The most gourmet, most innovative, and most illustrious cuisine I’ve ever been close to is surprisingly close to me. Right down the folksy roads of Dowlen and Calder in Beaumont, Texas sits Monica’s Restaurant—home to the most colorful, interesting culinary concoctions that are as intoxicating as they are joyful.
But now it’s not really a restaurant, but rather a dining experience that Chef Monica Cobb creates…which just so happens to come from a restaurant. Allow me to explain…
Chef Monica Cobb is a an extraordinary chef, person, and artist. Originally from Southeast Texas, she trained at the West Lake Culinary School and learned hard and fast at Spago Hollywood under the direction of Chef Wolfgang Puck and Gina DeCew Moy. She’s cooked and catered coast to coast and internationally. Chef Monica has been on the Food Network, featured in Texas Monthly, and more. A celebrity chef herself, she’s been the personal chef for celebrities.
But when you meet her, she treats YOU as the star with her affable personality and genuine, kind compassion.
Her restaurant in Beaumont has been the hidden gem for unique dining and the curious mix of soul food, country/farm cooking, and Cajun cuisine, and international flair.
Spanish dishes? Yep.
Asian fusion? So much so.
Creole? Loads of it.
Italian? Check! TexMex? Oh yeah. French? Oui!
Anything else? EVERYTHING else.
She somehow knows the spices, sauces, and swirls that invite all the ingredients over to play well together. From her daily favorites to surprise specials along with catering and private dinners, Monica’s Restaurant has been known for excitement for nearly a decade.
Among my favorites are the chicken sandwich (anything but ordinary), Banh Mon sandwiches, Italian Meatloaf, Unbelievable beefy burgers, salads, and just about anything with her Gulf shrimp. See more samples here
But in 2020 with the wild, topsy-turvy restaurant restrictions from a cruel pandemic, Monica couldn’t have the restaurant act as a restaurant anymore. Ever crafty and strategic, she wisely pivoted to turn the restaurant into the most thrilling gourmet-to-go you ever did see.
Chef Monica made it work and made happy eaters all over Beaumont and beyond. The model worked so well that she decided to stick with it, making the restaurant more of a spacious reservation-only for her booming kitchen. And with companies seeking her out to create one-of-a-kind special, private dinners along with weekly pick-up orders and surprise specials, Monica’s is the sweetest, savory sought-after taste of Texas.
To mark the new era for her business, I was blessed to join in on the fun with a new logo and website. The new look needed to represent the new direction of the NEW Monica’s as well as her personality, her guests, and the special-yet-accessible element of her cuisine. Although, it can’t be a total departure as it still needs familiarity—to include the look of the past to let current/past guests know that this is the same one you’ve known and loved, but a little new and different. For another option,
I created one with lowercase text to give a more inviting vibe with a more pronounced image/icon.
Chef Monica and I worked together to create a look that gave a nod to the past and a look to the future. We wanted a “farm fresh” or farm-to-table kind of aspect to mix in with some sophistication and elegance. The word mark needed to be strong, but we wanted an icon that could represent WITH or WITHOUT the full name.
The icon or illustration couldn’t be too complex and distracting. Less is More. That’s necessary in classy, mature, and sophisticated representation. So we kept the chicken image, but sharpened it and made it new. The gold bar behind it intersects while also serving as a base. The gold bar, the standard, the bar of excellence…it’s all there, both strong and subtle.
The typeface originally had an arc which gave some friendly, playful personality to the logo. For the upgrade, we elongated and straightened things out for an upscale connection. Bold, but not too bold. Highly visible, but with a quiet tone. A small byline to help spell things out helps serve as a baseline and communication for new guests and past fans alike.
The website design was a match with white blocks and bars atop a gold-toned backdrop. And deeper pages alternate with white backdrops and these gold “cards” of content on top. The idea here is to match that of a table setting where the plates help frame the food, but in the case it’s the content. The bold serif fonts match the logo and help serve as markers for different content areas and points of emphasis.
The line art icons help to serve as visual cues that don’t distract, but offer a guide down the page as they reveal the different ways to use Monica’s new business model. See the site here and explore
We wrote the content to speak to each unique audience. Some guests use Monica’s for weekly curbside meals only, while others want to hire out Monica to be the chef for their party or event or just a special dinner. You’d be amazed at how she manages to make each meal unique every time. Even if it’s the same dish as she’s made before, it’s not really the same! She adds details, incorporates a seasonal accent or some extra special umph! to truly give a unique experience each and every time.
This was a wonderful project and I’m glad I got to be a part of this new direction for Chef Monica. Amanda Prince and Blake Royer with Americom Marketing were a joy to work with as always, and together we made quite the team. Check out more of their work here — http://www.americommarketing.com/portfolio
And explore all the delicious goodness with Monica’s here – https://monicas-restaurant.com
larue art + copy 