WHITE HALL, W.Va. (WBOY) – The Cottage Cafe has been open in the Fairmont area for about five weeks now. The owner said that she wanted to bring something new and different to the area, and so she opened a Caribbean, Jamaican restaurant.

Owner Shelley Walters said she wanted to create a comfortable, cozy environment for customers to come in so they could talk, hang out and just enjoy some good food.

“It’s a process because we do everything, we try to do everything from scratch, everything is more authentic, so I think that’s what they are liking, that they can have something different and know that work was out into it, and they’re getting something that’s well,” said Walters.

Walters said her jerk chicken was so popular that she now provides free samples of every item on the menu for that day just so people could get a taste for the other things that she has to offer.

Walters is a veteran of the United States Army, and so she provides discounts to veterans and others who give back to the community, like teachers, students, first responders and senior citizens, who all receive a 15 percent discount every day. She said that she hopes to increase that discount once she gets more consistent business.

“Veterans to me holds a good place in my heart, so I figured, you know, it’s veterans owned, I wanted everyone to feel to be able to afford it as well too, so we try to keep our price range, and we try to kinds of… you know, first responders, veterans, anyone that’s giving back to the community, we try to help them out as well,” said Walters.

Walters has recently added something new; veterans can come to the cottage cafe for a free meal every Friday at 5 o’clock.

Along with the jerk chicken, she says her curry chicken, and pastries like beef patties and coco bread are popular menu items. The Cottage Cafe also exclusively serves Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, and Walters said you can’t find that coffee served anywhere else in the area.

Walters said that those who have come to eat continue to come back, but others just don’t know that she’s there yet. She plans to start doing deliveries on Nov. 1 and will continue to offer catering. Veterans can rent the space at a discount, in addition to others.

You can find the restaurant at 2803 White Hall Boulevard.