cafe day numero dos

Today we had our second cafe day/farmer’s market in the Wellness Unit. We had been preparing all week for it, cooking different items from the menu and getting vegetables from High Point. We served spicy lentil soup, creamy pumpkin/turnip soup, green salads with roasted beets, fruit salad and our specials – granola bars and healthy muffins. We also had great fair trade coffee on hand in good flavors: Hamid’s choice was the excitingly named “Sweet Love Blend.”  Can’t go wrong with that.

 In the granola bar department, we had cranberry and peanut butter flavor. Because Jason, the granola bar god was on TE for part of the week, we had a few mishaps in the kitchen. The peanut butter ones are especially tricky … if you don’t get the PB/applesauce balance just right, it goes from granola bar to sweet sticky peanut brittle in a flash. We ultimately gave up on cutting them into squares and crunched them up into yogurt/ice cream topping. The other thing to know about the peanut butter bars is that they are wicked filling and you can eat one and be full for hours and hours.

 The soups were really delicious. The pumpkin/turnip was a repeat from last week, and it was a hit again. The lentil soup was delicious, with a little kale, turnips, and squash from the farm. It tasted great with a little yogurt on top. The bread on the tables made it an elegant meal. Thanks to Sullivan Street Bakery for the wonderful bread – given despite the fact that they had a fire in one of their ovens yesterday and were behind on their orders.

 Our biggest seller from the Farmer’s Market was fresh-pressed cider made from High Point apples. It was made on Wednesday and was ready to sell on Friday. Fresh, fresh, fresh.

One issue we had to decide about was whether to use paper cups and plates or china. We didn’t like the idea of so much waste, so we’ve opted for china and regular silverware. It makes for a lot of dishwashing, but we think it’s worth it.

Our customers seem to be enjoying the cafe. We got some rave reviews and lots of folks said they would be back next week. Barbara said the muffins were “to die for” and Ethan said it was “the best meal I’ve had in 3 years.”  OK!

 Good news for us!