A 'Capital' idea

“Gunner” and Melissa bring decades of experience to their new restaurant in Dunkirk.

They also bring their smiles.

“We like to think of ourselves as warm and welcoming,” said Melissa Garrett. “We love people and we love food.”

“We’re all about personality and a good vibe,” said “Gunner” Roesly.

The couple, both with family ties to Marion, will open Glass Capital Cafe to the public at 6 a.m. Monday in the former Knights of Columbus hall on Commerce Street.

The building, which has been the home to a number of establishments over the years, was most recently the site of Dunkirk Family Restaurant.

Now owned by Rock and Kathy Fuqua and just across the street from the Fuqua auto dealership, the building has undergone an extensive renovation.

“It’s new almost from the ground up,” said Roesly.

Kathy Fuqua was in charge of the restaurant design. The Fuquas own the premises, and the cafe owners are leasing the property.

Roesly said he and Rock have known each other for at least 15 years, through the Roesly family’s former restaurant, the Icehouse, in Marion. A graduate of IUPUI’s restaurant management program, Roesly worked with his father at the Icehouse for 25 years.

The Fuquas approached the couple about launching a new restaurant at the Dunkirk location, but the initial reaction was skeptical.

“Then we went home and we thought about it and said we’ll give it a try,” Roesly said.

The couple has moved to Dunkirk to be close to the new venture.

Garrett has more than 20 years of restaurant experience in Atlanta, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee.

“I moved back home so we could get this going,” she said.

Glass Capital Cafe will be open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for breakfast and lunch. While the kitchen will close at 2 p.m., a deli section will stay open until 7 p.m. for evening meal carry-out.

The emphasis will be on family dining and homemade food.

One speciality on the menu will be the Glass Furnace, a breaded chicken breast with jalapenos, hot pepper cheese and chipotle ranch dressing.

A breakfast staple will be biscuits and gravy made from scratch, Roesly said.