaps a little something much more spirited.

The Greek diner that advanced in the melting pot of the land of option certainly remaining a long lasting impact – something akin to a entire-system tattoo — on Louis Lambert.

Not all that very long in the past, he was a younger Texan in New York plotting the contributions he would make to culinary culture in Fort Truly worth as a university student at The Culinary Institute of The united states. Through periods of respite, journeys to the town commonly bundled a quit at one particular of these Greek diners.

“I was normally fascinated by the Greek diners,” stated Lambert. “That’s a phenomenon that we – or I – did not know about in Texas. I was always fascinated by the notion and said 1 working day I want to do that. I just under no circumstances had the prospect.”

That’s all transforming with a single of the city’s most iconic dining destinations soon shifting palms.

Lambert is element of the team obtaining the historic Paris Coffee Store on the northwest corner of Magnolia and Hemphill. He is joined in the company with investors Rodger Chieffalo, Mark Harris and Chris Reale, the exact group bringing the historic Roy Pope boutique grocery on the west facet again from the ashes.

Not extended right after the consummation of that offer, the Paris Espresso Shop arrived on the market, explained Lambert, who was alerted by Chieffalo, his longtime close friend and fraternity brother at TCU.

Suddenly all visits to the diners in New York Town and visions of his individual converged.

“That would be best for what I’ve been thinking about all these yrs,” Lambert recalled.

The deal declared in November is envisioned to shut in February, Chieffalo said, and contains the entire “kit and caboodle.” In addition to the organization and every little thing inside of the developing, the group is attaining the home as nicely as an adjoining place of work constructing.

Lambert, a Paris diner for far more than 40 several years, commencing with his many years as a university student at TCU, vowed to keep the “soul of Paris Coffee Store.” At the very same time is the recognition of the require to revive and modernize to reflect the times and changed demographics in the bustling Close to Southside neighborhood.

Paris Coffee Shop, which lived by way of quite a few hard moments along the Hemphill Road and Magnolia Avenue corridor, will be becoming a member of the renaissance of the Around Southside.

Many of the updates in the diner essentially will extra intently resemble what was the aged Paris with much larger booths, new seating and surfaces, and a larger ceiling and improved lights. The group strategies to extend and update the counter service as nicely as embrace the custom of Paris’ famous pies with a new bake shop.

“We’re putting cash into giving our respect to what it was and what it requirements to be currently to mirror the market place and demographic of the community,” Lambert claimed.

Every thing will be contemporary and created in-home.

The menu will be expanded, however consist of the blue-plate specials, but also lighter, healthier choices, Lambert said.

The structure of the cafe will stay the exact same, Lambert mentioned. Having said that, what was when a storage spot in the back will be converted into a non-public eating spot for business conferences or overflow seating.

Not all of this will transpire at when. Upon closing of the sale, existing operator Mike Smith will continue to be on for 30 days all through the transition. Some tweaks will be made to the menu, but renovations will not come about for about 6 months, Lambert explained. That phase of the undertaking is expected to get started in July 2021 and choose two to 3 months to complete, he mentioned. It will also incorporate a gutting of the kitchen.

In addition to Paris’ breakfast and lunch several hours of the past 95 many years, Lambert will add meal when they reopen, as nicely as entire bar provider. (That will not include things like an true bar.) Support hours will be 7 times a week.

“I’ve accomplished a good deal of definitely appealing and neat tasks over the a long time, but this one particular I sense additional tension than any I’ve ever carried out mainly because of the historical past guiding it and enjoy of what it signifies,” Lambert said.

To emphasize that, Lambert shared a recent discussion with an associate, who passed together a piece of tips on his latest endeavor: Never, um, screw it up.

“It’s acquired so much history and so lots of people invested in it,” Lambert claimed. “We have a good deal of eyes on it. I place a lot of stress on myself to provide equally an aesthetically great although nailing the meals.

“And do it day immediately after working day following working day.”

There is in fact a great deal of background below.

Paris Espresso Shop has been in the palms of the Smith family members due to the fact 1926. The diner moved from its original area, 614 W. Magnolia, in the mid-1970s when the metropolis widened Hemphill Road, Smith mentioned. For the earlier 55 many years, it has been less than the course of Mike Smith, the son.   

“We felt like it was a fantastic time to stage in,” reported Chieffalo. “Mike unquestionably had an desire in marketing. He required another person to take it and go on to operate and it and not bulldoze it and change it into a parking great deal.”

Mentioned Smith: “After 55 years, it is time.”

We do not keep superior food stuff – we promote it was a mantra viewed in ads all over the 1930s.

Gregory K. Smith acquired the diner from Vic Paris. He ran it for 40 decades.

The 26-calendar year-outdated Gregory K. Smith wound his way to Fort Worthy of from Rikers Island, the strip of land in the East River amongst Queens and the Bronx in New York.

When he arrived in The us in 1913 as a 13-year-outdated, his title was not Gregory Smith, but rather Grigonos Asikis.

A Greek immigrant who ran a Greek diner.

“He transformed his identify to Smith so he could get a task,” Mike Smith said.

Unbeknownst to Lambert when this all started out, the Paris Coffee Store actually is his dream undertaking in each way.