A taste of France is set to come to the North Shore with the opening of Crepe-A-Delic, a restaurant serving crepes and more.
"Crepes are something that do not have a lot of presence in Chattanooga," said Thompson Galetovic, who plans to open his first restaurant near Coolidge Park on the bottom floor of the Nautilus building facing the park.
"It's something that people are not aware of or do not have the full breadth of crepes' versatility," he said.
To introduce the concept to local diners, Galetovic has been serving crepes at Chattanooga Market for the past few weeks.
"The market really is a good place for people to test their products," said market spokeswoman Melissa Siragusa. "A lot of times we are that launching pad, and we're happy to do that."
Though crepes may not be too familiar to many Chattanoogans, they're nothing new for Galetovic. The Knoxville native took several trips to Europe with his mother, an art teacher in Knoxville, and grew up with an appreciation for crepes, a food he found in many different countries.
On the menuThompson Galetovic will offer a variety of crepes when his new restaurant, Crepe a Delic, opens later this month. Among the featured menu items will be:* Le Complete: Scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and your choice of ham or bacon ($5.87)* Crepe Parfait: Choice of fruit, whipped cream, dusted with shaved chocolate ($4.94)* Margarita Crepe: Organic Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, steamed basil, diced bacon and garden spice blend ($6.54)* Stream Runner: Smoked salmon, soft cream cheese, capers and cold Bechamel sauce ($8.23)* Peckish: Marinated chicken breast, mushrooms, white wine cream sauce and Emmentaler cheese ($7.54)* Banana Nut: Sliced bananas and warm Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread ($4.76)
"They're served in many European countries and I enjoyed them over there," he said.
But he enjoyed them even more when he got back to the U.S. and had them in big cities as well as at home where his mother would often make them.
As a teenager, he began making crepes himself, experimenting with different toppings and introducing them to friends, he said.
Having visited family in the area and falling in love with Chattanooga, the idea for opening a restaurant specializing in crepes began to materialize.
"I realized it would work here," Galetovic said. And he hopes that the Coolidge Park location is a perfect fit.
"The park attracts a variety of people and the fact that they're here gives me the opportunity to show them what they've been missing."
The restaurant, scheduled to open Aug. 27, is a small eatery decorated with local art. The ceiling is old brick tiles with a partial original brick wall on one side and massive solid oak sliding stable doors across the back, harking to the days when the bottom floor of the building stabled horses.
"I love the history behind the building," Galetovic said.
Joe Pleva, a commercial agent with Walldorf Property Management, the company in charge of building management, said Crepe a Delic fits in with the mix of tenants already leasing space. "We were looking for an eclectic mix of businesses, so having a little restaurant like Thompson's is a good fit. He's offering a unique food specialty that will add to the ambiance of the North Shore."
In addition to crepes, the menu will feature an assortment of paninis, salads and soups.