In nearly two weeks, John Cammack and Chris Duncan anticipate their dream of opening their own restaurant, Lefty's Grill on Broad Street in Nevada City, will be fulfilled.

The two Smartville residents plan on launching their restaurant in the spot where longtime fixture Citizens Restaurant previously operated. They've been busy cleaning up and fixing some well-worn spots in the restaurant since purchasing the restaurant earlier this month.

Both say their love of cooking is a lifelong passion.

"I grew up making fresh pasta with my grandma when I was 6 years old," said Duncan, a 29-year-old Santa Rosa native. "Ever since then, the dinner table is pretty important to me. This is all I ever wanted to do."

"I love to cook," Cammack, 39, said simply.

Cammack, a 1986 Nevada Union High School graduate who grew up in Penn Valley, said he embraces the chaos of a restaurant.

"You have to love it because it's weekends, holidays and it's lousy pay," Cammack said.

Cammack and Duncan, who became friends as chefs at Fountain Grove Golf and Athletic Club in Santa Rosa, wanted to own a restaurant for the past few years.

"There were a lot of places where the location wasn't good or the price wasn't good," Cammack said. The Citizens location is a good fit on both accounts, he added.

The two hope the "comfort food" menu offerings will be a good fit with local tastes.

Their menu will include items such as individual serving sized pizzas cooked on grilled flatbread, hamburgers, salads and four or five stew and chili offerings, Duncan said.

When the restaurant opens, patrons of the former Citizens Restaurant won't notice a significant difference in the restaurant's appearance, he said.

Same carpeting and brick walls will prevail as before.

The restaurant, which is named Lefty's Grill because both are left-handed, will employ 13 people, including many who worked at Citizens, Duncan said.

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To contact Staff Writer Greg Moberly, e-mail gregm@theunion.com or call 477-4234.