Cajun cuisine, donuts and bagels coming to Front Royal’s East Main Street

Following a closed session at its monthly meeting Friday morning, January 24, the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Board of Directors confirmed what had been hinted at during the open portion of the meeting.

C&C Frozen Treats owner William Huck is poised to purchase the vacant Stokes Mart building at 506 East Main Street. By a 6-0 vote, Jorie Martin by phone, Mark Baker absent, the board authorized the sale at a price of $185,000. The EDA purchased the property including a detached, three apartment rental building, at the east end of Front Royal’s Historic Downtown Business District for just over $398,000 in 2014, during the executive directorship of Jennifer McDonald.

Current EDA Executive Director Doug Parsons has repeatedly expressed a desire to divest the EDA of the property, particularly due to the presence of the residential building on it, noting the property is generally not the type an EDA would invest in for economic development purposes.

As business partner and brother-in-law John Politz listens in doorway, William Huck, far right, reacts to EDA approval of his purchase of the old Stokes Mart building at 506 E. Main St. County Supervisors Cheryl Cullers and Delores Oates were interested observers, along with Walter Mabe, not pictured. No one from the town government was present to hear the announcement of the sale and business plan for the currently-vacant downtown property.

Huck said the plan for the building after some maintenance and remodeling work is for a café featuring Cajun-style food common to his native state of Louisiana, and freshly-made donuts and bagels, with accompanying non-alcohol liquid refreshments. Huck said he hopes to close on the purchase within the next few weeks so that he can begin needed maintenance in February.

“Yes, the building needs work like every building on East Main Street,” Huck told us, adding that he did not consider needed repairs, including to a leaking roof, too severe.

Huck will be partnering with brother-in-law John Politz – “I’m known as Farmer John around here” – Politz alerted us during a photo op walk to the property several doors down and across East Main Street from C&C Frozen Treats, shortly after the EDA meeting’s adjournment. Not to be outdone on nicknames, earlier during the EDA board’s closed session Huck regaled media and citizen observer Linda Allen with impersonations of a proposed “Crazy Willie” cartoon character he has been approached about as an additional marketing tool for his downtown business interests.

Huck and Politz read a little history of the property, which once housed Lane’s Tavern where in 1836 the first justices of the newly-created Warren County met.

As to those interests Huck said his focus will remain with C&C Frozen Treats, with Politz taking the lead on the Cajun food and accoutrements enterprise. Politz, appropriately attired in an NCAA football national champion Louisiana State University hoodie and jacket, and Huck helped this reporter with the spelling of “kolache”, a Cajun-style wrap that will be a key part of getting the café’s Alligator Sausage and other home-made Cajun delicacies to your palate.

Huck and Politz, or should we say Crazy Willie and Farmer John, explained that the production of the kolaches lends itself to adding fresh donuts and bagels to the menu.

Huck’s enthusiasm for his adopted hometown was apparent as we awaited his wife, Nina’s, arrival after she spotted us heading for the Stokes Mart property while driving by on East Main.

“I’ve said it over and over, this is the best community in the world – I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I am invested in this town 110%,” the founding organizer of Downtown Front Royal’s “Family Fun Day” enthused, adding, “2020 is going to be a good year”.

Sure it needs a little work, but this family trio, from left, John Politz, Nina and William Huck, believe they are up to the task of repair and opening a Cajun-style café for downtown Front Royal at 506 E. Main St.

Economic Development Authority Board of Directors Meeting – January 24, 2019