The Yellow Church Cafe is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner at 111 South Pearl St. Visit theyellowchurchcafe.com for more.

What started out as a small Lutheran church in the 1920s became The Yellow Church Cafe.

Owner and chef Oscar Guitron, who bought the restaurant last year, prepares home-style comfort foods using only fresh ingredients.

With an eclectic and limited menu, The Yellow Church Cafe is making a name for itself by offering homestyle food.

Guitron, a native of Mexico, moved to Seattle twenty years ago to complete his culinary training.

As fate would have it, he took a position at Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls, where he learned every facet of the business under the tutelage of the lodge’s certified master chef.

The chef Guitron worked under was a head instructor for the Culinary Institute of America in New York before moving to Snoqualmie to work at Salish Lodge.

“I was fortunate to wash dishes for a few months, and he had me do chores and showed me cooking techniques,” Guitron said. “In two years I was one of the head cooks. I was fortunate to get my start in a 5-star facility.”

After leaving Salish lodge, Guitron spent six years as a chef at the Suncadia Resort. When Suncadia downsized a lot of people were laid off.

After Suncadia closed, Guitron spent six months without work; “mulling over” what he was going to do while receiving numerous offers to move to New York and Oregon to work as a chef.

“Suncadia offered to have me move to one of their other companies, but I had fallen in love with the area of Roslyn,” Guitron said. “People have asked me why I haven’t moved to Ellensburg; I like Ellensburg, but I love the area of Roslyn.”

While unsure of his next career move, Guitron received an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream to own his own restaurant. He and his wife Shonda Shawver purchased the Yellow Church Cafe from long-time owner Gordon Wollen.

While Guitron has kept many of the same menu items, he has added his own twist to the recipes. Each dish on the menu is made from scratch, including sauces, jams and breads. When crafting his menu, Guitron always has his clientele in mind.

“My style of cooking was a little more sophisticated when I worked for some of these companies, but I like to make dishes that are familiar favorites,” Guitron said. “My goal is to keep it simple.”

One dish in particular is the Snake River Farm’s (SRF) Pork Shank Ossobuco, which includes root vegetables, mashed potatoes and kale.

The Kurobuto pork that is used in the dish is a type of European pig that is raised specifically for SRF in Boise, Idaho. Guitron likens the pork to Kobe beef standards.

The half-pound Bison Burger is also another popular item on the menu.

“Everything we have on the menu moves fast,” Guitron said. “If an item doesn’t do so well, we remove it and try something else.”

Yellow Church has not only gained a following locally, but globally as well.

“We’ve had people from all over the world, including Europe and China, who have enjoyed our food,” Guitron said.

The café’s fare is available at breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Yellow Church offers a 15 percent discount to Central students who come in for breakfast.

“The students who come to eat here enjoy our meals. I hardly see them for dinner, but if you take a look at our lunch menu we make a mac and cheese, which is made in a skillet and is a good portion,” Guitron said. “We try to keep the menu at a reasonable price so it doesn’t scare people away.”

Guitron also employs many Central students, and he works around their schedules with flexible shifts.

Senior Anastasia Lewis, a double major in fashion design and business, has worked at the café for over six months.

“It’s really nice to serve food that you’re proud of,” Lewis said. “It makes my job a lot easier.”

Overall, Guitron is very happy with the progress the restaurant has made.

“We are going to continue improving the quality of our food,” Guitron said. “I am not trying to change the church. We don’t want to take away from the sentimental value of the church.”