Come and Take It Cafe coming to downtown Atlanta

The Come and Take It Cafe food truck has been open in Atlanta more than a year. Its owner J. P. Denson is ready to expand to a location in downtown Atlanta, Texas.
The Come and Take It Cafe food truck has been open in Atlanta more than a year. Its owner J. P. Denson is ready to expand to a location in downtown Atlanta, Texas.

If you know what the Atlanta Opera House, the Battle of Gonzales and the Come and Take It Cafe have in common, you'll know something about what is coming for downtown Atlanta.

Come and Take It Cafe is a food truck on West Main. It is going to revive the location of the former Atlanta Opera House on East Main into a restaurant and catering service.

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Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) warms up before their NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Atlanta's Opera House goes way back, says new owner J.P. Denson.

"We think it's the oldest building in town, first built in 1875," Denson said.

How does the Battle of Gonzales fit in here?

First, do you know where the Come and Take It name comes from? It's a part of Texas history.

It seems, Denson said, in 1835, the Texas settlers responded to the Mexican Army's request to be given back their cannon with this 'come and take it' message.

Here's the complete story:

In January 1831, an official requested armament from Mexico for defense of Gonzales against Indians and received in return a small used bronze cannon. The swivel cannon was mounted on a blockhouse in Gonzales.

Then, in 1835, there came a minor skirmish known at the Battle of Gonzales, the first battle of the Texas Revolution against Mexico. This small group of "Texians" won.

As a symbol of defiance, the Texians had fashioned a flag containing the phrase Come and Take It, referring to the cannon the Mexicans had supplied and wanted back.

Replicas of the original flag can be seen in the Texas State Capitol and other museums

The Come and Take It Cafe will soon begin making its move to the East Main location. J.P. Denson and his wife Ashley Miles Denson have big plans for the building.

Ashley is the granddaughter of the Robert 'Chick' and Louise King Miles family who owned the Miles Drug Store in Atlanta. J.P., a native of Woodville, Texas, said he has almost 20 years in the food industry "from fine dining to mom-and-pop places."

"I wanted to do for myself, and so started off with food truck to get people familiar with our food," he said.

"We plan an inside and outside dining area at the old Opera House and will have a patio area which will be a first for Atlanta. We also will look towards having an event center in the second floor area." Denson said he is a history buff, which was one reason for choosing his Come and Take It Cafe name. Now he said he's glad to be renewing the Atlanta Opera House.

"The Opera House as a town meeting place goes back to 1875," he said.

The secret for food success in a downtown area, he said, is "letting the market tell you what they want. They are the boss."

The current Come and Take It Cafe is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and does catering on the weekend.

"We consider ourselves a full catering service. Any kind of food from steak and lobster to spaghetti and meatballs," he said.

Working with J. P. and Ashely is Charles Holt, who has been a helper going on five years.

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