New Easton cafe serves up breakfast and lunch
In Easton, no restaurant is really out of the way – except for Fé Café.
Located on the ground floor of the 4400 Easton Commons office building, the breakfast-and-lunch restaurant is away from the busier retail district of the town center.
Yet, it’s not too far to enjoy homemade Caribbean, French and American dishes and desserts, chef and owner Billy Strickland said.
“I’m not overbearing,” Strickland said. “Simplicity is my key.”
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The former owner of C’est Si Bon in Bexley, Strickland opened her latest restaurant about a month ago.
The brightly lit open space seats more than 30 comfortably, with a mix of high and low tops, and sofa seating. Customers are greeted with a long, stainless counter and largely orange and wood-paneled walls.
“I like the quaintness but financially we could do better,” Strickland said.
The good news is she is within the reach of hundreds of office workers and the café is open to all.
And the food, while approachable, has cheffy touches and pairings to create dynamic flavors.
Case in point: the panini sandwich with sharp cheddar cheese and chocolate on sourdough bread.
“It’s not super sweet,” she said. “It balances out with the sharpness of the cheese.”
Fé Café – fé meaning faith in Spanish – is a place to get a legit Cuban sandwich. Strickland layers the sandwich with house-roasted pork marinated in soffrito, ham, Swiss, pickles and mayoketchup, a souped-up Puerto Rican condiment that blends mayo, ketchup and other ingredients. The sandwich is set on sobao bread, brushed with butter to form a nice crust when browned on a flattop press.
“The layers are phenomenal,” she said.
She also serves a classic quiche Lorraine, served on a homemade crust.
Strickland, of Puerto Rican descent, began cooking when she was a girl in Akron. Growing up on the low end of the economic spectrum, she had to make due with whatever the family had on hand. That involved mixing in herbs, vegetables and spices – anything to coax flavors out of bland food.
“Whatever food we had, maybe when I was 9, I made what I could,” said the Pickerington resident.
She said she completed a two-year culinary program at East High School, from which she graduated.
Although she catered events for family and friends, she left Ohio to pursue a career in law enforcement in North Carolina.
After she met her future husband, Pryesst Strickland, she returned to the Buckeye State. They opened C’est Si Bon in 2011 but closed in 2018.
Pryesst Strickland died in January and Billy Strickland was distraught. She was ready to return to cooking.
Strickland also carries a full line of coffees made with Puerto Rican beans from Gusto Coffee Co. Beverages run the gamut – espresso, cappuccino, French press and cortado, a Spanish beverage.
Keeping with her heritage, she makes savory empanadas, quesitos (sweet pastries) and a list of rotating specials, such as beans and rice, Caribbean chicken and island-style jambalaya.
“I cook what I like to eat,” she said.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For more information, call 614-483-9560.