Patrons fill up on Italian cuisine at new Downers Grove restaurant

Unsuspecting motorists are filling their vehicles less than 20 feet away from some of the best Italian food in Downers Grove.

While pumping gas at the Power Mart station on the corner of Belmont and Ogden avenues, their noses catch the scent of garlic and they turn, unable to identify the source. Tucked in a corner of the gas station, one will find Chef Jerry Navarro churning out pasta, sandwiches, burgers and Italian beef at D’Capos Authentic Italian Cuisine while singing Frank Sinatra songs and chatting away with his customers as they patiently await their lunch.

This winter, Navarro rebuilt the small interior kitchen space inside the station to serve his family’s recipes and some of his own creations from the more than 50 years he’s been cooking. As a child, his mother, grandmother and aunt would call him into the kitchen, have him help hand roll cavatelli pasta and stir the sauce they crafted from a pinch of this and a pour of that.

“They showed me and never really wrote the recipe down. They had it down to a science,” Navarro said.

He worked in his family’s restaurants, including Navarro in Norridge Park and Pasta Vino in Schiller Park. He’s worked in kitchens for beautiful restaurants and banquet halls and served hungry guests at bars and haunted houses, too.

Although the kitchen space at the gas station is unorthodox, one wouldn’t know it by the delicious food that emerges on fresh white plates and to-go boxes.

Some of his first customers were staff members at the car dealerships located up and down the busy Ogden Avenue corridor. One customer said since he found the place, he’s been coming in two, three times a week for lunch and often grabbing a pasta to go for dinner. With a friendly wave, he greets Navarro and enjoys the banter across the counter as he patiently waits for his food.

A few refurbished wooden planters now serve as long counters where customers can dive into their meals, never minding the looks of customers popping in to pay for gas or pick up a soft drink or lottery ticket.

Word of Navarro’s cooking is getting around the community, and he loves sharing his dishes. As customers stop in and ponder the sandwich menu, Navarro inquires if they want to try his chicken francese or penne with vodka sauce that perfectly marries a sweet, creamy taste with a hint of heat from the sprinkled red pepper flakes.

“We’re creating a buzz here,” Navarro said. “People walk in the gas station and the first thing they say is ‘It smells like my grandma’s house.’ That’s a great thing to hear.”

Greg Cutler, owner of Sterling Studio in Downers Grove, discovered the food one afternoon while stopping in for gas. He was so impressed, he hired Navarro to cater the annual holiday party for his company, which includes professional remodeling and design services.

“He delivered. The prices were fair and it was all delicious,” Cutler said, adding that he enjoyed teasing the staff that he found the food while visiting a gas station.

Navarro said he has access to larger kitchen space in town to complete catering orders.

The gas station’s small kitchen is a tight fit, but Navarro already is eyeing an expansion. He’s started work on what will be a small café adjacent to the station with take-and-go options. He’s hopeful the café will open later this year.

When it comes to cooking, Navarro said, “I found a passion.”

As the traffic buzzes by outside, Navarro whisks about in the kitchen, preparing for the next hungry guest to follow their nose through the doors. Customers bring their friends and co-workers, who often enter with disbelief at the idea of eating inside a gas station. But with one bite, their quizzical faces give way to happy grunts and the between-bites mumbles about finding one of the best meals in town.