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By WILLIAM MARLOW | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – City and community members officially christened the opening of The Copper Train, a new cafe in Alabaster, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 21.

During the ceremony, Mayor Scott Brakefield said the opening marked an important milestone for the city, and continued success in an ongoing revitalization effort of Alabaster’s historic district, the Main Street Medical Mile.

“It is important for Alabaster to see revitalization in certain areas, and with this area being one of the older areas of Alabaster, it’s great to see people are willing to make that reinvestment,” Brakefield said. “Small businesses are the backbone of our city so we are super excited for them, and this is bringing a unique spot that we don’t really have at the moment.”

Brakefield added that the area has seen a string of new businesses in recent years with K&Js Elegant Pastries, Crunch Fitness and now Copper Train.

The new eatery opened in September and will serve as a cafe with breakfast and lunch options as well as baked goods and coffee. According to Brakefield, the restaurant’s addition will fill a vital niche in the city and provide further breakfast options for city employees and to area medical professionals.

According to co-owner and head chef Dakota Stone, breakfast has certainly been a big selling point for customers with some of the eatery’s most popular menu items including biscuit and gravy, savory scone and the restaurant’s signature ‘Copper Latte’.

However, the opening also marks a dream nearly realized for the 20-year Alabaster native. Having moved to the city at the age of 5, Stone operates the restaurant in partnership with her husband, Ryan, and parents, Tammy and Tim.

Growing up, Stone recalled some of her favorite childhood memories occurring while cooking with her parents.

“My dream has always been to have this restaurant,” she said. “I’ve been into cooking since I would cook with my mom and dad when I was a little kid, so I pretty much knew that I always wanted to work with food.”

After graduating from Thompson High School, Stone searched for a way to turn her passion for cooking into a meaningful career and enrolled into culinary school at Jefferson State Community College.

Now with her dream realized, Stone said she is proud to finally be able to give back to the community that has been so instrumental in her upbringing.

“It’s been amazing to see how excited everybody in Alabaster is to have us,” she said. “We have been overwhelmed by the love and support from our community. Every day we have new faces come in who are just learning we are here. We wanted to be in Alabaster because it has been our home for more than 20 years and we wanted to give back to the community.”

Stone added that she most enjoys bringing smiles to the faces of her customers.

“I love seeing the joy that my food is giving people and knowing that I helped bring that smile to their face, even if it’s just for a moment in their day,” she said. “It’s a blessing and I can’t wait to be able to get to do more of that.”

The restaurant’s hours are from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday, while it is closed on Sunday.

To learn more about the restaurant, visit Restaurantji.com/al/alabaster/the-copper-train-/.