The New Faces of Small Planet have plans that are anything but small. From new menu selections to prepared take-home meals to new hours, Steve and Alyssa DeHart, Small Planet’s new owners and new Texans, are serving up some fabulous ideas. Read on for an exclusive interview as Alyssa fills us in on some of the tricks she and Steve have up their (chefs’) sleeves.
Names: Alyssa and Steve DeHart
Why Small Planet?
We love this area of town, and what we saw in Small Planet was a beautiful environment with wonderful food. Small Planet is so well loved in our community, and we enjoy being able to share that love and further its growth both by maintaining and improving the best parts of our restaurant.
Are you originally from Corpus?
We are actually new to Corpus Christi and new to Texas in general. I am originally from Fredericksburg, VA, and Steve is from Westlake Village, CA. We have just moved to Texas from Northern Utah, where we met at school 17 years ago. We really enjoyed living there and starting our family, but we wanted warmer weather and coastal living. Where better to get that than Corpus Christi?! So, we came to Corpus to continue raising our seven children. We love the beaches and the bay, and we are sure that all of our kids will choose to call Corpus Christi home from now on.
What made you decide to go into the restaurant business?
I have experience in the restaurant business, and Steve has a great background as a business executive. We both love to cook and eat great food. Hosting others is such a joy to us — mealtime is definitely something we get the whole family involved in. To us, Small Planet is an extension of that passion. When we first experienced the great food, wonderful environment and great clientele, we knew it was the perfect fit for us.
What is your favorite selection on the menu?
Everything we have at Small Planet is delicious! Each time I sit down with a new menu item, I am thrilled to find it is just as great as all the others. If I had to choose one sandwich to brag about, it would be the “Turkey Gone Wild,” and the “Creamy Broccoli Salad” is another favorite too. I am a dessert lover, but I can’t seem to find just one favorite of ours since they are all so good.
Have you added any new and/or different menu items or services?
We will be maintaining the same great menu that we have always had, just adding to it. We have developed some delicious new cold sandwiches and some exciting new desserts. We are also putting together a catering menu that will take the guesswork out of planning for large events. As always, we will take special requests and do individualized catering to meet our customers’ needs.
Of course seasonally, we have our specialty desserts. For instance, with the holidays coming, we have all kinds of fresh pies made to order; Pumpkin, pecan and cheesecake just being to scratch the surface of what we offer. We are very excited about our bakery department right now; we have plenty of room to expand our offerings there. Recently, we hired additional bakers who are so full of both enthusiasm and new ideas for the bakery.
Among other things, we are looking forward to providing more family-style meals. We know that with life as busy as it is for all of us these days, providing a hot family meal every night can be quite complicated. We will be offering a selection of really yummy prepared meals that can be cooked and eaten at home, which will be available to pick up throughout the afternoon and evening.
On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, come on in for dinner; we’re now open until 8pm! The Park is so gorgeous at night; it is a great time to sit and relax with delicious food, friends and family.
What else is new about Small Planet?
We are making some small changes to the restaurant itself just by sprucing things up a bit, but we also have made some great changes to our staff. We have some really fantastic people who bring a fresh dose of positivity with them. These new staffers are excited about what they are doing, are looking forward to growing with us and love being here at Small Planet to serve the customers.
We are very interested in the Corpus Christi community and are committed to serving those around us. Currently, we are working with several schools to provide award programs for local school children. We want the kids to recognize that their achievements in the classroom now will benefit them both immediately and in the future. We will be hosting a variety of different events throughout the year including an art show and musicians on the outdoor patio — Those are just the tip of the iceberg. We are very much looking forward to getting more and more involved in both the neighborhood and the Corpus community over time.
Are there any upcoming events at Small Planet?
A few of the events I am most looking forward to in the near future are a local student art show as well as a wedding we will be hosting this holiday season. Our restaurant is available for private parties by reservation. We have hosted a variety of events, including birthdays, baby showers and company parties, and we look forward to hosting many more!
Sounds amazing does it not?! I can’t wait to get in there myself. Have a very happy and safe Halloween, and I’ll be back next week!
