WHO’S IN CHARGE After being laid off from her corporate catering job, Dawn Beebe spent time at home with her then 18-month daughter, Zuzu, planning her next step. That’s when it hit her.
“I wanted someone to make healthy food for me, but there was nothing out there,’’ she said.
Beebe guessed there were many other working families — like hers — hungry for healthy food versus fast food. She liked to cook and had spent years in small restaurants on the Cape to the former Ritz Carlton in Boston, working as a waitress, bartender, and caterer.
Picturing a little storefront café and catering business, Beebe told herself, “I can do this.’’ In 2010, she did, naming her Wakefield business after her daughter Zahra’s nickname.
THE LOCALE Tucked into a tiny spot on Main Street, the cozy neighborhood café serves homemade comfort food. The compact restaurant seats up to 50 customers, 20 inside and, in good weather, another 30 on the granite stone deck. A natural privacy wall of bushes and plants blocks views of passing traffic. Order inside. Staff delivers it to you at a table. Or get it to go, for a picnic along Lake Quannapowitt or to eat at home.
ON THE MENU For a tiny footprint, ZuZu’s really packs it in. Racks of prepared food fill the refrigerated glass display case: thick slices of wild salmon, panko-crusted chicken breasts, quiches, roasted asparagus, and various colorful salads.
Want breakfast? It’s served all day and includes deep-dish quiche, breakfast paninis, and burritos. Lunchtime also offers sandwiches along with entrees, salads, and light desserts. Everything, cooked fresh on-site, is made in small batches.
For lunch, we bit into the juicy asparagus and prosciutto caprese panini of the day ($8), a crunchy asiago cheese roll that hugged thin slices of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, asparagus, tomato, and greens all drizzled with balsamic.
A thick, moist slice of grilled pork tenderloin in grilled Tuscan bread filled the BBQ pork melt sandwich ($8), accompanied by cheddar, caramelized onions, tomato, and a sweet barbecue sauce with a lingering, spicy kick. We also enjoyed a pork entree ($10): Generous slices of meat were grilled with mesquite seasonings and barbecue sauce, then finished in the oven for a moist, spicy finish. Entrees come with a choice of two sides (we selected roasted corn and black bean salad and a crunchy broccoli kale slaw), which makes for a full lunch or grab-and-go dinner for home.
In cooler weather, three soups are in rotation daily, a vegetable, broth, and stew/chowder. Lobster bisque ($6) — light and creamy with an extra splash of sherry — is one of the most popular soups, Beebe said.
Desserts ($2.50) are simple, classic sweet treats. We fell victim to the blondies, thick golden bars chock-full of chocolate chips, and the oatmeal raisin cookies, with the sweet aftertaste of cinnamon and brown sugar.
ZuZu’s Café & Catering, 316 Main St., Wakefield. 781-245-3035, zuzuscatering.com.
Kathy Shiels Tully can be reached at kathy@kathyshielstully.com.
