When residents drove past the Gourmet Café two weeks ago and notice a relatively empty parking lot, they may have been a little confused. After all, the long-time Bridgeport business has been popular with locals and more than just a few beyond the city’s borders.

 

When Gourmet Café’s Instagram account announced it was closing, alarm bells went off. The owners thanked everyone for their support, but they doors were closed after “a hard decision.”

 

On Monday, as noon approached, the parking lot was not only full, but so was the lobby. The good news wasn’t that Gourmet Café’s Instagram account had been hijacked, but rather after 21-plus years (Gourmet Café’ opened in August of 1997) that a transition to a new restaurant is already complete.

 

Bridgeport’s old restaurant has a new name – the Hillside Cookhouse.

 

Paul Helmick, who has about 10 years of work first with the Gourmet Café in Glen Elk and the last six years or so with the Bridgeport location has taken over. He said when the decision was told to staff that the doors were going to shut he figured it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

 

“When the owner told the staff what was going to happen, I started thinking about it that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Helmick. “If I could get everything right from the licenses and permits and keep things rolling, it would be a blessing.”

 

Apparently, Helmick got those things right as the doors were open Monday. And as mentioned above, the line just before the official start of lunch was at least eight people deep with a pretty good crowd already dining.

 

“It was great to see the patronage still here. It blew me away. I want to let everyone know how thankful I am for that and how thankful I am for the past and present employees,” said Helmick. “I can assure you that there have been times in the last few days where I would question myself about this only to be reassured by people coming here and being supportive and it would get me right back in the right frame of mind.”

 

Helmick isn’t a novice. He started with Gourmet Café’s Clarksburg location and when the two entities went their separate ways, he ended up in the Bridgeport location. During that time, he learned all the ropes of the business, including how to run a kitchen that he started doing this past May.

 

“I started 10 years ago in Glen Elk. I was hired to do all the prep work from the meat, the pepper and onions and just about anything else. I helped with deliveries and then started working the oven,” he said. “It got to the point where I was doing a little bit of everything.”

 

He’s doing a little bit more now. As for the menu, there’s good news there as well.

 

The menu, he said, will basically be the same core menu people have grown to love. It will feature hoagies and salads and all the other specialties. He is hoping to have a few changes.

“We hope as we go along to expand our dinner fare with some more fining options,” said Helmick. “We’ll still have our hoagies, but if you want something else we may be adding to the menu.”

 

Ideally, Helmick would like to see steaks added to the list. He also pointed to having wild game steaks, such as venison steak included.

 

“That’s our hope, but we’ll see how things go first,” he said. “We do want to grow the menu just a bit.”

 

Helmick also wants to grow the staff. In fact, he’s hoping to expand his team at all positions.

 

Individuals interested in working at the new establishment can call 304-842-5060. Individuals can call that same number to place an order at the business situated at 795 West Main Street.

 

The business is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Delivery is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and can be obtained by also calling the same number.

 

Editor's Note: Owner Paul Helmick is shown above, while the hoagies in the second photo have the same look, smell and according to one person departing lunch from last week the same great taste. The third photo shows that pasta specials also remain on the menu.