GREEN COVE SPRINGS – There is nothing ordinary about the menu at Kay Peter Caribbean Store and Mini Market. If you’re looking for peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese or a bologna sandwich, the Caribbean Store’s not your place.

But if you want a chili dog, it’s a must. Actually, it’s not fair to call it a chili dog.

“I kind of came up with the pickley dog on my own because I'm such a foodie,” said co-owner Suzanne “Slim” Jean-Pierre. “I knew people liked my sloppy joes and a hot dog. One day I was just trying different ideas, and I said, 'OK, I'm going to pair relish, ketchup and mustard.’ And then I put my sloppy joe with it. Pickles are a Haitian staple. Basically, that's cabbage, bell peppers, onions and my seasoned vinegar dressing. I just put it all together. I think it's an amazing dog.

“If you're looking for a good hot dog, I highly recommend it. It's one of my favorite things.”

Be warned: Suzanne often sells out of her special hot dogs, both six-inch and foot-long. “Some days, I’m really slammed,” she said.

Suzanne works the "Slim Café" side of the market; her husband, Peter, operates the market side. The shelves are stocked with items unique to the islands, such as moringa, avocado, mango, soursop leaves, Haitian bread, island butter, yucca, beef patties, spices, an assortment of jerk sauces, rice, curry chicken, jerk chicken patties, teas and a Haitian beer called Prestige.

Caribbean foods originate from African, European, Indian and Asian cultures.

“In Haiti, we eat bread when we drink coffee,” Peter said, “so we make sure we have Haitian bread.”

Suzanne is from Columbus, Ohio, and she left the communications business to fulfill her dreams of opening a café. Like her imagination, her menu is limitless.

“My husband's side, that's unique,” Suzanne said. “We work together as a team. What makes my side kind of unique is that I do something different every day. I'm constantly adding dishes like my jambalaya. I just incorporated shrimp and grits. I'm probably going to keep that as a daily special. I'm always just trying to do something different.”

Suzanne said the café went full-time in March. Early customers were those who were curious while at the Magnolia Layne Shopping Center.

“This is all completely new to me,” Suzanne said. “People saw us on Facebook or Instagram. Others walked by and stopped in. Word of mouth has been big, too.”

To spread the word about their store and menu, and to say, “thank you,” the Jean-Pierres held an open house last Sunday. They treated customers to free “chili” dogs, macaroni salad and other goodies.

Suzanne Jean-Pierre gets ready for another day at her Slim Cafe inside Kay Peter Caribbean Store and Mini Market.

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At times, the line reached the front door, Suzanne said. Some came back for seconds.

“We served 75 hot dogs in the first hour-and-a-half,” she said. “We had other food, too. Everyone said they really liked it. We plan to hold these open houses periodically. Our customers are awesome.”

Kay Peter Caribbean Store and Mini Market is at 1305 N. Orange Ave., unit 115.

Just don’t expect the ordinary.