Ellington

I walk into the brightly lit Cafe Ole off State Street where I introduce myself to the owner Alex Sivira, an older man from Venezuela who is currently looking for his glasses.

The tiny cafe is located in the old Capitol Medical Supply building across from Regions Bank on North State Street in Fondren. The top of the long outside awning is painted a bright orange with makeshift palm trees and tiny plants in ornately painted pots. The interior is a dusky orange, which is offset by a black ceiling and silver slatted walls. Each table is painted with a different abstract design (mine was a zebra stripe pattern).

Once he finds his glasses, Sivira sits at one of the larger tables near the front counter to chat.

"We're trying to give a different product," he says of the restaurant's Latin cuisine, which features dishes from places such as Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela.

"Fresh, cooked to order with fresh ingredients, no preservatives or anything, and an 
affordable price."

Sivira has worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years and has lived in and around Jackson for 40 years.

"This is a home for me," he said. "This is my home."

Sivira has degrees in architecture and computer science from the University of Southern Mississippi but found himself in the restaurant business since college. He started out working at restaurants such as T.G.I. Fridays and Tony Roma's and eventually decided to open his own, starting with Panino's in Jackson, Laurel and Hattiesburg, and Alexander's in Madison. Those restaurants are gone now, and Cafe Ole in Fondren is his latest.

"(Fondren is) a fun place to live and to be," Sivira says. "People are nice here. People are very knowledgeable of different cuisines. They know what they want."

Sivira prides himself on the freshness of the menu and has been pleased with--if a bit unprepared for--the high demand for his cuisine.

"Sometimes when we get backed up a little bit, it's because we make everything to order," he says. "We've had a couple of complaints of, 'Well, we waited too long,' (while) we're packed. Well guess what? We cook everything to order. When you're getting something, it's getting made in that moment."

Despite its newness, Cafe Ole is enjoying steady business. The lunch rush is big for the restaurant, and then the volume slows as the afternoon wanes on. Even then, the cafe will have people in for late lunch, sometimes two or three tables at a time. The dinner rush is slower, which Sivira says is good because he can really cater to those people.

The Cuban is one of the most popular dishes right now, and one not easily found at many Jackson restaurants. It is a hot-pressed sandwich with ham, pork, pickles and Swiss cheese--mustard and mayo optional. The salsa is the restaurant's own recipe, and the chips--which are one of the few things the restaurant fries--complement it perfectly.

Sivira says that the tacos are the most popular menu item, followed by the Cuban and then the empanadas. He says the tamales are a hot choice, too.

For dessert, Cafe Ole offers traditional flan and churros, but it is the 3-Leches, a cake soaked in three types of milk, that many people are talking about. It is a signature dessert--Sivira has served it at all his restaurants. It is a family recipe, as is most of the cuisine 
at the restaurant.

"Everybody loves it," he says.

Sivira's concept is simple: Give the people fresh, tasty food, and they will come back for seconds and even thirds.

I know because I have been back
 twice already.

Visit Cafe Ole at 2752 N. State St. For more information, call 769-524-3627 or find them on Facebook.