By Jordan Barish
Simple, clean and fresh. Those are the three words Grata Café owner Jay Radford uses to describe the food he serves.
Radford had long dreamed of opening up an Italian-styled café but it wasn’t until earlier this year he decided to make his dreams a reality. In late April, he asked the Carr Mill Mall property manager about the spot where Elmo’s Diner used to be located.
“That was a Friday, I looked at it on a Monday, signed the lease a couple weeks later, and off we went,” Radford said.
The pandemic left Radford with such a strong sense of gratitude for safety and health that it inspired the name of his restaurant: Grata, the Italian word for gratitude.
“Grata is built on three things: gratitude, kindness and patience,” Radford said. “It’s a safe space for everybody.”
When guests step inside Grata Café, they are greeted by counter-style ordering, a purposeful feature put into place by Radford.
“This way, by the time you’ve ordered your food and sat down, we’re five to seven minutes ahead of you in the cooking process so your food gets to you faster,” Radford said.
As for the menu, Grata Café serves American dishes with an Italian twist. The menu includes breakfast dishes, sandwiches, bowls and pastas served all day long. One of Radford’s personal favorite items on the menu is the meatballs, which he has been making since he was four years old.
Grata Café also offers certain build-your-own options. Guests can order customized omelets, pasta dishes, bowls and charcuterie boards using any of the ingredients Grata has in its kitchen.
“That way, you get your favorite things the way that you like them,” Radford said.
Even though Grata is new to the area, Radford is no stranger to the Carrboro community. He and his wife have owned a hair salon for seven years and he planned a series of running races in the area for five years. He says what he loves most about the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area is the diversity.
“Carrboro is just a cool, funky and diverse place, and my space is a cool, funky and diverse space.”
This sense of community translates to Grata. Radford says dining at his restaurant is like walking into his home.
“We cook with a lot of love and a lot of passion.”
Some of the items on the menu at Grata even directly give back to the community. The TABLE and the ArtsCenter are two bowl options on the menu where the proceeds are donated to TABLE, a nonprofit fighting food insecurity, and The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, respectively.
Grata has only been open for fewer than 50 days, but Radford is already looking to the future. Around November or December, Radford hopes to begin to sell certain Grata products, such as house-made pasta and jarred sauces, for patrons to take home.
If you want a taste of Grata-tude, Grata Café is located at 200 N. Greensboro St. – Suite B12 in Carr Mill Mall. Grata is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and offers UNC students 20 percent off on Thursdays. To learn more about Grata Café, visit the website.
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