"It's just a cafe." That's what Kevin Rettig and his partners say about the haven of eclectic cuisine they created just north of Iowa State University campus. But, he is quick to admit they knew they were on to something special when they opened The Cafe in 2003. "This type of restaurant was the first of its kind in the Ames area," he says. "They say the coasts are five years ahead of us, but our ideas were right in line with what I was seeing on the West coast at the time."