New coffee shop opens doors as Blue Rooster Cafe

The former coffee and book store at 10th Avenue and Jackson Street in Sidney has been transformed into The Blue Rooster Bakery and Cafe.

Mary Katos and her son Jim are the owners of this warm and cozy cafe that just opened its doors. The space occupied by the former "Book Corner" will be turned into an art gallery that will focus on local artist. It's also a meeting room for groups who are looking for a quiet place to sit down and talk.

The Katos' are both from Chicago. Jim has an extensive resume of cooking dishes from all over the world including Spanish dishes, Japanese, Thai and French. He has also worked in the Virgin Islands and Austria.

"I wanted to start getting back into baking where it's a little bit more low key and relaxed," said Jim Katos. "When I first moved here, it was just a matter of going to McDonald's or Taco Bell. There was really no variety."

The name of the restaurant comes from Jim Katos' background in French cuisine. He said the color blue and the rooster representation are both derived from his time cooking French dishes.

Mary Katos moved here from Chicago about a decade ago and has experience working for several Fortune 500 companies.

"I've been here for for several years," said Mary Katos. "I've always wanted to see the range of food that we offer here expanded and sold at a reasonable price."

The shop provides a quiet center for patrons to go and sit down for a drink of coffee. They also serve food such as, baguettes, croissants and breakfast-style sandwiches.

"I've always loved this location because it was a great place to get a cup of coffee," said Mary Katos. "Doug and Barb Meyer (the property owners) were nice enough to rent us this building so we could open up the Blue Rooster."

"Thats my side," she said in regards to the Book Corner side. "As soon as the bakery side is stable enough where I'm not needed I'll focus more on that side. There will be books, but not that many books. It'll primarily be a gallery for regional artist and artisans with things of interest. It'll be more of an art focus space. It can also be used for workshops."

Mary and Jim have already welcomed some artist into the shop to conduct lessons. They have also hosted a card-making workshop this week. Jim graced the participants with dinner during their workshop.

"We can offer excellent food," she said. "It is reasonably priced. We really want to provide outstanding service. We just want to provide something just a little bit different but not strange."

Sidney provides a perfect opportunity for Jim and Mary to plant this seed and let it grow. The geographical location along with the need for variety influenced Jim and Mary to open the bakery in Sidney.

"Especially with Cabela's expanding, we have a huge influx of people from other towns coming to Sidney," Jim Katos said.

"The geography the for the art side is perfect," Mary Katos said. "It couldn't be any better. It's the kind of place where we're close to the tourism spots and I expect to see some traffic coming through as a result of that. Sidney in and of itself is booming. It's a wonderful place to do business, a great place to expand and I only see things getting better."