New Jackson eatery features chef with local roots

One of the great things about living in Cape Girardeau is the wide variety of restaurant fare available here. From fast food to fine dining, hamburgers to hibachi, sushi to spaghetti, tofu to T-bones and enchiladas to etouffee, there's something here to satisfy just about any palate.

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, I can count on one hand the number of times my wife and I have enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant over the past year. That's not to say we haven't enjoyed home delivered and takeout meals; we've tried to support local eateries that way — especially as we enter the fifth month of our home renovation; we haven't had a functioning kitchen since October!

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel — rumor has it we could get a kitchen sink this week, but even better than that, my wife and I both received our second vaccination shots last week, which means we might venture out again soon to some of the restaurants we've been missing (still masked and mindful of social distancing, of course).

Although it's not open yet, I'm already intrigued about a new dining establishment coming to Jackson. Described as an "elevated street taco and burger joint," Fuel Bar + Taco will open this spring at 634 W. Main St. on the corner of Main and Morgan streets in what was once a gas station, which is, I assume, where the name "Fuel" came from.

Nicole Evans, who co-owns Fuel along with Al Munoz, sent a news release to the Missourian last week about the restaurant's head chef, Cape Girardeau native James Palen.

With a 15-year culinary career spanning the country, Palen began cooking as a teenager at his uncle's restaurant. Following an apprenticeship at Chris McD's Restaurant & Wine Bar in Columbia, Missouri, he went on to attend and graduate from The Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio.

He then spent several years learning under some of the best chefs in America, honing his knowledge and culinary expertise in a variety of cuisines, including Mexican street food, Latin flavors and traditional Cajun and Creole dishes.

In 2017, Palen became a master cook at LeCirque at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, a Michelin-rated restaurant and considered one of the nation's top culinary destinations.

"Working at LeCirque was incredible," Palen said in the news release. "We had dignitaries, CEOs, ambassadors, and high rollers on a nightly basis using the finest ingredients and wine the world has to offer."

But then came 2020.

"When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Las Vegas, my wife, Rebecca, and I decided it was time to come home," Palen said in the release. "We missed our families and were ready for another adventure."

That adventure, it appears, is in the form of Fuel Bar + Taco.

"We could not be more excited to have someone with James' experience and expertise as part of the team," according to a joint quote from Evans and Munoz. "Our vision for Fuel Bar + Taco is destination dining with an innovative menu featuring the freshest ingredients. James' experience and expertise are just what we needed to make that vision come to life."

An opening date for Fuel hasn't been announced, but updates will be posted on the restaurant's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/fueljackson, and Instagram site, www.instagram.com/fueljackson.

Clinic construction status

With Southeast Behavioral Hospital holding its "virtual" ribbon-cutting this week, I checked in last week on the new Veterans Affairs Health Care Center (HCC) under construction at 711 S. Mount Auburn Road.

HCC administrator Libby Johnson tells me the project is about 60% complete, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 3 and target opening date of Feb. 1.

Once operational, the 45,000-square-foot outpatient facility will employ about 100 new staff members who will be added to the existing staff of 30 at the VA's current clinic location on William Street in front of West Park Mall. Anyone interested in applying for positions at the HCC may log on to www.usajobs.gov for more information.

A slice of pizza trivia

Now that you're thinking about food, this is an opportunity for me to share some appetizing statistics about the pizza industry that came out a few weeks ago during National Pizza Week (yes, there is such as thing, observed annually in January).

According to a worldwide pizzeria database compiled by BoldData — www.bolddata.nl — there were 90,817 pizza restaurants in the United States as of mid-January. That's up more than 39% compared to 2016, when there were reportedly just 65,213 pizza joints in the nation.

From 2017 until 2020, pizza's slice of the U.S. restaurant industry grew at a rate of more than 8,300 new pizza establishments each year. That trend came to an abrupt halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic slowdown it caused. In 2020, only 581 pizzerias opened in the U.S.

With nearly 8,300, California is the state with the most pizza joints, with New York coming in second with just under 7,200. But if you crave a pepperoni pie, you best steer clear of Wyoming, which reportedly has just 133 pizza establishments.

Based on the total number of pizza restaurants, the United States is No. 1 by a wide margin. Italy, where the modern pizza originated, is a distant second with 42,288, according to the pizza database.

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Speaking of pizza, kudos to the crew at the Domino's store on North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. My wife and I were binge watching Netflix late Saturday afternoon when I suddenly remembered we were responsible for providing food for the praise band and other staff at our church (LaCroix Methodist on North Mount Auburn Road) by 5:30 and the time was 5:28.

We panicked. She placed an order for three large pizzas and I threw on a coat and darted out the door. Ten minutes later, I had the pizzas in hand and five minutes after that I delivered them just in time for them to be enjoyed, albeit 15 minutes late.

Thanks for the "rush" order, Domino's!

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