Frank Halayay answered his question.
”
Why not do breakfasts?
”
the chef and owner of the Cozy Cup Cafe in Hollister said.
Frank Halayay answered his question.
“Why not do breakfasts?” the chef and owner of the Cozy Cup Cafe in Hollister said.
Frank has been fine tuning a wide selection of breakfast and lunch creations, and crafting nouvelle catering menus for more than eighteen years in the same cozy meeting spot on Fourth Street.
He grew up in Hollister, traveled the world with the Sheraton Corporation, but returned to his hometown to start his own restaurant – a dream he has had since childhood. In fact, childhood is where the chef found inspiration for much of the Cozy Cup cuisine.
“I’ve always loved to cook,” Frank said. “There were all boys in our family and we had to help our mother in the kitchen. Many of the dishes I have created are based on memories I have of childhood.”
His famous “Potato Works,” a combination of roasted potatoes, mushrooms, onions, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, sour cream and avocado all sauteed together, came from a breakfast his mother made for the family when money was short.
“My parents were farm workers; we were poor. We often had a dish of rice, eggs and hot dogs for breakfast. I wanted to do a dish based on a memory from my past,” he explained. “The ‘Potato Works’ and our ‘Super Works’ are being copied in many restaurants now, but they started here.”
Although Frank always dreamed of owning his own restaurant, he had been training for a career as a police officer at California State University, Sacramento when his career path changed. He had a part-time job at a local restaurant and the executive chef suggested he was wasting his talents, and encouraged Frank to go to culinary school.
“So I went and I did it, it just came so natural,” Frank reminisced of his time at the Culinary Institute of San Francisco. “I’ve been in the industry for thirty years, and as the executive sous chef at the Sheraton Corporation, I did a little bit of everything while living around the world in places like Hawaii and the Caribbean.”
In the end, Frank came back to Hollister to make his dream of owning a restaurant a reality, because he said it’s his hometown.
“Everybody I know comes in to visit, people I grew up with,” he said. “This is more than a restaurant; it’s a meeting place.”
The cozy, fresh decor, which creates such a welcoming environment was designed by his wife, Wendy. She is the business side of the cafe. “Without her help, I couldn’t exist,” Frank said. “She lets me do my cooking, gives me a free hand and she does everything else!”
Frank’s secret to a successful 18 year run is simple – just give the customer what they want. Plus, he tries to avoid the same old restaurant paradigms many other businesses fall prey to.
“I am here seven days a week, and I experiment every single day,” Frank said. “Ideas just pop out of my head!”
On weekends he creates more than eight specials a day, signature dishes like Macadamia Nut Crunchy French Toast, Banana Foster Crepes or Pumpkin Pancakes.
Many of the local customers stopping in have become weekly regulars over the years. Bikers who come into town for the Independence Day Rally book their favorite tables a year in advance; and a lot of their customers are visitors from other countries.
“We’ve asked them how they find out about us,” Wendy said. “They tell us gas stations and hotels from as far away as Monterey suggest they try the Cozy Cup.”
The Cozy Cup Cafe is located at 380 Fourth St. Phone: 637-3730
