Cove woman serving up fresh food at The Caddie Shak

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Dannielle Rogers didn’t foresee her career path would be food service, restaurant management and the culinary arts, but when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in December 2011, her oncologist advised a career change that involved less stress. At the time, Rogers was studying to become a prosecutor. With her husband’s encouragement after her cancer treatment, Rogers turned to the culinary arts and enrolled in the program at Central Texas College. “I lose myself in cooking; I’m happy,” Rogers said, not long after cooking up a freshly-made burger and fries on Wednesday for a golf course employee who stopped in for his lunch to go. “It’s like I get tunnel vision.” This spring, Rogers opened the doors of The Caddie Shak, located at the Hills of Cove Golf Course. The course’s clubhouse has had several establishments come and go, but Rogers is in this for the long haul and wants her grill to be a go-to place for breakfast and lunch in the community. The room has a capacity for 50, and she’s already had regulars from various city departments and soldiers as well. Her menu is a simple one, breakfasts of items like omelets or breakfast croissants, and breakfast burritos containing hash browns, eggs and sausage, with salsa. She does not add cheese to the burritos because she said cheese can make burritos soggy—not good for hands swinging a golf club or for those looking for an easily portable meal. The biggest lunch favorites with her customers are the hamburgers, containing 5.3 ounces of 90% lean beef, carefully weighed, shaped and then grilled by Rogers herself. Even the Philly cheese steak is made from scratch. “I don’t use Steakumms. I use deli roast beef, hand cut onions and peppers, and provolone cheese.” Rogers calls preparing food to order a double-edged sword, saying she has items like snacks and drinks immediately ready for purchase. For her regulars, Rogers already knows their “usual” orders and simply confirms what they’d like before firing up the grill. “Sometimes I will geta text or a phone call from someone out on the green, and they will place their order ahead of time, and I can have it ready for them to pick up on the turn,” Rogers said. She also runs weekly specials in order to try out new menu items and see her customers’ reactions. “This week’s special was four quesadillas, chips and a drink for $6,” she said, noting that all her weekly specials are $6. Previous specials have included meals like pulled a pork sandwich and cole slaw. Rogers credits the support of her husband, who has served 19-plus years in the Army, for his encouragement in her new career. He pitches in if she needs a hand and he’s available, such as when he drives the beverage cart out on the green. During her time with the CTC culinary program, Rogers competed in Killeen’s Taste of Central Texas. She lost by the competition by one point, to the Shilo Inn’s executive chef, Matt Cranfill, a Covite. “He really boosted my confidence,” Rogers said. “He told me, don’t stop.” Rogers is now enrolled to finish her bachelor’s degree at the Art Institute of Austin and plans to be finished in 18 months. By that time, she’s also hoping to receive news of being cancerfree in 2017. In the meantime, Rogers will keep grilling and serving her made-to-order food at the grill. She’s grateful for the support of the city’s Parks and Rec Department, along with the golf course superintendent, Mike Chandler. The Caddie Shak is located at 1400 Golf Course Rd. and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., and is closed on Tuesday.