Carnation Cafe celebrates 10 years of business

Carnation Cafe chef and owner Don Langhans has never taken a cooking class.

Langhans began his career in food service as a teenager serving up scoops of ice cream in Vermont, and has since spent 40 years managing kitchens across the country. He said he learned what he knows “hitchhiking across the country, working under chefs and developing relationships that got me where I am right now.”

After various jobs — at country clubs, golf courses, senior centers and more — he was asked to run a new cafe in downtown Carnation by the landlord of the property.

Last year, thanks to his loyal customers, Langhans was able to purchase the property, and this summer, Don and his wife, Heidi Fisher, celebrated 10 years of business.

Located in downtown Carnation, Carnation Cafe is a classic hometown spot — but its culinary capabilities shouldn’t be underestimated. Everything is made in house, and the menu is full of intentional recipes, from a full pastry case to meat from the on-site smoker.

“I don’t feel like they’re gourmet meals. I feel like they’re just really well done,” Langhans said. “And that’s been my concept all my life.”

The menu is always evolving, Langhans said, but classic favorites remain, like the meatloaf and the halibut cheeks. Newer items include the “really popular” pork schnitzel with a lemon butter on top, as well as pasta dishes like prawn scampi and house-smoked salmon ravioli.

The restaurant is also well-known for its desserts. Langhans never planned on becoming a baker, but now he said the sweets are what keep people coming back.

Mainstays of the dessert case, Langhans said, are the chocolate mousse, German chocolate cake and carrot cake. Also popular are the mini pies, which come in a variety of flavors and are nicely sized for one person.

The weekend morning brunch menu includes a salmon eggs benedict, chicken fried steak and corned beef hash, among other classics.

Carnation Cafe hosts special events throughout the year, Langhans said, such as “extravagant buffets” for holidays and wine dinners — customers can look out for the next wine dinner this fall.

The restaurant is also available for catering events, to which Langhans said there are “no limits.” Past catering ranges from breakfast buffets to prime rib dinners to a recent $20,000 barbecue.

Langhans develops the restaurant’s recipes with his son, John Fisher. Carnation Cafe truly is a family affair. Aside from his own, Langhans said he employs two other sets of family members.

Carnation Cafe may not reinvent the culinary wheel, but its menu’s balance of comforting and refined has made it a favored spot for visitors, as well as created a sure list of regulars. Langhans said he would not make it without his regulars, whom he credits for helping him purchase the property.

To raise money for the down payment, Carnation Cafe sold $1,000 gift cards that included a buffet, a birthday dinner and a birthday cake.

“They just came flocking in,” Langhans said of his customers, who purchased more than 70 of the gift cards.

The community loves Carnation Cafe, and it loves the community in turn. Langhans said he donates when he can, like a free doughnut day he does a few times a year for the local teachers and school bus drivers.

After all the community has done for his business in these 10 years, Langhans said he wants people to know they’re appreciated.

“I like to spread the wealth,” he said. “And that’s how I treat my customers. They come in the doors — I’m very grateful and humbled.”