[1]Photo: Exploregeorgia.org
Dalton Daily Citizen
The restaurant moved to its current spot at 201 W. Cuyler St. sometime in the 1940s and was operated for many years by Johnny and Mary Metcalf. In 2001, it shut down and reopened as The Gourmet Day Cafe. In 2004, Carpenter reopened it as the Oakwood Cafe complete with the large, familiar Oakwood Cafe sign hanging outside.
Restaurant owner named ‘Rising Star’
Jamie Jones
Dalton Daily Citizen Mar 7, 2010 Updated Oct 18, 2014
Kasey Carpenter wasn’t sure what his career path would be after graduating from college.
His mother was running a restaurant on Walnut Avenue and needed some help. So Carpenter came home to Dalton to lend a hand. Now, some 10 years later, Carpenter and his family own two successful Oakwood Cafe restaurants: one in Dalton and the other in Forest Park.
“I didn’t have any career goals at the time,” Carpenter said. “I was almost done with school. I had about six, eight months left. So I said, ‘Well, I guess I’ll just come help her out and figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life.’ And here we are.”
Carpenter, 31 and a 1996 graduate of Dalton High School, will be the first recipient of the Junior Achievement Northwest Georgia Business Hall of Fame “Rising Star” award. He’ll be honored during a banquet on May 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center along with the three new members of the Hall of Fame: Bob and Dixie Kinard and Dr. Don Thomas. That will bring to 18 the number of people in the Hall of Fame, including bankers, floorcovering pioneers and people representing other vital industries.
The Oakwood Cafe has been a stalwart in the downtown dining scene for some 80 years. The name came from its founders, a Mr. Oak and a Mr. Wood. The restaurant moved to its current spot at 201 W. Cuyler St. sometime in the 1940s and was operated for many years by Johnny and Mary Metcalf. In 2001, it shut down and reopened as The Gourmet Day Cafe. In 2004, Carpenter reopened it as the Oakwood Cafe complete with the large, familiar Oakwood Cafe sign hanging outside.
In 2006, Carpenter and his father-in-law opened an Oakwood Cafe in Forest Park. Carpenter spends his time shuffling back and forth between the two restaurants. He and his wife, Julie, also stay busy with their three children.
Why the restaurant business? He enjoys seeing familiar faces, whether they’re employees or customers, and the small town atmosphere Dalton offers. He also likes to eat. Read the rest of the story on Georgia State Rep Kasey Carpenter here. [2]