According to Oxford Languages, the word home is defined as “The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.” Although this may be considered the technical definition, the word “home” can mean so much more. A home could be considered a person, an item, or a place. For some residents in Fruita a place that was considered like home is closingThis is the town’s beloved breakfast and lunch joint, Camilla’s Cafe.
The hit restaurant in downtown Fruita has been here for over 12 years and has had major success. Residents of Fruita know the establishment is always a hit especially for their breakfast, one of the best bites in town. You’ll always see a rush of people gathering at the cafe after Sunday Mass to grab a bite from their amazing assortment of food and drink items.
Being here for over 12 years, Camilla’s Cafe has gained many regulars and families that have built relationships with the servers and managers of the establishment. This is true for a man named Dan who comes in alone every morning to eat breakfast at Camilla’s because he doesn’t have a place to cook at his residency. With regulars such as Dan, it makes it even harder to say that Camilla’s Cafe is closing down and is up for sale. without a change in location Camilla’s cafe will simply be gone but the memories never will be.
For residents throughout the town the news that the restaurant has come up for sale was very sudden and many questioned why the hit restaurant would be closing. It has always been known for quality food with some of the best servers and people in the entire town. Fortunately, Camilla, the owner of the restaurant, agreed to an interview to answer these questions.
The first question was simple “Why close?” Camilla answered “I worked together with my husband for 16 years and co-owned the restaurant with him, unfortunately we ended up getting divorced, and it didn’t feel the same. He worked in the back cooking the food and I worked up front with customers and now it just doesn’t feel the same and I’m ready to move on. Although I will miss families and regulars that I have got the pleasure of serving and gaining relationships over the years.”
The next question stated “Where is the process of the building being sold at, and what does the future look like for you?” Camilla responded with the following “There have been two showings so far, and I really want them to keep the restaurant the same at least to a certain extent. One of the people who viewed the restaurant said they would like to keep it the same. Personally, I’d like to move onto another breakfast restaurant someday but right now I just need some time to figure out what I would like.”
Before the interview when being asked if she would agree to an interview one of her co-workers stepped in adding a comment saying “Yes, you should interview her about how she was the greatest boss I have ever had and how she is a bad a**.”
After getting to sit down with Camilla for years and being able to sit down at the restaurant for years, it is safe to say that Camilla’s Cafe will always be an important place to the residents of Fruita even after the restaurant is sold. We will hopefully be seeing Camilla and her tasty bites again someday.
