Crave: Eat Your Heart Out

It may’ve taken some years of trial and error with plenty of financial losses along the way, but now Crave owner Winfield Harrell Jr. is finally starting to see the light.

A hard-working entrepreneur who pursued the restaurant business after a long career working for the city’s Dept of Corrections, Harrell experienced a series of failed ventures (everything from a pizza joint to a couple of local cafes) before settling on Crave, a small café on Patchen and Macon that’s creating a buzz in the heart of Bed-Stuy.

“Things are going well,” says Winfield, stopping to speak to Patch while cleaning out some garbage in the front of the store.

“But it’s actually doing better than I had anticipated. I wanted to open slowly to work out any kinks, but the community doesn’t appear to be letting me do that," he said smiling.

Indeed, since it opened last month in April, Crave’s triple combo of healthy and delicious cuisine, cozy vibe and friendly service, seems to be working overtime on nearby residents long wanton for a neighborhood spot that they can enjoy a good meal, get some work in and/or catch up with friends.

Located on one of the quieter strips of Bed-Stuy, Crave is a welcome retreat from the cloud of chaos that exists in the city.

“We need more of this quality kind of restaurant in the neighborhood,” said Debbie, a local parent visiting Crave for the first time along with her son. “It’s somewhere for people to get out of the house, like a very community-based place where you can go and see a friendly face.”

From the outside Crave appears to be small, but the inside is spacious, comfortable and inviting. The walls are filled with posters and assorted artwork, soft music plays in the back and the service is friendly.

Crave serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and employs 3 cooks, all professionally trained. Most recently, Harrell has set up some chairs and tables in the backyard for patrons to eat as the weather gets warmer.

“I’ve been coming here since it opened,” said Darrell Smith, a filmmaker working from his laptop. “I know the owner, I like the camaraderie of the people, and  the food is every good. I like the turkey burgers and the vegetable burgers. I even like the chocolate chip and raisin cookies.”

Crave’s menu is extensive, with around 60 choices. Highlights include specialty burgers, roasted chicken, grilled steak, lemon chicken salads, paninis, organic market greens, grilled vegetables, fried tilapia, homemade French fries, buttermilk pancakes, organic granola and yogurt, omelets, assorted kid meals and plenty of sides and combinations.

With quality dishes at affordable prices, it’s no wonder Crave is off to such a fine start.

“Progressively, like each week it’s getting really busy,” said Felicia Bodley, a staffer at Crave. “We’ve been getting a lot of reviews, people have been calling us in telling us that the food is good, so that helps a lot.”

Although he’s had to deal with plenty of struggles trying to make it in the eatery business, Harrell, a Bed-Stuy native, credits his father for his dedication and work ethic. “He told me that if you get up early and work hard you’ll make it. And that’s with me to this day. He always worked so I never wanted for anything.”

When he’s not putting in long hours at Crave seven days a week, he’s raising his kids and even finds time to do volunteer work around the way.

“This is my passion, to see this work," said Harrell. "And the way I see it, we’re here to stay.”