Cape Girardeau's Green's Garden combines restaurant, market and family

A new restaurant and market in downtown Cape Girardeau is taking the idea of a family business to the next level.

As of now, Green's Garden at 2 N. Main St. is staffed entirely by members of the Green family -- dad Lance, mom Sharla and their five oldest children, Becky, Frank, Job, Mercy and Titus. The couple's five younger children help out when needed.

"We've had employees in the past, and we will in the future, but from a management perspective, it'll always be family," Frank Green said. "It's a very important element, I think. Something you don't have a whole lot of in this day and age is families that work together."

Each member of the group have their own specialty at the establishment. Frank is a butcher; Mercy is a hostess and barista; Becky bakes bread; and so on.

The siblings say they've grown accustomed to working alongside their family.

Titus Green delivers a hamburger and a salad at Green's Garden. With five menus to choose from, ranging from breakfast food to Indian fare, customers can pick from a diverse selection of meals.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

Titus Green delivers a hamburger and a salad at Green's Garden. With five menus to choose from, ranging from breakfast food to Indian fare, customers can pick from a diverse selection of meals.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

"It's normal in a way for us because we're pretty close-knit. A lot of us are a year apart going down, so we're used to each other, but it has its fun challenges as well," Mercy said.

The older siblings and their parents previously worked together at Spanish Street Farmacy, a specialized downtown restaurant the Greens had run for five years. It had a more vintage aesthetic, with a focus on ice cream, sodas and diner-style food.

"We've always had a passion for food. We've been market gardeners and that kind of segued into having the Farmacy," Frank said. "The Farmacy was embodying aggregating local foods with the farming connections we had, and building new ones."

The Greens started construction of their new location at the end of May. Over the next three months, they renovated and decorated the interior ahead of their Thursday, Sept. 7, grand opening.

The Farmacy lives on as one of the menu options customers can order at Green's Garden.

Southeast Missouri State University student Dori Hefner, an agribusiness major, does her homeowrk at Green's Garden. Despite being open for just a week, the restaurant has quickly turned into a choice studying spot.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

Southeast Missouri State University student Dori Hefner, an agribusiness major, does her homeowrk at Green's Garden. Despite being open for just a week, the restaurant has quickly turned into a choice studying spot.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

Instead of one menu, the restaurant has five. This mini food hall approach lets customers sample breakfast foods, Indian cuisine, specialty meat dishes, salads and sandwiches and the Americana cuisine the Farmacy was known for.

"It's kind of all connected, but people can get a different feel whichever (menu) they're at," Frank said.

He said he'd like to expand with a Mexican-inspired menu at some point.

In addition to meals, customers can purchase ingredients to make their own. Green's Garden features a prominent market section, selling fruits and vegetables, cheese and milk, bread, meat and bulk dry goods.

A chief priority at the restaurant is using local ingredients. Vegetables are grown by a Mennonite community in Farmington, Missouri. Meat comes from around West Plains, Missouri, and is processed in Fruitland. Dairy comes from Southern Illinois and Kalona, Iowa; the restaurant's fish is from a hatchery in Kentucky.

Sharla Green fixes floral decorations to adorn the tables at Green's Garden. She often works alongside her husband and most, if not all, of their 10 children to manage the restaurant.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

Sharla Green fixes floral decorations to adorn the tables at Green's Garden. She often works alongside her husband and most, if not all, of their 10 children to manage the restaurant.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

With the establishment being so new, some menu items are not yet available, such as those with cured meats.

"We use no nitrates, just salt and sugar and a little molasses, and we smoke that. It just takes time ... doing everything from scratch," Frank said.

Green's Garden will operate from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and on Saturdays starting an hour earlier.