The Lighthouse Cafe: Where Business Mixes with Pleasure and Community Need

Paul Rufe, owner of the , stands happily knee deep in Essex, as a business owner, resident and as a community activist.

For Rufe, all aspects are intertwined.

The subs, pizzas, desserts and breakfast food that he serves may not—at first—appear to mesh with the restaurant's lighthouse theme. But there is a reason Rufe chose it.

“It goes beyond the fact that I’ve always loved lighthouses,” he said. “I wanted to remind people that this area is all about the water, beautiful spots with so much to be proud of.”

Rufe bought his first local business, Super Subs on Eastern Avenue near Carroll Island in 2005 and shortly relocated and renamed the business Lighthouse Café when he moved to Eastern Boulevard.

He stayed at that location about a year before settling in at the Margaret Avenue site about four years ago.

The move to the current location is a testament to Rufe’s work ethic. When he says he moved the business, he means that literally.

There were no moving vehicles involved. Rufe, along with employees and friends, used hand trucks and a lot of sweat to move coolers and pizza ovens down the little sidewalk into their new home on Margaret Avenue.

“We were packing and moving things Christmas Eve, through Christmas and Dec. 26. We were open for business Dec. 27 at the new location,” he said.

The fact that the business didn’t have telephone service for a week didn’t deter Rufe. He kept one employee at the old site who took phone calls and forwarded the information via cell phone to workers at the new site.

“You can’t afford that down day,” he said. “If you are not open for business, and the customer wants to order something, that customer will go elsewhere, and who knows if he’ll come back."

Since the location is on a side street, and because there are many pizza and sub shops in the area, Rufe knew he had to come up with a unique marketing plan.

So he decided to make a real, down-home breakfast a menu priority. Specifically, Rufe is out to prove that eggs aren’t just for breakfast anymore.

The Lighthouse Café opens at 8 a.m. with fresh breakfast fare of eggs and scrapple. Better yet, delivery starts at 8 a.m., so customers can have a home-cooked breakfast first thing in the morning without having to do the cooking themselves. He’s particularly proud of his breakfast pizza that has all of the morning fixings combined on a classic pizza crust base.

While the 8 a.m. calls may seem above and beyond, delivery orders comprise 60-65 percent of the Lighthouse Café’s business, according to Rufe, so getting a jump on the day with customers is crucial.

He also believes in making everything on site, so people get as close to fresh and homemade as is possible. From burgers made from fresh angus beef to desserts to breakfast pizzas, someone on the Lighthouse staff is responsible for cooking (not reheating or packaging) fresh items.

Over the years, Rufe has made a point to ensure that his business makes an impact within the Essex community. Rufe said owning the business allows him to contribute to the community in way he couldn’t as just a private resident.

“I have given back a lot to the community,” he said, “but it’s nothing in comparison to what it has given me.”

Recently Rufe donated 42 pizzas for a held on July 18 by Shirley Wilson of on South Marlyn Avenue. Until recently, Rufe served as president of the Essex-Middle River-Chase Lions Club. With his tenure as president over, he now sits on the executive board on a district level. 

Rufe will be a big presence during the Essex Day Festival committee, serving as bookkeeper and assistant Midway chair. The Lighthouse Café will have a strong presence on Essex Day. In addition to a pizza stand at one end of the route, Rufe will be part of a Ravens tailgating party behind the café on Margaret Avenue.

When he’s not doing any of the above or running the Lighthouse Café, he spends time helping the Essex-Middle River Revitalization committee and the Guardian Angels, an organization dedicated to fighting crime.

Rufe said Baltimore City has had a Guardian Angels presence, and now the group has moved into the suburbs as well. He is proud to be part of an effort that allows people to feel safe as they sit on a porch step on nice evenings.

In between all of the community endeavors, Rufe can be found serving breakfast, dinner or lunch seven days a week at the Lighthouse Cafe. It isn't all work, however. Rufe tries to make the work day fun as well. He admitted he has been known to engage in a food fight involving eggs with his son—but he wants everyone to know they were real egg products, not imitation egg.

Lighthouse Café

Address: 3 Margaret Ave.

Phone Number: 410-574-SUBS (7827).

Hours: 8 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

Check out the Lighthouse Café Facebook page to keep up with  current discounts and deals.