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Kitchenwise: Gazpacho goes fruity

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Luzerne County manager forming new task force to target prison overcrowding

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Four-year-old Grace Kopetz of Bear Creek climbed onto a stool by the counter at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe and said she likes blueberry pancakes.</p><p>When a server asked if she wanted to order one, young Grace shook her head slightly and held up two fingers.</p><p>Very well. Two it would be.</p><p>&#8220;She&#8217;s a good eater,&#8221; her grandmother Cathy Prushinski, 66, of Luzerne, said with a laugh.</p><p>The little girl wasn&#8217;t the only person who brought a hearty appetite to Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street on a recent Thursday morning.</p><p>People of all ages were polishing off omelets, sunny-side-up eggs, hash browns, French toast and a special for this time of year &#8212; pumpkin pancakes &#8212; all prepared by chef and owner Julie Kopec, who lives next door to the restaurant she opened June 1.</p><p>&#8220;The service is good, the food is excellent and the place is spotless. That means a lot,&#8221; said customer Ruth Sorber of Hanover Township, who visits often.</p><p>Other regulars include Pat and Paul Baran of Wilkes-Barre, whose church, St. Andre Bessette, is right around the corner. They were thrilled when Kopec opened her new business.</p><p>&#8220;It would be an empty storefront, if not for Julie,&#8221; said Pat Baran.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of variety here,&#8221; said the Barans&#8217; friend, Lee Shafer, 66, of Kingston.</p><p>&#8220;I had a spinach salad one day for lunch,&#8221; Sorber said. &#8220;It was wonderful.&#8221;</p><p>Other special treats at the restaurant are a &#8220;Little Theatre&#8217; sandwich of meatballs, provolone and tomato sauce on toasted garlic bread and a stuffed French toast that is packed with whipped cream, cream cheese and fruit &#8212; or, if you prefer, peanut butter and jelly.</p><p>A retired restaurateur from the former Neddoff&#8217;s Restaurant on Hazle Avenue wanted it that way, Kopec said as she stopped by a table to chat with Sorber. &#8220;Mr. Neddoff told me it was so good he wanted to lick the plate. I told him to go ahead.&#8221;</p><p>Moments after visiting with her customers Kopec was back in the kitchen, cooking eggs, cheese and sausage in two small frying pans, one for each of the breakfast sandwiches she was about to make with toasted bagels and then pack in to-go cartons.</p><p>In came another order for a pumpkin pancake. No problem; the griddle was ready.</p><p>Kopec admits she&#8217;s busy, but happy.</p><p>Owning her own restaurant has been her dream since she was a 16-year-old waitress at McCrory&#8217;s lunch counter at the Wyoming Valley Mall.</p><p>&#8220;I learned by doing,&#8221; she said, listing other jobs at the Holiday Inn, East Mountain Inn and at Split Rock Lodge in the Poconos.</p><p>Kopec is 60 now. That proves, she said, &#8220;It&#8217;s never too late to go after your dream.&#8221;</p><p>The entrepreneur has been working on getting the restaurant ready for the past five years, and said it would have taken even longer if her brother, Ted Kopec, hadn&#8217;t helped. Among his contributions, Ted Kopec built the restaurant&#8217;s counter, and his wife, Alice, painted decorative flowers on it.</p><p>She&#8217;s also grateful to Tom Clarke, former owner of the former Perugino&#8217;s Restaurant on High Street in Wilkes-Barre. &#8220;He&#8217;s teaching me to make soups,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I call him our &#8216;Soup Nazi.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>The place is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, serving breakfast and lunch. It&#8217;s attracting business from Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, which is about one block away, as well as from folks who live in or used to live in the neighborhood.</p><p>&#8220;We know everybody here,&#8221; said Josephine Mamola of Parsons who used to live down the street.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like a family,&#8221; agreed Ursula Kozemko, of Kingston.</p><p>As if to prove Kozemko&#8217;s words, waitress June Compton, who is 82, picked customer Sarah James&#8217; 10-month-old baby out of his high chair and carried him past a few tables.</p><p>&#8220;This is Ben,&#8221; Compton said with a smile, introducing the little boy to other diners.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A sign draws attention to Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street, where the parking lot is around the back. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe02.jpg</photo0><caption0>A sign draws attention to Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street, where the parking lot is around the back. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Julie Kopec, right, owner of Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre chats with some of her regulars, including Lee Shafer of Kingston, left, and Paul and Pat Baran of Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe03.jpg</photo1><caption1>Julie Kopec, right, owner of Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre chats with some of her regulars, including Lee Shafer of Kingston, left, and Paul and Pat Baran of Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe01.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Julie Kopec works on feeding the hungry breakfast crowd at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe01.jpg</photo2><caption2>Julie Kopec works on feeding the hungry breakfast crowd at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </caption2><photoCredit2>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe05.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A dollop of whipped cream dresses up a pumpkin pancake that has also been sweetened with chocolate chips at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe05.jpg</photo3><caption3>A dollop of whipped cream dresses up a pumpkin pancake that has also been sweetened with chocolate chips at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe in Wilkes-Barre. </caption3><photoCredit3>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe06.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Grace Kopetz, 4, has breakfast with her grandmother, Cathy Prushinski, on a recent Thursday morning at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe06.jpg</photo4><caption4>Grace Kopetz, 4, has breakfast with her grandmother, Cathy Prushinski, on a recent Thursday morning at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </caption4><photoCredit4>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe04.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pumpkin pancakes are proving to be a popular breakfast order as summer turns to autumn. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cozycafe04.jpg</photo5><caption5>Pumpkin pancakes are proving to be a popular breakfast order as summer turns to autumn. </caption5><photoCredit5>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Julie Kopec works on feeding the hungry breakfast crowd at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe1.jpg</photo6><caption6>Julie Kopec works on feeding the hungry breakfast crowd at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </caption6><photoCredit6>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A sign draws attention to Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street, where the parking lot is around the back. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe2.jpg</photo7><caption7>A sign draws attention to Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street, where the parking lot is around the back. </caption7><photoCredit7>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Julie Kopec, right, owner of Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre chats with some of her regulars, including Lee Shafer of Kingston, left, and Paul and Pat Baran of Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe3.jpg</photo8><caption8>Julie Kopec, right, owner of Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre chats with some of her regulars, including Lee Shafer of Kingston, left, and Paul and Pat Baran of Wilkes-Barre. </caption8><photoCredit8>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit8></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pumpkin pancakes are proving to be a popular breakfast order as summer turns to autumn. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo9>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe4.jpg</photo9><caption9>Pumpkin pancakes are proving to be a popular breakfast order as summer turns to autumn. </caption9><photoCredit9>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit9></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A dollop of whipped cream dresses up a pumpkin pancake that has also been sweetened with chocolate chips at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo10>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe5.jpg</photo10><caption10>A dollop of whipped cream dresses up a pumpkin pancake that has also been sweetened with chocolate chips at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe in Wilkes-Barre. </caption10><photoCredit10>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit10></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Grace Kopetz, 4, has breakfast with her grandmother, Cathy Prushinski, on a recent Thursday morning at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo11>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cafe6.jpg</photo11><caption11>Grace Kopetz, 4, has breakfast with her grandmother, Cathy Prushinski, on a recent Thursday morning at Julie&#8217;s Cozy Cafe on West Chestnut Street in Wilkes-Barre. </caption11><photoCredit11>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit11></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>For Julie Kopec, owning a restaurant was a long-cherished dream</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Julie’s Cozy Cafe in Wilkes-Barre lives up to its name