Jeremy Bentham Smith and CJ Davidson met over two decades ago while attending Florida State University in Tallahassee, where they pledged the same fraternity and both played saxophone. Many years and a few moves later, the two reunited in Colorado, and now, they’ve teamed up to bring a taste of the South to Edgewater Public Market with Poboys Creole Cafe, their first venture as owners. After a soft opening this weekend, it will officially debut on Fat Tuesday, which falls on February 17 this year (yes, they will be giving out beads).
The business is taking over the stall left vacant by Tessa Deli, which had a short run in the food hall before refocusing on its East Colfax brick-and-mortar.
Both Bentham Smith and Davidson have worked in a variety of hospitality roles, both together and separately, but Davidson’s first kitchen job was at a Tallahassee spot called Poboys Creole Cafe. It’s been closed for years, and this new business is “a tribute, more or less,” Bentham Smith says, but with a twist. “Where the Bayou meets the Front Range” is its motto, and it’s incorporating as many locally-sourced products as it can into its menu — in the future, look for a po’boy of the month featuring local trout.
The idea quickly became reality for the longtime friends. After Bentham Smith’s parents passed away, he was left with an inheritance and the motivation to stop working for other people and build something of his own. In just five months, the duo created the concept and secured the food hall space…