Focus on the Coast December 2006
Cafe Zito
A Morehead City couple creates a unique fine dining experience with a North Carolina attitude.
By Randy Skidmore
White sand and seagrass overtake the road only a block away. Beyond that, a quiet seaward vista opens under the setting sun. But this tranquil edge of Morehead City offers more than the delight of the open ocean; it’s also home to Café Zito, one of the Crystal Coast’s most outstanding new restaurants.
Morehead City, famous as a summer resort and fishing destination, also boasts a surprising array of cultural attractions that speckle its sunny streets. The city even earned a mention in John Villani’s book The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America. Accordingly, an impressive catalogue of dining options complements the city’s burgeoning art scene and striking coastal scenery.
In 2005, Chef Baptist Knaven and his wife Jennifer Kelley transformed a historical home more than 100 years old into a vivid new vision. Adorned with simple, original woodwork and brick, Café Zito’s exterior strikes a calculated balance between modesty and elegance, retaining the rustic mien of its historical heritage. Inside, the décor inspires visitors to feel they have arrived at home; softly colored walls and dark wood floors define the dining area. Tasteful maritime art complements a bright brick hearth. Cozy and uncluttered, this space gives way to the kitchen, which is partly open to the view of the diners.
Café Zito’s openness transcends the spatial, however. Chef Baptist and his wife enjoy interacting with diners, whether by recommending a Chardonnay or by personally serving food, in order to create a unique dining experience. Their warmth and attention to detail are part of an overall strategy aimed at providing excellent, seasonally inspired, locally grown cuisine in the Mediterranean tradition.
The Greek deity Demeter, goddess of agriculture and nurturer of the Earth, is Café Zito’s namesake, and the restaurant ably follows in her tradition. Not only does it offer high quality foods in an upbeat, restful setting, but the café also makes it a priority to purvey local foods and to support the local economy. Café Zito is a proud member of Goodness Grows in North Carolina, the official marketing program for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This program focuses on the promotion of local restaurants, food producers, and farmers. Its intention is to bring local products to the mainstream and to bolster the local economy. As Knaven and his wife have explained, they are “convinced that the best-tasting food is always fresh, harvested locally and with integrity.” I recently had the pleasure of attending a dinner at Café Zito with a variety of representatives and advocates from the North Carolina food industry and media, and I found this sentiment to pervade every aspect of the dining experience.
The menu featured a broad selection of locally grown and produced food described by Chef Baptist as, “Traditional Mediterranean dishes with a North Carolina twist.” Highlights included Tuna Carpaccio from Blue Ocean Seafood Market, Fried Green Tomatoes from Garner Farms, grass-fed Grilled Rib Eye from Harris Acres Farm, and cheeses from Yellow Branch Farms and Goat Lady Dairy. Chef Baptist explained, “Supporting the local economy is one of the best causes in life, for without that we can support nothing else.” The lineup of beverages showcased a variety of wines from Childress Vineyards and Biltmore Estates, as well as a Milk Stout from Duck-Rabbit Brewery. The amiable Chef, smiling from ear to ear, admitted, “North Carolina does have some kick-ass wines.”
In all cases, the fare was excellent in presentation and quality, and served with an enthusiasm that reflected the fellowship among local growers, producers, and buyers. Patrick Robinette, co-owner of Harris Acres Farm in Pinetops, North Carolina, explained that the links between farmers and restaurants must be enhanced in order to improve both the local economy and the quality of food. “Grass-fed cows do not produce OH157 E. coli or mad cow,” he emphasized. “Sustainability is important. People need to know exactly what is in their food.” This mode of thought, bolstered by the devotion of restaurants, food producers, and patrons alike, will blossom in North Carolina. Rarely have I tasted better food, nor felt more satisfied in knowing its natural, local origins. I could not help but feel, holding Zito’s silver fork, that I had given my vote for a healthier, more responsible food industry.
In this spirit, Chef Baptist remarked, “We want to create awareness of the wonderful products grown in this state.” Organizations like Goodness Grows in North Carolina and restaurants like Café Zito propel North Carolina’s ascendance into a state of agricultural, environmental, and economic balance. “We want to spread the word that North Carolina is a fantastic state, no matter what business you’re in,” Chef Baptist states, and Café Zito proves it.
Want to go?
Café zito
105 South 11th street
morehead city, North carolina
252-726-6676 | www.cafezito.com
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An N.C. Food and Wine event in Morehead City put the spotlight on what state growers and fishermen bring to the table
October 02, 2006
JANNETTE PIPPIN
DAILY NEWS STAFF
MOREHEAD CITY — Call the fare and atmosphere at Café Zito downeast Mediterranean.That’ll suit Baptist Knaven and Jennifer Kelley just fine as they welcome guests to a Morehead City restaurant forged by a passion rooted in their pasts.
Knaven, who was born and raised in the Netherlands, trained as a musician and was playing in the orchestra when he met Kelley, an American performing with the Dutch National Ballet.
Their careers took them to many destinations around the world, but it is Carteret County and North Carolina that Knaven and Kelley now call home — and they take every opportunity to showcase it at Café Zito.
The work of local artists hangs on the walls inside their restaurant, which is located at 105 South 11th St. Customers dine under the roof or on the porch of Morehead City’s historic Bell-Phillips house, which they have restored to its original beauty.
The scent of the restaurant’s Mediterranean fare drifts from the kitchen, but each dish that arrives at the table also has a familiar flair.
“These are traditional Mediterranean dishes with a North Carolina twist” said Knaven as he described the menu for a recent dinner hosted by Café Zito.
The N.C. Food & Wine Dinner was held Sept. 20 at the restaurant for invited guests and area media to showcase local food, wine and beer products.
Café Zito participates in the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Goodness Grows in North Carolina program and was asked to host the event because of its commitment to using local products.
The Goodness Grows program is the official marketing program of the department and supports North Carolina’s tradition of providing quality products to the food service industry. The program partnered with the Golden Leaf Foundation to sponsor the dinner.
The night’s seven-course meal featured local produce from Garner Farm in Newport; fresh seafood from the Blue Ocean Seafood Market in Morehead City; natural grass-fed beef from Harris Acres Farm in Pinetops; and cheeses from Yellow Branch Farms in Robbinsville and Goat Lady Dairy in Climax.
The menu also featured beer from Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery in Farmville and wine from Biltmore Estates in Asheville and Childress Vineyards in Lexington. The beer and wine were distributed through Mutual Distributing Co. and Tryon Beer and Wine Distributing.
While the dinner was a special event, Kelley said they strive to use the best seasonal and local products on a regular basis at Café Zito.
“It is part of our concept to use local beef, local seafood and as much local produce as we can,” Kelley said. “…Contributing back to the local economy, we think that’s important.”
The Harris Acres Farm name appears on the Café Zito menu, indicating its use of the natural, grass-fed beef the farm provides. The print on the menu helps market the name of the farm, where cattle are grass-fed, the pastures are free of chemicals and pesticides and no growth hormones are used in raising the livestock. “The (cattle) are raised the way they were intended to be raised — all natural,” said Harris Acres Farm Co-owner Patrick Robinette.
Robinette travels as often as he can to the restaurants where his beef is used, checking the quality of the meat and talking with his customers about how he can best help them.
His latest trip to Café Zito wasn’t just for his business. He said dinners like the one held in Morehead City help educate the public about what food products are available in North Carolina and the businesses providing them.
In a state known for its pig pickin’s, Robinette has been known to offer a “steer pickin’” or two. “Pork and poultry are the two things North Carolina is known for, but we are here too,” he said.
Harris Acres Farm currently provides beef to 10 restaurants from Beaufort to Pittsboro as well as three cafeterias. He would like to add more. And with the support, Robinette said, local farms like his can provide the quality product the consumers want while also keeping dollars in the state.
“We can produce a quality product that is affordable and healthy, plus provide economic development in the agriculture community in North Carolina,” he said.
And at Café Zito, which derives its name from the Greek word meaning “seek,” the search is always on for fresh, local products.
Chef Knaven and Kelley stress just that in their restaurant’s advertising:
“We are convinced that the best-tasting food is always fresh, harvested locally and with integrity. These principles are what dictate our menu. Searching for the best ingredients, combining them in simple yet surprising ways allows us to offer dishes full of unique flavor and richness. This is the essence of the Mediterranean cuisine and what our Zito is all about.”
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