Each week the Free Press profiles a local business that has used the services of The Business Incubator Center, a nonprofit organization that provides entrepreneurial assistance to new and expanding businesses in Mesa County.

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Bruce Jensen grew up in Grand Junction, but he’s cooked all over the country.

When he came home to start his own diner in Palisade four years ago, he chose the name Packing Shed because his first job was working at the Palisade peach packing shed.

Now he has an upscale restaurant next door to his diner.

In December, Jensen opened The Century House, sharing the kitchen with and adjoining the Packing Shed at 349 W. Eighth St.

Built as a farmhouse in 1905, the Century House was a rented residential property until Jensen bought the building and began turning it into a restaurant two years ago.

He completely remodeled the old farmhouse, keeping and refinishing the original wood flooring and cabinets. Doors were widened and ramps installed to the century-old building for wheelchair accessibility.

“I wanted to do something different — two restaurants, same property, two menus,” Jensen said.

Upscale food and a value price is what brings people from both ends of the valley to dine at the Century House, Jensen said.

Entrees at the Century House include Monterey chicken topped with roasted chiles, jack cheese and guacamole served on Spanish rice for $11; shrimp and crayfish with a Cajun cream sauce served with fettuccini for $12; or vegetarian lasagna for $13.

There’s also several steaks and wild salmon on the menu, as well as the house specialty: pork loin stuffed with green chiles and pepper jack cheese sauce. Entrees include choice of soup or salad and choice of vegetable. Entrees range from $9.95 to $19.

The restaurant also includes a full bar.

Jensen graduated from the Hotel Management School at Denver University and soon found himself “gravitating toward the back,” to the kitchen, he said.

“I’m fast and organized — your bread and butter when you’re cooking,” Jensen said.

Jensen opened the Century House with the help of the Business Incubator Center, a nonprofit organization providing support to new and expanding Mesa County businesses.

Jensen used three different Incubator programs: First he e-mailed his business plan to Julie Morey, the Incubator’s small business development center assistant.

Morey helped Jensen put together his business plan so he could go forward to ask for financing, said Helen Roe, small business development center director.

He worked with Annalisa Pearson, Incubator kitchen manager, about other ideas, Roe said.

Jensen used documentation gathered through working with Pearson and Morey to obtain a commercial loan.

“Then we were able to provide gap financing with the Incubator business loan fund, for other working capital he needed to actually open the Century House,” Roe said.

The Packing Shed is for the breakfast-lunch crowd, while the Century House serves dinner from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

The Century House is also open for special events, such as Tuesday when the Palisade Tourism Advisory Board and the Palisade Town Council met there for a lunch meeting.

Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.