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NORCO — Located conveniently off of Airline Highway at the site of the old Spillway Bar, Coffee & Norco is a family owned and operated café and bakery serving the community 24/7.

The menu offers something for everyone, whether someone has a craving for gourmet donuts, breakfast specials, beignets or a variety of lunch offerings.

Building upon an extensive sandwich menu are new lunch specials offered Monday through Friday. Plates include red beans and rice, gumbo, hamburger steak, baked chicken, seafood gumbo and fried fish.

The Coffee & business was started by Joseph Savaski in the 1970s. The first location opened in 1977 on the West Bank in Harvey. On December 6, 2019, that location moved to the current site at 15641 E. Airline Highway in Norco.

Coffee & Norco is operated by Savaski’s daughter, Cheryl DeLeon of Destrehan, along with her children Herbert Jr. and Sabrina. There is another Coffee & location in Marrero run by Savaski’s son.

Herbert DeLeon Jr. got involved in the family business as soon as he graduated from college in 2018.

“It’s always been a family business. My sister and my cousin work here. We’ve always been from St. Charles Parish, and after working on the West Bank for so many years, being closer to home is something we’ve always wanted,” DeLeon said.

The new location was still settling into the community when COVID-19 turned the world upside down. DeLeon is thankful the café was able to remain open throughout the challenges of the pandemic. The dining room is currently operating at 50 percent capacity, and paper utensils are being used to limit the spread of germs.

“With COVID, we kind of had to evolve. We’ve been in business since the 1970s, and we had never done home delivery before at any of our locations,” DeLeon said. “We now have a delivery system where you can order online through our website. That’s been really helpful this year. The drive-thru has helped us a lot, too.”

Lunchtime deliveries have also proved to be popular with plant workers in the area, DeLeon said.

What truly makes Coffee & Norco unique is that it is one of the only “mom and pop” stores in the region with 24-hour service and a diverse menu. Popular breakfast selections include donuts, eggs, sausage, ham, pancakes, shrimp and grits, breakfast sandwiches and omelets.

King cakes are another big hit at Coffee & Norco. Priced at $13.99, the regular sized king cake is large enough to feed 18 people. Pralines, cream cheese and raspberry filling are among the king cake flavors offered. The hardworking staff can also create king cakes in custom shapes when requested.

In the future, the DeLeon family would like to expand the parking lot and get into more catering. The Coffee & Norco team would also like to get more involved in the community through sponsorships and charitable donations.

Coffee & Norco is always open for food orders. Pick-up hours are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and delivery to the East Bank of St. Charles Parish is available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A full online menu is available at www.coffeeandnorco.com.