Through a random internet search last night, I stumbled onto the SELMA cafe here on the Westside of Ann Arbor. Hosted by Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe in their home, it is a once-a-week Friday breakfast from 6:30 to 10:00AM — open to the public. They have guest chefs each week who prepare local foods. Today was Scott MacInnis preparing omelets to order featuring Michigan Mushrooms, hoop-house greens, house-cured meats and local cheese. As I walked up the driveway to the side entrance of their house, I admired the tidy collection of chickens and neat-as-a-pin garden plots. Once inside, I was warmly greeted by Lisa who offered up some masking tape for a name tag and sat me in the kitchen with a U of M law student and her boyfriend visiting from Boston, and Archie — a character active on the local food scene who was seemingly known by everyone in the room. I really wanted to take a picture of the meal, but was embarrassed with my new companions at the table. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. The conversation was lively and the food was divine. Volunteers help out in the kitchen and do the serving. The room was alive with chatter and animated discussions. There was plenty of Roos Roast coffee to go along with the meal and some mighty tasty whole grain bread. I may just become a regular!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Open house breakfast
Through a random internet search last night, I stumbled onto the SELMA cafe here on the Westside of Ann Arbor. Hosted by Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe in their home, it is a once-a-week Friday breakfast from 6:30 to 10:00AM — open to the public. They have guest chefs each week who prepare local foods. Today was Scott MacInnis preparing omelets to order featuring Michigan Mushrooms, hoop-house greens, house-cured meats and local cheese. As I walked up the driveway to the side entrance of their house, I admired the tidy collection of chickens and neat-as-a-pin garden plots. Once inside, I was warmly greeted by Lisa who offered up some masking tape for a name tag and sat me in the kitchen with a U of M law student and her boyfriend visiting from Boston, and Archie — a character active on the local food scene who was seemingly known by everyone in the room. I really wanted to take a picture of the meal, but was embarrassed with my new companions at the table. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. The conversation was lively and the food was divine. Volunteers help out in the kitchen and do the serving. The room was alive with chatter and animated discussions. There was plenty of Roos Roast coffee to go along with the meal and some mighty tasty whole grain bread. I may just become a regular!
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The Boy here. Hey Baby that does sound really good. Sorry I missed it this morning.
ReplyDeleteYou can count me in on the next one.
xoxo
I'm so glad you went- the food sounds divine.
ReplyDeleteWow - that sounds fantastic! If I were you, I would be a regular. :)
ReplyDeleteThey're very used to people taking photos at Selma. Hope to see you there, sometime!
ReplyDelete-Myra
That is so awesome. I listened to an NPR broadcast once of someone in Europe who does the same thing. He hosts a Saturday Supper. People all over the world come to have supper at his home. Artists, writers, actors, students, & travelers come for food and conversations. Beautiful friendships have been made. What a neat experience. Hope you can enjoy many more of these gatherings.
ReplyDeletesounds like somebody actually carrying out some idea for following their hearts and making a little dough?
ReplyDeleteNicole,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you found us, and that you enjoyed your first Friday. It is a real pleasure putting on these breakfast events and each time I hear of someone happening on to us in some seemingly random way, the pleasure is renewed.
I got a chuckle out of reading something describing my front yard as tidy and/or neat. It was generous of you to look past the general chaos and notice the "somewhat order" of the garden boxes.
I would like to clear up one detail of Nan's comment(making a little dough?): while I would like to think we are proving some models for viable, money-making operations in the re-imagining of local food economies, and I wouldn't mind finding an income stream to replace one recently fizzled by the Michigan meltdown, Selma Cafe and all the other events we do to date are straight "pass-thru" fundraisers. Our financials are detailed on the web site (repastspresentandfuture.org) Selma Cafe spends about 30 to 40% of receipts on food sourced from local farmers and producers. The balance is dedicated to our "small farms - small farmers initiative". The basic idea is to help build as many hoop houses as possible (edible schoolyard and CSA farm) to kick start four-season farming, food awareness/education and regional food viability. We are currently a volunteer organization about 45 strong and welcome the ideas and efforts of all in growing this mission. Please join us Fridays, listen to our weekly live podcast on talkshoe or send us a note. Jeff and Lisa
Thanks to everyone for their comments! And thank you Jeff and Lisa for expanding on the goals of the cafe.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to Nicole's blog and have no right to hijack a lovely post about a wonderful breakfast she happened upon, but I have to make another comment OK in response to the response to my comment by the proprietor of the breakfast host. I shouldn't say proprietor because I wouldn't want anyone to think they're trying to earn a little dough, God forbid.
ReplyDeleteWith no disrespect intended, I have to say----someone has to say!----with regard to this locavore movement that I for one love the idea of trade, including trade from far-away places. I love imports and I love exports, and I think the whole idea of local sustainable living has been blown completely out of proportion and is not at all sustainable as a lifestyle, not my lifestyle anyway, and I'm starting to really resent the tone of those with the other point of view.
ahoy! and are you indeed a regular? i volunteer instead of eat. great place, and great complement to A2.
ReplyDelete-a
ahoy! I'd say I'm a semi-regular. I can't seem to get myself up early enough to volunteer! Maybe I'll see you there some time soon!
ReplyDeleten.