The 5 Point Cafe is drawing a crowd to the site of a longtime Cleveland drug store at the well-known Five Points intersection.
Operator Jeanine Chastain grew up in Cleveland and she returned to her hometown to offer her culinary skills.
She notes that when she was growing up, her dad would bring the family to this very spot for sodas. Jeanine left Bradley County at age 19 and traveled many places as an Army wife. While living in Ithaca, N.Y., she was trained by a professional baker.
She has also operated Rebecca J's Tea Room on Central Avenue in Cleveland and, most recently, worked at the cafe at Hiwassee Outfitters.
Then the opportunity came along to run her own cafe in space prepared by builder Tim Arthur with an ole-timey look and feel. It includes a towering ceiling - as the restaurants, general stores and drug stores often had in the old days.
Jeanine is also a talented candy maker and, at the Christmas season, it is monopolizing much of her time to fill all the orders. She hand makes many kinds, but her passion is fudge.
The menu at the 5 Point Cafe includes burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, pizza, salad, soup and vegetables. Tempting desserts include fudge overboard brownie pie with ice cream or whipped cream, peach cobbler with ice cream, various ice cream flavors, old-fashioned banana splits, ice cream sundaes, milk shakes and Coke floats.
There is also a breakfast menu featuring eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, cheese grits, potato casserole, pancakes and other items.
The 5 Point Cafe is open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The old pharmacy building also includes eight new condo units.
Hamilton County Trustee Bill Hullander is a partner with Mr. Arthur in the venture.