Editor’s note: Eli Dean is the author of this report.

A new restaurant has opened in Hazen, hoping to give a “welcoming neighborhood spot” to those looking for a new place to stop for a quick bite.

Laura’s Café & Bakery opened at 102 E. Front St. on May 7 and has made the dream of its owner, Laura Price, to bring a French-style café to her hometown a reality. Price said that after 30 years in the corporate food industry, she knew it was time to start her own business.

“I always knew that I wanted my own place,” Price said. “There is a lot of risk involved, but it was time for me to move back home and open my own little place and spend time with my family.”

Price has had a desire to cook since she was a kid, and she said that she wanted to showcase some of the local recipes she learned as a kid.

“One thing I was passionate about when this was still just a brainchild was that I really wanted to highlight some of the recipes from the area,” Price said. “Like some of these older Eastern European recipes that kind of got lost with our grandparents. I didn’t want the typical stuff that you could get from a gas station, I wanted something more tied to the heritage of not only my family, but the community as well.”

When one walks into Laura’s, one will find posters of Van Gogh paintings, music that sets the tone and comfortable seating to have a quick chat with a friend over a cup of coffee or a small sandwich. Price said the goal of her café is to give her customers the ability to do just that.

“I want them to feel like they’re in a little French café,” Price said. “The decor, the music, the seating, it’s really about coffee and light bites. It’s not meant to be a full-service restaurant. I want it to be a cozy, relaxing place for a cup of coffee and have fun and catch up with old friends.”

Price encourages Hazen residents who haven’t visited yet to make a stop at the store.

“Definitely try it out,” Price said. “Everything is homemade, it’s good food and a great place to get a good coffee too.”

She said that some who have paid a visit have been old friends from when she lived in Hazen previously, and that it’s been fun to reminisce with those people.

“It’s been a lot of fun catching up with old friends,” Price said. “I feel like everyone that walks through our doors is someone that I haven’t seen in 30 years. It’s like a big reunion every day.”

Laura’s is open Monday-Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Laura’s has a Facebook page where frequent updates are posted as well as a website where customers can view the entire menu and order online at laurascafebakery.com.