TEXARKANA, Texas-- Self-described life partners Jason and Rebecca Williams are starting a new culinary adventure in Downtown Texarkana called Café Lucille.
"The namesake of the restaurant is our daughter, Lucille," Jason said. "We already had Benchmark as a name, because we wanted to set the benchmark of what service and food industry in Texarkana."
The Williams' 16-year-old son, Julian, was noncommittal when it came to having a restaurant named after him, but Lucille, 7, was all for it.
"She goes by Lucy, but I call her Lucille all the time," Jason said. "So we came up with Cafe' Lucille, and I thought that had a nice little ring to it."
The Williamses find inspiration in areas where they can fill a need.
"A lot of the reason we want to do breakfast and lunch is because what we want is what we can't find," Rebecca said. "A lot of it is donuts and kolaches, hash browns, bacon ... that's good, but we want to be able to offer healthier versions."
Jason and Rebecca met while working at Bennigan's, where Jason was a bartender and Rebecca was a hostess. The two would often talk between working about how they both dreamed of opening their own restaurant.
"In 2000, when I was working at Timothy's as a bartender, we decided to open our own place," Jason said. "She (Rebecca) was going to go to culinary school, so we went down to Houston."
Rebecca attended the Culinary School Le Notre for two to three years and worked at Le Mistral restaurant under French-trained chef David Denis. Once Rebecca completed her education, she and Jason came back to their hometown of Texarkana to help open Hopkins Icehouse.
The Williamses aim to bring foods that are not traditionally found in East Texas, along with easy ordering for customers who want to do something a little different than traditional takeout.
"We're going to have a grab and go dinner that you can call and order," Jason said. "People can call up and say that they want a cajun lasagna hot and ready to go at 5:30."
They also hope to cater to a more feminine clientele with four frozen drink machines, soups and sandwiches, fresh salads and pastas with produce and goods sourced from area farms.
"We will honor Perot Theater events and arts district events," Jason said. "You know if there's something going on, we're glad to open the bar and have some food items ready. We really want to be able for people downtown to have things to do around here."
Some locals will be able to get a quick taste of what is to come during the upcoming Destination Downtown, which is hosted by Greater Texarkana Young Professionals. The Williamses will be serving light hors d'oeuvres while sharing a space with local venue The Hideout.
"We hope to open in April," Jason said. "That'll be nice, because the courtyard will be open and maybe we'll have some flowers blooming.
Café Lucille will be at 306 Main St.