Husband and wife Elke and Tim Marsh own Elke’s Market Cafe.[/caption]Located in the heart of Allen on Greenville Avenue, Elke’s Market Cafe serves homemade dishes with a genuine determination to build relationships within the community.
The restaurant’s husband-and-wife owners Tim and Elke Marsh began their careers in the food-service industry together while working for Elke’s father.
The couple eventually felt it was time to open their own restaurant in 2004.
“The commute to Dallas [to my dad’s] restaurant was too long,” Elke said. “We prayed about it and eventually felt it was time to take next step and open our own place together.”
Elke’s Market Cafe started off in a 1,200-square-foot unit, including the open-concept kitchen and lunch bar that remains in the current cafe. Elke originally thought her restaurant would act as a fast-casual cafe with only three granite tables outside.
The cafe was an instant success, and the Marshes decided to take over the lease from the shop next door.
“Within three months I was busting out of the seams here,” Elke said. “We stayed in the same unit for six months, but eventually took up the 2,400-square-foot space next door to expand the market.”
Elke’s serves homemade dishes ranging from chicken salad to fresh cheeses and homemade breads.[/caption]The cafe would eventually expand for a second time, adding a larger dining room in the process.
Elke’s Market Cafe houses three businesses underneath one roof, including its small marketplace, cafe and a catering business.
“When you have a market, a cafe and a catering service, they all work with each other and for each other, so the product is in constant rotation and allows all parts of the business to profit,” Elke said.
Elke’s Cafe is known for its chicken breast and chicken salad along with fresh cheeses, homemade dips and breads.
Saturdays take a creative turn, as the Saturday Special changes on a weekly basis and gives Elke the culinary freedom to create new dishes.
Two customer favorites, Elke’s Nutty Creation and The Other Nutty, were originally specials before they were moved to the permanent menu.
“Sometimes it takes me a couple of days, or I come up with the ideas the same morning,” Elke said. “Other times it comes to me at 3 o’clock in the morning.”
The adjoining marketplace is scattered with small gifts and keepsakes and features other local businesses’ products.
Elke’s dips, cheeses and to-go dishes, such as Grandma’s Chicken Spaghetti and Italian Baked Ziti, fill the market shelves.
“Tim and I get here every day at 7 a.m.,” Elke said. “We spend a lot of time here to make sure everything has our signature twist.”
While the Marshes maintain the business, they additionally make their community a priority.
Elke’s is currently collecting donations for the Allen Community Outreach Angel Tree program.
Tim and Elke frequently volunteer at and donate to local programs for adults with special needs, an area of outreach they said needs more assistance.
Elke’s regulars can be found scattered throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, from mechanics in Garland to the Fairview couple at the front table in the cafe.
“We’re comfortable [with] where the business is now,” Elke said. “We want to continue building friendships with customers—and getting more involved in our community is all we want our business to be.”
