Staunton new restaurant Bijou is a cozy space for soups, salads and desserts

STAUNTON — Christina Peppas is passionate about soup. One of the oldest prepared foods in the world, every culture has soup in some form.

“It's such a wonderful food to nurture the body and the soul, which is why I'm doing it," says Peppas.

Bijou (which means a cozy gem) is all about soups, salads and desserts. Peppas and her husband wanted to make the space reflect the small and intimate spaces in two of their favorite cities, Paris and Venice. One of the hallmarks of those cities, she says, is their tiny eateries. The new restaurant opened two weeks ago in Newtown at 614 W. Beverley St.

The menu is seasonal and items change on a weekly basis. Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options are available. Customers can dine-in or take out, and wine and beer is also available.

It’s winter so cozy soups are on tap, she says.

Right now, soups include a pear and carrot with curry spices, classic tomato basil with cream, a kale, bean and spicy Italian sausage soup with white wine, broccoli and cheddar, spinach and pea, and a Turkish red lentil soup with cumin, cayenne, mint and Spanish smoked paprika.

Salad wise, a classic Caesar, curry chicken salad, a brussels and kale salad with lemon Parmesan vinaigrette and toasted walnuts, and a French lentil salad with goat cheese.

Desserts include lemon pudding cake, French apple cake with cranberry orange soup as a drizzle and vanilla ice cream, and a classic chocolate mousse.

Why desserts?

“Because if you've had a salad and soup, you feel virtuous, and you can have your dessert,” says Peppas. “Because we need to splurge on that. We need to enjoy those lovely, sweeter things as well.”

Peppas grew up around food. Her grandmother and mother are avid cooks, a passion she says they all share. At her Greek Orthodox Church, the church had a summer festival that was all about food.

“My favorite thing every summer would be to participate in this massive cooking extravaganza with all the little old ladies from Greece, passing down their recipes to us, just like treasured secrets,” Peppas says smiling.

She looks back on those happy memories and wants her everyday life to reflect this. Her favorite things to make are warm and cozy and nourishing, she says.

“It’s a slow process. It’s a meditative process. And that’s what I love about cooking food.”

Her first job was in a little cafe in Newport, Rhode Island, called Espresso Yourself. Originally from Jamestown, Rhode Island, a small town of 5000, Peppas went to school in Boston and spent 10 years in Austin, Texas where she met her husband who took a teaching position at Mary Baldwin in 2016.

“So, I've lived in big cities, I've lived in small cities. So this is just another wonderful small city in my life, and I'm really happy to be here now.”

When they came to Staunton, Peppas began working at Yelping Dog, where the owners became mentors.

“I feel that the food industry can teach you so much about life, about work, about service to others.”

Over time, she was struck by how well the owners of Yelping Dog ran their business and how much they cared for their employees and customers.

“Having those role models and seeing what they can do and contribute to a community made me hope someday to do something similar in my own small way,” says Peppas.

Peppas worked in higher education administration in career services for over 20 years, which she says was wonderful. But she’s always had a second job in the restaurant industry.

“I started to realize that that was where my passion was, and I finally decided I needed to make a change in my life. I'm in my 40s, I still have the energy to do a restaurant, and we live in Newtown here.”

When Magdalena’s announced they were moving to a bigger space, she was so sad, she says.

“I'm sitting here eating one of all those gorgeous pastries, and I thought someone should move in here ... I should move in here and do soups, salads, desserts. The business plan fell into my head in that moment, and my husband was on board with me from the moment I had this idea.”

She started out selling soup at the farmers' market and that seemed to be a hit, she says, which gave her the confidence to move forward with the restaurant.

“People have been so supportive. We already have regulars, which is exciting,” she says.

Located at 614 W. Beverley Street in Staunton, Bijou is open Thursday–Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday 5-8 p.m. You can reach Bijou at 540-688-1622 or follow on bijou_staunton.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton new restaurant Bijou is a cozy space for soups, salads and desserts