First-time restaurateur digs in at West End spot

lulabelles storefront

The Wooden Spoon is filling the former Lulabelle’s space at 5714 Patterson Ave. (J. Elias O’Neal)

A stretch of Patterson Avenue known for its eats and treats is getting an addition to the menu.

Wooden Spoon is setting up shop in the former Lulabelle’s Café at 5714 Patterson Ave. near Libbie Avenue in the West End.

While the menu remains in development, owner Yvette Daniel said Wooden Spoon will serve lunch dishes including sandwiches, salads and soup, and breakfast items such as waffles, pancakes and French toast. The menu also will include juice, coffee and cocktails.

“I want to provide healthy, fresh options for people,” Daniel said. “I plan to have a daily special based on what I can find at the market that day, because I take healthy eating seriously and feel the area needs more options.”

Daniel said Wooden Spoon will serve breakfast and lunch on weekdays and brunch on Saturdays. She said she’s considering offering dinner service in a couple months.

The restaurant is targeting a mid-May or June opening in the former Lulabelle’s, which moved last month to the Project 1 Home Furnishings complex at 2012 Staples Mill Road in Henrico County.

Yvette Daniel

Yvette Daniel

It will seat about 25 people, including five at the bar. It also will include patio seating for about 12 people, Daniel said.

With the help of son-in-law Mauro Garrido, who co-owns the Great American Ranch restaurant in Chesterfield County, Daniel said she is assembling her staff for Wooden Spoon.

Launching her own restaurant has been years in the making for Daniel, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts school.

A real estate agent in Miami before moving to Richmond in December, she said Garrido convinced her to sell a food shop she was running there and move to Richmond to open her own restaurant.

She began selling soup dishes to customers in the Fan and West End on the Nextdoor app, a private social network for residents in specific neighborhoods. Over time, Daniel said, her soups were selling to a point that she was delivering to more than 50 people per week.

“I really enjoy cooking, and when I first moved here I started cooking soups for a small group of people. When I told people that I was interested in opening a restaurant, they told me to do it,” she said. “So here we are.”    

Wooden Spoon joins several eateries on the block, including Superstars Pizza & Subs, Westhampton Pastry Shop and The Grill.

lulabelles storefront

The Wooden Spoon is filling the former Lulabelle’s space at 5714 Patterson Ave. (J. Elias O’Neal)

A stretch of Patterson Avenue known for its eats and treats is getting an addition to the menu.

Wooden Spoon is setting up shop in the former Lulabelle’s Café at 5714 Patterson Ave. near Libbie Avenue in the West End.

While the menu remains in development, owner Yvette Daniel said Wooden Spoon will serve lunch dishes including sandwiches, salads and soup, and breakfast items such as waffles, pancakes and French toast. The menu also will include juice, coffee and cocktails.

“I want to provide healthy, fresh options for people,” Daniel said. “I plan to have a daily special based on what I can find at the market that day, because I take healthy eating seriously and feel the area needs more options.”

Daniel said Wooden Spoon will serve breakfast and lunch on weekdays and brunch on Saturdays. She said she’s considering offering dinner service in a couple months.

The restaurant is targeting a mid-May or June opening in the former Lulabelle’s, which moved last month to the Project 1 Home Furnishings complex at 2012 Staples Mill Road in Henrico County.

Yvette Daniel

Yvette Daniel

It will seat about 25 people, including five at the bar. It also will include patio seating for about 12 people, Daniel said.

With the help of son-in-law Mauro Garrido, who co-owns the Great American Ranch restaurant in Chesterfield County, Daniel said she is assembling her staff for Wooden Spoon.

Launching her own restaurant has been years in the making for Daniel, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts school.

A real estate agent in Miami before moving to Richmond in December, she said Garrido convinced her to sell a food shop she was running there and move to Richmond to open her own restaurant.

She began selling soup dishes to customers in the Fan and West End on the Nextdoor app, a private social network for residents in specific neighborhoods. Over time, Daniel said, her soups were selling to a point that she was delivering to more than 50 people per week.

“I really enjoy cooking, and when I first moved here I started cooking soups for a small group of people. When I told people that I was interested in opening a restaurant, they told me to do it,” she said. “So here we are.”    

Wooden Spoon joins several eateries on the block, including Superstars Pizza & Subs, Westhampton Pastry Shop and The Grill.

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