No menu, no problem for local restaurant

Sara Ferne/The Lantern Café Bella owner Vince Withers organizes his ingredients. The restaurant changes its menu daily to serve the freshest dishes.

Owner Vince Withers purchased the 15-year-old café in June 2007. Withers is an Ohio State graduate with a degree in engineering who left his job of seven years with the U.S. Department of Defense after protestors of his projects left him unenthusiastic, he said.

Though his new job requires long hours in the restaurant, he does not seem to mind; rather, Withers embraces the challenge of keeping his patrons satisfied. Café Bella is especially distinct because it has no set menu.

"I'm serving the neighborhood," Withers said. "Some people come in five times a week. You can't really set up a menu for people eating here 20 times a month."

Steve Bernhard is one such patron who dines at Café Bella four to five times a week.

"I've been coming in since before it was open. Vince is a friend, but regardless of our friendship it's his food that keeps me coming back," he said. "It is a very worthwhile place."

Despite the lack of a fixed menu, there are several items that are regularly available, including meatballs, chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan and pasta marinara. There is usually a fish dish a few times a week and once a week Withers prepares a rice dish with coconut milk. If there is something specific a customer wants, they can call the day before to put in their request. While call-aheads are not necessary, they are appreciated, and people are asked to be flexible with larger groups due to the petite size of Café Bella, Withers said. The café has about 20 seats with a back patio for warm weather dining.

Withers' quest for culinary knowledge will kick up a notch after a two-week trip to Thailand and Cambodia for which he embarks Friday. He will be on the hunt for indigenous ingredients and will research sustainability in foreign restaurants. For him, the trip is as much a vacation as it is exploration, he said.

Once Withers is back in the United States he will begin to construct his own sustained garden. His plan is to build a greenhouse on top of the patio roof, where he will grow tomatoes, legumes, eggplant and lots of lettuce, among other garden crops.

Withers currently shops for the café eight to 10 times a week and only brings items into the restaurant if they are of prime quality.

"Frequent patrons can tell a difference. I feel healthier every time I eat here," Bernhard said.

Café Bella is located at 2593 N. High St. and will be closed Nov. 21 through Dec. 5.

Kimberly Snodgrass can be reached at snodgrass.332@osu.edu.