Cafette defies expectations for 13 years

Unique Hill eatery a triumph of mind over platter

Jan Wilson, 47, a lifelong Chestnut Hill resident, has run the Cafette ship for 13 years. Some of the restaurant’s favorite dishes are the crab salad, the black bean cakes and the chicken salad sandwich. (Photos by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

by LEN LEAR

Jan Wilson, 47, has a license to thrill. Her 13-year-old restaurant, Cafette, at 8136 Ardleigh St., is a triumph of mind over platter. Although it has lasted 10 times longer than any of its immediate predecessors, Cafette still has lots more juice left in its caboose.

Cafette is unique and quirk-alicious. It is the only restaurant in the Chestnut Hill area that is not only on a non-major road but is the only business on a residential street that otherwise has only single-family homes.

For 20 years, from the mid-’50s to the mid-’70s, Gump’s Luncheonette was housed in the property at 8136 Ardleigh St. It was a popular gathering place for nearby residents and youngsters relaxing after a game at the Water Tower. When Jan was a child, her grandmother, who lived right around the corner, would send her to Gump’s for sandwiches or ice cream. After Gump’s, many wannabes tried their hand but had no staying power.

Then came Wilson, who has been down the long and grinding road. When she opened Cafette in June of 1992, some neighbors reacted as if she were carrying the Ebola virus. Eventually, however, the most vociferous opponent moved out of the neighborhood, and Jan won over the others with her sunshine personality and cheerleader enthusiasm. (She also does not close the restaurant when she runs out of rolls, as Gump’s used to do.)

“I’m very bullish about Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy,” said Jan. “I love this area, and I feel privileged to live here. In addition to the food, what has helped us to last this long is the sweet relationship between our customers and our staff. For example, Ginny (Wilson-Williams, Cafette’s manager since day one) knows everybody’s name, including the kids, and the customers really matter to her. Ginny will bring in lilacs and forsythia from her home for our garden. (Ginny’s daughter, Heidi, is a server at Cafette who ‘tries to quit her job every so often but just can’t bring herself to do it.’)

“Our customers are cosmopolitan people who could go to any restaurant to eat, but they keep coming back to this little place, and we really appreciate it. Last night a lady who is pregnant came in with her husband. She is now 30 and has been coming here to eat since the beginning. She always gets ‘Rasta Pasta.’ Years ago, she always got sauce on the side. She comes from a really nice family who live on Springfield Avenue. They always do beautiful decorations for every holiday. Having customers like them is what makes this place so special for me.”

Jan Wilson has become as much of a Chestnut Hill institution as the Water Tower or Pastorius Park, and she moves faster than a flounder through a Legionnaire. A graduate of Jenks School and Girls’ High School, Jan is also a former president of the Jenks Home and School Association and a former CHCA board member. She was once a waitress and later a manager at Chautauqua, the predecessor of Pollo Rosso and Stella Notte, both now defunct. In addition, Jan was a disc jockey at several night clubs including London’s Hard Rock Cafe, and she interviewed rock bands for a local TV station.

Jan has also made wedding gowns for area residents, and she is a certified massage therapist. She normally does her massages on Sundays (and loves to get takeout from Cin Cin). “I love doing massages,” Wilson explained, “because you’re having a favorable impact on someone’s body and soul, just as you do with good food. I’m always looking to develop new skills. It makes life so interesting, never boring.”

For lunch, Cafette has a huge variety of salads from $3.95 to $6.95 (my favorite is the awesome Asian Noodle Salad); hoagies from $5.95 to $6.95 (Dave’s Italian is a classic), sandwiches from $4.95 to $11.95 and entrees from $5.95 to $10.95. (Customers will never let Jan take the Rasta Pasta and Vegetarian Lasagna off the menu.)

For dinner, appetizers range from $5.75 to $11.95 (try the savory Vegetarian Black Bean Cake); salads from $3.95 to $7.25, pasta dishes from $10.95 to $13.95 and other entrees from $10.95 to $22.95. (The slow-roasted Baby Back Ribs are “I’d like to thank the Academy” quality.) There is a Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Cafette also does a huge takeout business.

Bruce Allen, kitchen manager for five years, makes a sensational barbecue sauce and many of the daytime dishes, while nighttime chef (a three-year employee) Mike Donato, a native of Australia, makes sublime sautés and specials every night.

In 2001, Jan introduced a major bonus for Cafette customers when she started al fresco dining in a beautiful garden with six tables and a profusion of flowers and sculptures. As usual, Jan received the cooperation of neighbors and friends in creating the garden patio. David Marcolina, then-manager of Towey’s Tavern; Fred Maulucci of Kilian’s Hardware, and Wyndmoor resident Mary Costello were all “angels” who helped make the dream a reality, which also includes an herb garden.

Anyone who dines out regularly knows that Cafette’s prices are extremely reasonable, considering the quality of the food and service. (You may bring your own wine, of course.) When I wrote an article for the Local on Cafette’s fifth anniversary, I discovered that many prices — for soups and sandwiches, for example — had not changed at all in five years. Many others had gone up a mere 20 cents.

In recent years prices have been raised a bit more, for which Jan is almost apologetic. “I feel really bad whenever I have to raise prices,” she said, “but sometimes I have no choice. Because of the huge increases in gasoline prices, every food vendor has been adding fuel surcharges, and it has to affect our prices. After all, our employees actually want to get paid ... There is a tradeoff here. Our employees make less money (than at expensive restaurants), but they have a better lifestyle. There is no chef yelling at them and less pressure. That’s why people who come to work here usually stay.”

After 13 years of running Cafette, Jan Wilson admits she has added a few pounds and a few gray hairs, but she insists she has “never felt better or been happier. I am no longer a size 8 and I have gray hair, but that’s not what life is about. It’s about heart and soul, and I believe that’s what we have here at Cafette.”

Fore more information, call 215-242-4220.