New Troost brunch & dessert restaurant specializes in cake waffle sandwiches, meals

Tameisha Martin took up her late grandmother Daisy’s philosophy: Do everything with love, cook with love, treat people with love, and it will come back to you.

Daisy also dreamed of having a restaurant one day.

So Martin, a social worker and therapist, is now not only carrying on her grandmother’s restaurant dream, she is calling it Love is Key in honor of Daisy. Her husband, Cameron, also is a partner and she is using recipes from her mother, Tangela Winters.

Love is Key opened earlier this month at 3000 Troost Ave., Suite C, in a space behind Ruby Jean’s Juicery.

It offers cake waffle sandwiches and meals, such as the Southern Bell (chicken wings and cake waffle with caramel drizzle for $12), the Independent Meal (sliced turkey, turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato on a cake waffle for $10), and the Queen (bacon, egg and cheese with caramel drizzle on a cake waffle for $10).

Desserts include waffle sundaes, lemon cake, pound cake and strawberry crunch cheesecake. It also sells fruit juices.

During the pandemic, Love is Key is open for to-go, curbside, patio seating and delivery from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is closed Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. It also offers catering services.

Martin hopes to expand the hours in early 2021, and add some of her grandmother’s recipes.

She also plans to hold support groups and free therapy sessions at the restaurant next year.

This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 2:31 PM.