Dudley Allen welded and made dentures before he became a restaurateur. The owner of The Korner Grill in downtown Warsaw didn’t even like working in a kitchen at first, while working his way through med school in Guatemala more than 20 years ago. “I used to hate it,” he recalled Thursday from a table near the counter in his Italian and Caribbean restaurant at 102 E. Center St. But eventually he found cooking more interesting. His first venture was a partnership with two other men to form 8WW Cuisines in Warsaw in 2010. He also had a hand in La Troje more recently. Opening the Grill allowed him to strike out on his own. “I like to do my own stuff. I have a unique way of cooking and I like to be creative,” said Allen, who came to America from Nicaragua in 1986 after the Contras insurgency and was granted political asylum. He worked first as a dental lab technician in Washington state, then at a mechanic’s business in California. He became a citizen in 2000. Allen drew from his background as a journeyman welder to remodel the former candy shop. He fixed the plumbing and electrical systems, tore out the shelves, replaced the floor, installed kitchen equipment and moved the bathroom. The grill is directly behind the counter, which Allen likes since it keeps him visible. “It’s an open grill because I want people to see what I’m cooking. I don’t like closed-door cooking,” he said. The menu is two-thirds Italian and one-third Caribbean, with shrimp, eggplant parmesan and jerk steak and chicken among popular dishes. He said he mixes 90 percent of the spices himself as well as the alfredo sauce. Specials appear on the menu daily, such as Thursday’s offerings of chicken alfredo for $6.50 and the 3G sandwich – piled with turkey, bacon, beef, salami and chicken, and named after sous-chef Genaro Martinez – for $6. “I give a good amount for the money’s worth,” Allen remarked. He said he invites everybody in Warsaw to try the restaurant, adding that he wants the downtown to be a place people come to. He said it’s why he helped La Troje get started, having seen enough empty downtown storefronts in bankrupted California cities like Stockton. “I just want to be a family place, where you can feel welcome and be yourself,” he said. “If I could make you smile, I go home feeling good.”
