A new café in Minden Village is already building some devoted clientele.
"We name a lot of our dishes after our customers," said Leslie Dupont, owner of 5-month-old Café Girasole. "Our most popular dish is the Iron Mike sandwich, named after a customer who does the Alcatraz swim and calls himself Iron Mike."
Dupont said Iron Mike wanted to design a vegetarian sandwich with enough protein for athletes.
"It has peanut butter, avocado, sunflower seeds, mixed greens, radish sprouts, Havarti cheese, cucumber, onions and a vinaigrette that if I told you the recipe to, I'd have to kill you," Dupont joked.
She said the strange mix, on squaw bread, has slowly enticed customers. But Café Girasole, which means sunflower in Italian, offers a variety Mediterranean-themed cuisine.
"We have panini sandwiches, eclectic gourmet salads, homemade soups, fresh fruit smoothies, and we're a retailer of imported cheeses and olives," said Dupont.
Popular dishes include a curry chicken salad and sweet potato soup with coconut milk and lemon grass.
"We try to offer really healthy food," said Dupont. "We use a lot of fresh vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and we use turkey in our meat loaf instead of beef."
Originally from Boston, Dupont has lived with her fiancé, Kelsey Martin, for two years in the Gardnerville Ranchos. The couple moved to Nevada for a change of scenery.
"We've been so blessed by this community," Dupont said. "We've been doing very well."
Café Girasole also caters events.
"We don't dictate a menu," she said. "We talk with customers, work within their budget and make whatever suits them best."
Dupont said maintaining good relationships with customers and the community is important. She hired local artists to paint sunflowers for the cozy interior of the café. She also named a salad after her pickiest client.
"One of our customers is very picky about his salad," Dupont said. "So the Ben Salad comes anyway you want, with whatever you want on it."
Café Girasole is located at 1657 Lucerne Street in Minden Village and is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Information, 782-3314.
