By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
The name "Coby Jack's" refers to owner Unkyong Lee's son, who turns 2 next month -- not cheese with the "L" missing.
An April 25 ribbon-cutting ceremony welcomed Coby Jack's Health Food and Deli -- and a place serving breakfast -- to the central business district.
Lee and her fiance, Jerry Henslee, of Sister Lakes, own the new restaurant located at 126 S. Front St., next to Saylor's Front Street Pizzeria in the Rock 'n' Roll Cafe and Deli's former location.
She has replaced the '50s motif with plants.
Lee formerly owned an Oriental restaurant in Springfield, Ill., for 12 of the 18 years she lived there.
She has also been a Korean food vendor at the Illinois State Fair.
Coby Jack's is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 782-1616.
In addition to bringing a breakfast menu back downtown (biscuits and gravy, croissants, bagels, oatmeal, dry cereal, doughnuts, muffins and English muffins, with a special of eggs with potatoes, green peppers and onions with Colby Jack cheese, smothered in sausage gravy), her lunch and dinner entrees feature specialty sandwiches, gourmet wraps, soups and an all-you-can-eat salad bar.
Lee features chili and a soup of the day, chef salad, grilled chicken salad, taco nachos salad with sour cream and salsa, broccoli salad, potato salad or bean salad, cole slaw and cheesy garlic bread, ice cream and yogurt, nine types of "grinders" (baked sandwiches on buns a la Mancino's), cold subs and hot dogs.
Lee said she came to California from Korea at 15 as an exchange student.
Lee said she tired of 16-hour days in the restaurant business and came here to work in accounting for a nursery because her best friend's brother lived here. She did that for four months and "I didn't like it. I've been working by myself for so long."
Like Apple Valley in Berrien Springs, Lee also offers packaged health foods, including soup mixes, snack mixes, spices, beans, noodles and teas.