Restauranteur chases his American Dream in Greenwood Lake

By A.J. Arias
GREENWOOD LAKE — In October 2017 Tomas Ramirez chased his dream of owning his own restaurant by opening the Salt and Pepper Cafe.
Located at 699 Jersey Ave. in Greenwood Lake, Salt and Pepper is truly a family run-business.
Growing up Ramirez watched as his father, Filadelfo, owned and operated a small coffee shop called Express Broadway in Manhattan. From there started Ramirez’s dream to own a place of his own.
Do it - do everything - yourselfBut starting out, Ramirez had big dreams and a small amount of money.
When the opportunity arose to open up a place in Greenwood Lake, Ramirez knew he had to take it. With little money Ramirez was forced to do everything with his own hands to create the cafe as it is today.
That meant Ramirez had a hand in almost everything, from the plumbing to the carpentry. All the furniture in the place is recycled and reupholstered from items that had been discarded. He even painted the walls.
It is Ramirez’s family that has made the real difference in the success of the cafe, he said. His mom, his wife, his aunts and especially his dad have offered their assistance free of charge to help Ramirez with his dreams.
'The rock of the business'Ramirez, who started as a waiter, recalled a memory of his father trying to teach him how to cook when he was younger.
Ramirez thought he’d never need the skill and ignored it - up until now when he realized how important his dad’s experience is to his success.
Ramirez also credits Filadelfo with teaching him about efficiency and how to deal with the pressures of owning a restaurant. Ramirez called his father the “rock of the business.”
Ramirez said that running a restaurant, especially one with your family, is hard and there can be some rough times.
But he recalled that as a kid, no matter how hard things got, when the holidays came around the family always came together.
It is these memories that Ramirez wants for his own kids, that and to show them the ultimate lesson: “If you push hard enough, you can make it.”
The essentialsThe Salt and Pepper Cafe offers various Greek and Spanish dishes including gyros, falafel and burritos. Ramirez also said he is always open to suggestions for new items on the menu.
The cafe is open Sunday through Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For information, call (845) 595-1655.