Meet Mike Kokosky, Owner of the Vera Cruz Cafe & Market

Name: Mike Kokosky

Where are you from? Bethlehem

Why did you pick Vera Cruz as a location for your ?

"We came across this location and thought we’d give it a shot. There wasn’t really anything around out here, so we figured we’d try it and see what happens."

How long have you been here?

"We came about 5 years ago, but it seems like 200 years that we’ve been here."

Is this the first time you’ve been in restaurant business?

"Yeah. I would just say, think twice about what you think you want. (laughing) I don’t own this place. It owns me. And that’s the God honest truth right there because this is my new wife. (laughing) Let’s put it that way! This is it. I’m dreaming about this place sometimes at night."

What would you do if you could do anything?

"I don’t know. I really don’t know. What would I do? Get an eight-hour a day job, 40-hours a week. And that’s it! But it all gets old. It doesn’t matter what you do. You can be a trash hauler or a brain surgeon, it all becomes routine."

What's your most popular menu item?

"Pizza. We do steaks (sandwiches) and hoagies too. It changes throughout the year. Once in a while we’ll change it. We had crab cakes, but we can’t get them any more."

What do you enjoy about working with the people in this area?

"I’ve met a lot of characters coming through here. A lot of interesting people. We get a lot of the locals who come in, but some passersby."

What do you do in your spare time?

"SLEEP! (laughing) Cut the grass, clean snow depending on the season."

What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?

“You get a lot of input from a lot of people. You’ve got to hear what everybody says, but you don’t have to do it all. You’ve got to weigh it out. Some people have good ideas. Some people think they have good ideas, but they don’t. It’s all a learning process.”