Sharing the Love in Flatbush. ( Aka...More on the Cornbread Diner.)

1436 Flatbush Avenue. Site of the soon to open Cornbread Diner.

So, I decided to take a stroll over to the new site of the The Cornbread Diner to see how things are coming along. Don't ya know, I had the honor of being greeted by the owner, Bettina Harris who spotted me casing out the joint.

I told her how excited I was to hear she was opening in the neighborhood and I asked her what ever happened to her old place, The Cornbread Cafe, in the Slope. Like many before her (small business and residential tenants alike) Bettina had been displaced from the increasingly boo-zhe 'hood by greedy landlords who jacked up the rent and sent her searching for a new home and a new market. I can just imagine her thought process during this time;

"Hmmm...now where can I find an affordable place to open another nice, southern-style restaurant? Where in this great borough is the population most suffering from a lack of comfort food? Where do they not have so much as one non-fast food kitchen that allows it's patrons to sit and enjoy their food? Who most needs THE LOVE?"

...And, then appears the lightbulb.

"Flatbush? Could it be Flatbush?..Let me do some research...Let's see, the word on the street is that in Flatbush there are huge hords of comfort-deprived folks who must eat their food standing-up!..Hmmm, are commercial rents reasonable? Check!...What's this? The biggest culinary promise east of the Q-train is, is!..APPLEBEE'S??? Oh no, I have to get down there to rent a place. This is an emergency! The residents of Flatbush NEED ME! Comfort food to the rescue!"

Here's the kicker, Bettina. In Flatbush, we tend to love ya back! Welcome to the Neighborhood Cornbread & Co.!

As I informed my readers yesterday, The Cornbread Diner opens at 1436 Flatbush Avenue on August 4th. Plans for some type of grand-opening event are in the works for shortly after the official opening. Stay tuned to the Pigeon Channel for more information.