CINCINNATI — When she retired from a job in corporate America after 30 years, Selina Clim's brother gave her some advice.
"He told me, 'I can't imagine you going home and just babysitting," Clim said. "I think you need to find another career."
Two years into retirement, and babysitting, Clim said she found herself needing something to do.
So, she found herself eating brunch with her brother, who told her that she should try her hand as a restaurant owner. He said after all, Clim knew a few things about cooking.
"I cook for my husband and I packed his breakfast and lunch for over 30 years," Clim said.
She also grew up learning how to cook delicious dishes from her own mother, Izora Hood, and grandmother, said Keila Clim, Selina Clim's daughter.
"And that's where we got a lot of our cooking expertise from," Keila Clim said.
Selina Clim said those years of learning how to cook with her mother and a promise to be home for dinner with her husband, are what finally persuaded her to open King's Way Cafe last November.
"I said, 'OK, I could do this.,'" she said.
Selina Clim said she opened her restaurant at 3550 Montgomery Rd. in Evanston in honor of her father.
"My father didn't live but right around the corner," she said. "There were no breakfast spots in the neighborhood where it would have been something like home-cooked food."
King's Way Cafe serves only breakfast, brunch and lunch. It's open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Keila Clim said a mural on one wall inside King's Way Cafe reflects the strong sense of family her mother brought to the restaurant.
"My great-grandmother is holding poundcake and then my mother as a child in the kitchen with her, which is a funny story because I can remember me as a child and my great grandmother coming over to our house and helping my mom bake the poundcake," Keila Clim said, describing the large mural painted on one wall of the cafe.
There is an image of Izora Hood, who also helps run the restaurant.
"The King's Way Cafe name comes from our mother's mother's side," Keila Clim said. "So, that is my grandmother's surname is King."
Izora Hood is the eldest living of 12 King siblings, she added.
And the reason for the cafe's bright orange walls?
"My mother and both of her parents love the candy Orange Slice, which is the reason we give that to every customer for carryout orders," Keila Clim said. "It gives me chills every time I walk in here. The legacy that I'm able to see a lot of strong women in our family."
Selina Clim said she's proud of every dish she serves.
"You know what, it's almost like come back and trying everything on the menu because everything is good," she said. "This is a family spot, so you can come and be relaxed and just come in and feel like you're part of the family."
To learn more about King's Way Cafe visit the restaurant's Facebook page.
