YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE NEWS about a small-town Texas diner changing its name to Trump Cafe. And you may have certain ideas about the provenance of the name: that it was done on a whim, as a think-fast publicity stunt, or perhaps that the owners of the newly rechristened cafe are anti-immigrant activists drawn to presidential candidate Donald Trump’s particular brand of rhetoric. You may have even thought it was all one big joke. You would be wrong.
Israeli-born Eddie Hawa, 46, and his wife Sue Hawa, 28, are both immigrants from Jerusalem and practicing Muslims. Ten months ago, they purchased the establishment previously known as the Bellville Cafe in downtown Bellville, a little over an hour northwest of Houston. It sits on the postcard-ready Bellville town square, cattycorner from the imposing Austin County Courthouse. As of last week, after six months of planning and preparation, the restaurant rebranded itself as the Trump Cafe, ditching the previous menu of casual French fare in favor of an all-American lineup featuring burgers, chicken fried steaks and fried Oreos.
“We’re trying to get more ‘country’ into the menu,†said head chef Bonnie Padgett, 45. “He’s Americanized everything to where it’s what you would eat at home, we want you to be able to come in and relax like that,†Padget said of Eddie Hawa, who also serves as the executive chef at the family restaurant when he’s not busy handling the newly-arrived stock of Trump Cafe merchandise.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE NEWS about a small-town Texas diner changing its name to Trump Cafe. And you may have certain ideas about the provenance of the name: that it was done on a whim, as a think-fast publicity stunt, or perhaps that the owners of the newly rechristened cafe are anti-immigrant activists drawn to presidential candidate Donald Trump’s particular brand of rhetoric. You may have even thought it was all one big joke. You would be wrong.
Israeli-born Eddie Hawa, 46, and his wife Sue Hawa, 28, are both immigrants from Jerusalem and practicing Muslims. Ten months ago, they purchased the establishment previously known as the Bellville Cafe in downtown Bellville, a little over an hour northwest of Houston. It sits on the postcard-ready Bellville town square, cattycorner from the imposing Austin County Courthouse. As of last week, after six months of planning and preparation, the restaurant rebranded itself as the Trump Cafe, ditching the previous menu of casual French fare in favor of an all-American lineup featuring burgers, chicken fried steaks and fried Oreos.
“We’re trying to get more ‘country’ into the menu,†said head chef Bonnie Padgett, 45. “He’s Americanized everything to where it’s what you would eat at home, we want you to be able to come in and relax like that,†Padget said of Eddie Hawa, who also serves as the executive chef at the family restaurant when he’s not busy handling the newly-arrived stock of Trump Cafe merchandise.
https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2016/11/4/trump-cafe-bellville-texas-interview-behind-the-scenes
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