DECATUR - When the cool breezes of autumn roll in, most people who like to dine outside have forgotten about those patios of summertime.

But Rochelle Lambrick, who rolls out her lunch cart at the north end of Central Park on weekdays, is making diners think again.

Lambrick, the former owner of Peas & Eggs, a shuttered restaurant on Merchant Street, is transforming the downtown park into a place to enjoy a healthy meal at a reasonable price.

But the biggest challenge Lambrick faces in attracting customers to her unique establishment is the entrenched idea that she most likely is selling one thing: hot dogs.

"People see a cart, and they want hot dogs," Lambrick said.

An outgoing woman who treats her customers like old friends, Lambrick has gone to great lengths to fill her menu with a variety of other offerings, including some that are rather exotic.

Her own favorite, which she recommends to customers who don't want to waste precious minutes of their lunch break staring blankly at a menu filled with uniquely titled sandwiches, is a sausage called "Havana Daydreamin.' " Filled with chicken, plantains, cheese and yellow rice, this is one of several selections produced by a specialty sausage maker in California.

"I do a lot of background checking on my sausages," Lambrick said, adding that she hopes to team up with a local sausage creator in the near future.

One of her favorite phrases she uses to assure customers who might be wondering how a sausage could be healthy is "just 4 grams of fat."

Lambrick, who plans to keep her cart open 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. weekdays through the end of November, has a wealth of indoor restaurant experience.

She worked at restaurants in St. Louis, New York City, Denver and Aspen before opening Peas & Eggs, which closed in 1998. She tried to leave the culinary field, working a couple of jobs in the corporate health field involving much traveling, but her heart was never far from the kitchen.

She was inspired to try a new way of serving food when she saw a TV segment on a popular hot dog cart owner in Nome, Alaska, who works summers, except for his annual appearance at the Iditarod dogsled race.

"Everybody was so thrilled to see him," Lambrick said.

If he can have fun at 30 below zero, she reasoned, why not enjoy life in a park in Decatur, where it stays above freezing most of the year?

So Lambrick landed the necessary county and city permits that allow her to not only serve food, but dance, sing along with her favorite songs, especially by James Taylor and Jimmy Buffett, and make new friends. She has adopted the philosophy of her favorite line from a Buffett song: "I just want to live happily ever after now and then."

"I'm doing this kind of for fun," Lambrick said. "I'm enjoying it. I love talking to people, but I'm a loner. I like to work alone."

As much as she enjoys the time between customers, she greets many of them enthusiastically when they do stop by, mostly walking over from nearby office buildings.

Lacy Miller, a first-time customer, ordered the BBQ chicken wrap before sitting down with two co-workers on a nearby concrete ledge. After finishing her lunch, she and the other ladies lingered to talk. Miller said she plans to become a regular customer, but not just because she liked the food.

"The music sets the mood," Miller said. "It's like you're on the beach. It's more fun; a fun lunch."

Her friend Sally Manning, who had a pasta turkey salad, called eating in Central Park "a great stress reliever."

"It's outstanding, delicious," Manning said. "She's friendly. She's helpful. She'll go over the menu with you."

Lambrick said she does not print up menus to hand out because she likes to change them. She also reserves the right to change her schedule, so she can occasionally take a few days off on special occasions. Lambrick also stays away when the weather is terrible.

When the weather is fine, Lambrick rarely shuts off her iPod docking station, except to listen to live music. That is when her husband, John, comes by to serenade her on his acoustic guitar.

John Lambrick, part owner of a precision tool company, said he is proud of his wife's business venture.

"Our life is better with her off the road," he said. "It gives her a great outlet for her creative talents, and I get to see her more. She's amazing. She wants to do it all on her own."

She does it all, including all-beef hot dogs, which come with the works.

"I didn't want to do hot dogs, but John said, 'If they want hot dogs, give them hot dogs,' " Lambrick said.

hfreeman@herald-review.com|421-6985