Construction Underway for Claudia Juarez’s Café Piña

By Kris Norton

Jasper – A ribbon cutting event is still months in the future, but construction on Café Piña at the Jasper River Centre is now underway.

Chef Claudia Juarez, originally from Southern California, is bringing her culinary skills to the River Walk. Though Juarez is familiar with the area, as her family moved to Jasper when she was 14 years old.

What began as a childhood dream – days watching the Food Network and asking to help with family holiday meals – is now becoming a reality for Juarez. The time that Juarez spent with Chef Wolfgang Puck’s catering company in Hollywood furthered her belief that her future would be tied into culinary arts.

“I realized I wanted to keep serving people and open a restaurant when I was working for Wolfgang Puck, for the Grammy’s and Oscars…” Juarez said. “It’s like an assembly line and everyone is ‘Go, go, go.’”

If Juarez could handle the high-pressure environment of serving celebrities, Juarez says she too, could handle a place of her own.

“It’s going smoothly and you think, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re feeding hundreds of people’, and you don’t feel like you’re feeding hundreds of people,” Juarez said. “So then, I was like, ‘I can do this.’”

While the hours of operations are still being ironed out, Juarez intends to operate early in the morning until early afternoon. Opening at 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. is a strong possibility.

Café Piña will serve a variety of food and drink options, including all-day breakfast and fresh orange juice squeezed by a machine on the premises. Though Café Piña will not be limited to breakfast – Juarez has recruited the help of family members to collect the best cocktail ideas. Of course, the eatery will have a bar to go with.

The mixture food and drink may lead to a unique crowd, joked Juarez.

“You can have the hungover bridal party, and then people coming in for church on a Sunday,” Juarez said.

Also unique – Juarez’s favorite feature in the restaurant, the sliding windows. She has a plan on just how to use them.

“Those are so cool,” Juarez said. “I’m going to use one of them for the To-Go area so you don’t physically have to walk into the building and grab your To-Go. I’m hoping to have an online system where you can order ahead.”

As far as atmosphere goes, Juarez hopes to use the River Walk setting to create the illusion of a vacation while being minutes from home.

“You know when you’re on vacation and you’re looking for a good breakfast, brunch place?” Juarez asked. “That’s what I want people to feel like, that they’re going on a little trip, but they’re at home.”

Juarez also hopes to have a small seating area outside.

Juarez and Café Piña are aiming for an opening date in early March.

More information and updates on Café Piña's progess can be found here.