Café Turnier, Norwalk

When Ernst Turnier and his son, the appropriately named Ernst Turnier, Jr., set out to open a restaurant, they had several transformations in mind. The first and most obvious was converting the space of a former convenience store into a cozy cafe, a process which, according The Hour, required over a year of hard work and a thorough UN inspection for weapons-grade Slurpee. With that mission accomplished, they turned to transformation number two: the spicing up of American deli food with traditional Haitian and Caribbean flavors.

Avocado with salt and pepper dress up the buttered sub bread of the Caribbean avocado veggie sandwich, while flank steak, bacon, and mozzarella fill Khay's Cheesesteak. The tropical influence continues at dinner, when plates of piping hot red snapper, grilled shrimp, and pasta sail out of the kitchen seasoned with a hint of Haitian spice. But the father-son duo don't only serve their cuisine inside the quaint dining room. As recently profiled by The Hour, the younger Turnier takes Friday trips to the food pantry at St. Philip's Church, where he arrives toting fresh-baked goods and other treats from the café.