Laurie Myers handed in her two weeks’ notice. She loved her job supporting children with disabilities, but her dream of a life in food was knocking.
“At that point, doors were flying open,” she says. “I didn’t look back.”
Today, Myers is the founder, owner, and president of Café 301. In the square of Columbia, PA, the restaurant stands as testament to letting go of fear and believing in your talents.
Growing up, Myers gravitated to the kitchen of her aunt, whose weekday meals were as elaborate as Sunday dinners.
“I didn’t go to school for this,” she says. “I feel we all have our gifts and talents, and this is definitely one of mine.”
But cooking wasn’t her profession until she heard a conference speaker say that something is birthed inside of each of us, and trusting in God brings it out.
“I knew that fear was holding me in,” she says. “I knew if I didn’t trust what was inside me, I would always be living in fear.”
The journey began with courses and a women’s learning circle from Assets, the Lancaster-based nonprofit creating economic opportunity for social good. Her catering business launched in 2016. Early in the journey, someone asked her to cater a meal for 300 people.
“Maybe 100,” she told him. “300? No way. You’re crazy.”
Of course, she said yes. She has a photo of herself with all that food—collard greens, roast beef, chicken, yams, roasted potatoes, green beans.
“They called me back three times,” she says.
Myers, a native of Lancaster, wanted to get started in a small town, away from the rush of a larger city. Another chef woman entrepreneur suggested the Columbia Market, and Myers was wowed by the Lancaster County town’s architecture and character.
She set up a stand in the market, and that’s when another door opened. Columbia-based real estate investor Don Murphy, of Cimarron Investments, offered to rehabilitate the former Jack Horner Shoe Store in the heart of downtown. When the call came, “Every hair on my body stood up,” she says.
She told Murphy, “Okay, let’s see the property. Let’s meet. Let’s talk. Let’s hear my idea.”
Eighteen months later, in October 2018, Café 301 opened its doors. Myers owns and manages the building and the business.
There was expertly prepared coffee, fresh from Lancaster-based Square One Coffee. And there were Myers’ soul rolls, “my MVP, my most valuable product.” Her signature creation is a kind of egg roll stuffed with collard greens, rice, and chicken barbecue. The chorizo sausage, egg, and caramelized onion soul roll is equally popular.
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Inside the café, sun streams through plate glass windows that were once bricked over. Guests sit at counters or tables, or lounge on the sofa while children play. A front-window high-top affords a 360-degree view of people coming and going amid Columbia’s historic architecture.
“Ultimately I wanted a place to call home for those in the community and the surrounding area,” Myers says. “Everyone is welcome to the table and surrounded by the love of my group.”
Myers’ love for travel, and a touch of her Lancaster upbringing, inspired the menu. Fried chicken and waffles topped with hot sauce, with syrup on the side. Shrimp and grits. Fried green tomato sandwich on a house-made biscuit, loaded with caramelized onions, spinach, and fried egg. Chicken strips or grilled cheese for kids. House-made lemon pound cake for dessert.
Twice-monthly Sunday brunch brings sausage gravy that’s “a little bit different,” with fried
chicken sandwiched in the biscuit, and a drizzle of honey on top.
“I like food that is textured, savory, and sweet,” Myers says. “I like people to say, ‘What’s next?’
The pandemic closed the café for three weeks, but Myers wouldn’t let the doors close forever. She queried her staff (“They’re phenomenal”) for ideas. They offered a takeout and curbside menu. Part of the proceeds from sales of t-shirts were donated to Assets, which had provided Myers with a grant so that others can receive the same kind of help.
“It worked,” says Myers. “The community really stepped up and helped.”
As for the future, Myers sometimes catches herself writing “Café 302,” and she thinks, “Lord, you’re funny,” but a second location or food truck is possible. Myers is proud to be a Black woman business owner, hopefully setting an example for her young staff and her 3-year-old grandson, the one who “rules this café” on his visits and talks to guests, just like his grandmother.
In the meantime, Café 301 welcomes locals and tourists, regulars and new faces. Southern visitors have been known to taste the food and ask, “Whose grandmom is in that kitchen?” Staff say they feel like family.
“That’s what creates Café 301,” Myers says. “It’s community. It’s family. It’s love.”
Café 301
301 Locust St, Columbia, PA 17512
717-992-4148
