Crazed for Café: Jim Dato Sandwich Shop has International Range

Jim Dato says his friends think he’s a little touched.  But that’s fine for someone who hopes his new business offers a touch of class.

 “All my friends think I’m crazy because I relate everything to food,” said Dato who has lived in Poway since 1996. “They’d tell me, ‘You should open your own restaurant.’ So I did.”

Dato, who previously worked in sales and marketing, is the owner of the new in the shopping center.

The café has taken over the trailer that stood vacant in the shopping center for four years. Previously, it was a coffee kiosk.

Dato said he and his wife and nursery employee, Kim, would have lunch at a stone patio table next to the vacant food trailer often.

During those visits, he’d often think about what he could offer via the trailer.

“The craze now [is] these food trailers,” said Dato, who sat at that same table in an interview with Patch. “I wanted to do something for Poway that hadn’t been done before, so I opened this.”

Dato, with the help of two chefs, now offers specialty sandwiches through the food trailer. His gourmet sandwiches range from Vietnamese “banh mi” to Italian panini to a Mexican tortas with ingredients from local farms like Connelly Gardens in Ramona, Chino Farms in Rancho Santa Fe and Belen Artisan Bakers in Escondido.

“My biggest goal is to turn people onto comfort food with a touch of class,” said Dato, who also owns the ribbon company Curly Tails. “They can find something now in the business park.”

Despite the challenges of opening a new business, Dato is hopeful his love of food will successfully be shared with others in Poway.

“I pretty much live for food,” he said. “When I have breakfast, I’m thinking about lunch. I’m going faster than I’ve ever gone before, and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it.

• Address: 12755 Danielson Ct., Poway, CA 92064
• Phone:  858-610-5267
• Facebook: Garden Cafe
• Twitter: @GardenCafePoway
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday