Mingle Among the Stars
“Mingle Among the Stars:
Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen Is Out of this World!” by Robyn Morgan
Encore Magazine
October 15, 2008
“We heard about Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen through a friend of ours,” say Michael Lambrix and Howard Brown. “We started eating there right after it opened, and we’ve returned nearly every day since then. We get impressive personal service, and the first-rate quality of the food is incredibly consistent.”
Lambrix and Brown are no strangers to attention to detail. They’ve built a very successful business based on exceptional customer service; they’re the proprietors of Candles Etc. in downtown Wilmington, and they have over twenty-five years of experience in event planning.
Kristin Lubben, co-owner of Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen, says the restaurant has many customers who, like Lambrix and Brown, come back again and again. “That makes us feel really good about our business and what we’re doing in Wilmington. Chris’ passion for food and for what he does is what keeps him going, and our customers can really sense that.”
“Chris is always very accommodating, and he has been since the beginning.” Lambrix says. “It’s been wonderful watching the restaurant grow and evolve in such a short period of time.”
“I’ve been working in this business for over twenty years. Opening my own restaurant had always been a dream of mine, so we basically hit the ground running. We were ready,” Chris Lubben says. Wilmington was apparently ready as well; Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen was open for only a few months when it was voted “Best Lunch” by the readers of Encore Magazine.
Chris, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, was also featured on the cover of Wilmington Magazine as a finalist in the city’s Top Chef competition.
“It’s so difficult to pick a favorite dish,” Lambrix says. “For breakfast, I’d say the French toast or an omelet, and, the pancakes are phenomenal.” Brown says that his lunch favorites are the gourmet grilled cheese and prime rib sandwiches. “And the cheesecake,” they both say. “The cheesecake.”
Breakfast and cheesecake are served all day at Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen, and lunch service starts at 10:30 AM. Meats are hand-sliced and roasted in-house, and many of the menu items are made from scratch. Since it’s family owned and operated, Chris, Kristin, or one of their sons can be found at the restaurant at any given time. “My younger son loves to wipe the tables clean, and my older son actually enjoys washing dishes,” Kristin says.
“We’ve got some new things in store for our customers,” Kristin adds. “So keep coming back!”
