Deb's Downtown Cafe

Deb Bolton opened Deb's Downtown Cafe at 103 W. Tyler in March 2003 — months before the city tore up Tyler Street for reconstruction. Several downtown businesses closed during that stretch. Hers did not. She had been cooking at a downtown coffee bar when Gerald Rodriguez, the late owner of Tyler Street Bistro, encouraged her to rent the building, which had sat vacant for three years. Soup is the specialty, and Bolton says the jalapeño cheese is everybody's favorite. The signature sandwich is the Nutty Bird — smoked turkey, cucumbers, sprouts, tomato and sunflower seeds on oat nut bread. She has five employees, nearly all longtime, who handle prep, but she does all the cooking herself: soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts. Every day she writes an encouraging message on the board behind the cash register.