Kimberly Rhynes with her husband, Glen Rhynes.
The cafe is located at 305 N Harbor Blvd #117, Fullerton.
Open Tuesday-Sunday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Call Brownstone Cafe at (714) 526-9123 or (714) 454-3356 for catering.

Villa Del Sol has long remained a landmark in Fullerton history. However, hidden within the courtyard of this historic site sits a café that helped spark the reemergence of the area and remains a staple of local cuisine.

29 years ago, Kimberly Rhynes opened Brownstone Café, a restaurant and catering business. Yet she could not have anticipated the impact her dream business would have on the community.

Prior to arriving in California, Kimberly ran a coffee shop in Northern Michigan, the area where she grew up. After getting a job offer on the West Coast, she decided to trade the harsh Midwestern winters for some sunshine. With her entrepreneurial spirit, Kimberly said she set her sights on owning her own business in Fullerton. During this time, Villa Del Sol was being refurbished in an effort to make downtown a lively destination.

“This was about 30 years ago and [the city] really wanted to renovate downtown; the area did not have a lot,” Rhynes said. “There were only maybe eight restaurants, so it was very small.”

While this effort to revamp the area made it easier for Kimberly to get a loan for her restaurant, she said that the building needed many renovations to go from dirt floors to her dream business.

“I was part of the construction!” she laughed when she shared her experience putting tiles in the café. “I learned all the construction aspects: electrical, plumbing, architectural plans. That part was a big change for me.”

Aside from learning the ropes on handling a new business, the early months of the restaurant also hold fond memories for Kimberly and her husband, Glen Rhynes.

She shared that towards the end of tiling the building, a man walked in with his resume, hoping to be a chef. Once the café opened, the two worked closely together and got to know one another.

“He was a really good friend; we would complete sentences,” she recalled.

Soon the two fell in love, and four months later they exchanged vows in the courtyard.

Kimberly said that soon after, more weddings and private events occurred in the historic Villa Del Sol area.

Eventually, one of the weddings the Brownstone Café catered got into a bridal magazine, and from there the Fullerton venue soared in popularity.

Since then, catering has also become a major aspect of the café and Kimberly’s life.

“You see celebrations where you have [catered] someone’s wedding, and then you did their bridal shower, and then you are doing their family’s celebration of life,” she said. “It just makes me happy when you are celebrating someone’s life and bring together a family [that] can have delicious food.”

All of these experiences occurring at the Brownstone Café have made Kimberly feel a connection to the building.
“Having [the café] in such a nice and beautiful location, it just feels like my second home and my customers feel like family,” she said.

Although the Brownstone café holds a special place in her heart, Kimberly notes that the café has seen hard times, especially with COVID-19.

“We are still struggling after COVID. The people who used to work downtown are now working from home because everyone has remote jobs; they are watching their bottom lines and not taking out clients for lunch,” she said. “I do not believe it is just our business. A lot of the people in downtown Fullerton are feeling the same way.”

She also said there can be struggles as a direct-operated business and as a business owner having to make difficult decisions.

“We have had to cut our labor and really watch our food costs because [prices] keep going up,” she said.

Despite the hurdles along the way, Brownstone Café proves to be a restaurant that adapts to new changes.

For instance, Kimberly said that she and Glen have had to learn how to navigate the social media landscape as marketing has shifted away from print.

She shared a story where she and her husband finally decided to film a TikTok, a video of Glen showing people how to find Brownstone Café and sharing the restaurant’s story. Soon enough, the video went viral on social media.

“I think his sincerity [spoke to people],” she said. “He just spoke from his heart.”

Kimberly said the video continues to introduce people to the café and serves as a guide for customers on how to find the location.

“The funny thing is that people are still finding us, [people who] have lived in Fullerton for years and they do not know this courtyard exists,” she said. “Because you cannot see our location when driving on Harbor.”

As for the restaurant itself, Kimberly said that every meal is made fresh to order with the highest quality ingredients. All of these recipes are developed by her and her husband through trial and error to perfect the food’s taste. A majority of the cafés food consists of California cuisine with fused flavors.

The café is also known for its tomato bisque soup, a recipe that her husband thought of in his dream.

“Everyone after that started doing tomato bisque all around town, but ours is the original one back before [the soup] was popular,” she joked. “It really put us on the map.”

Aside from the famous tomato bisque, the café also offers a monthly soup club where her husband cooks a mystery soup once a month to serve to guests.

After all these years of operation, Brownstone Café continues to dedicate itself to not only quality food, but also a valuable gathering place for the people of Fullerton, whether it’s catering for a celebration or having a sit-down dinner with friends.
“I love that this is a community where people are supportive, and they come together,” she said. “It is a big community, but it feels small because everyone is so intertwined together and helps each other. I feel like I have never lived anywhere else.”