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Honeymoon Café Sweet on Local |
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by Cathe Olson
Christi Rivera and Tara Jones had a dream to own a business. They weren’t sure what it would be but they knew it would involve food, a passion they both shared. The two women never expected that a chance breakfast at Honeymoon Café would change their lives.
Rivera has worked in restaurants since she was 12 years old, doing everything from serving to catering to coordinating events. She’s worked at local restaurants such as Novo, Gardens of Avila, and The Park Restaurant. Jones attended the culinary school, Kitchen Academy, in Los Angeles and moved to the Central Coast in 2007 for her internship at The Park. When her term was completed, she continued at The Park, eventually becoming their catering chef. That’s when she met Rivera.
The two women immediately hit it off and found they shared environmental philosophies, such as using local, organic ingredients and reducing waste. They were discussing the possibility of starting their own catering business when a different opportunity presented itself. One morning when Jones and her family breakfasted at The Honeymoon Cafe – the first time there for Jones – she discovered the restaurant was for sale.
“I liked the feel of the café right away,” Jones said, “but I thought it could be even better.”
She immediately called Rivera, and, a few weeks later, the restaurant was theirs. The women went right to work cleaning and painting. Rather than remodeling the café or buying new furniture, they refurbished and refinished what was there. What they needed to buy, they got used. Not only did they save money, but they adhered to their green policy of recycling and reusing whenever possible. The restaurant’s furnishings and accessories are simple, funky and, most of all, comfortable. There’s an assortment of chairs and tables, both inside and out, to fit your mood. Food is served on a unique assortment of mismatched china.
The look of the restaurant isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Although Honeymoon Café has always been somewhat local and organic, it served mostly coffee, sandwiches, and salads. Rivera and Jones filled out the menu with cooked foods like soup, burgers, quiches and other entrées. They found local providers such as Hearst Ranch for grass-fed beef, Los Osos Ranch cage-free eggs, Secret Garden for herbs and fair-trade teas. Their produce comes from local farms, coffee from Coastal Peaks Roasters, and chocolate from Sweet Earth organic. What else they can’t get locally, like dairy and soy products, they buy organic.
Rivera and Jones worked together to design a menu of what Rivera calls “simple food with a twist.” They have a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian sandwiches, salads, and entrees. Their popular breakfast burrito is made with four different potatoes and Herbs de Provence. Their turkey panini gets its zing from horseradish-cranberry sauce and the harvest grain-stuffed pacilla is a mild pepper filled with a blend of rice, ground beef (optional), pomegranates, cilantro, and black beans and topped with Havarti cheese. Thick, juicy burgers cooked on the outdoor barbeque are very popular. Daily burger specials feature seasonal produce and different cheeses, such as a harvest burger stuffed with apples, and topped with cheddar cheese and persimmon chutney. Soups, pesto, salad dressings, scones, muffins and quiches are made from scratch and feature local, seasonal ingredients, as well.
The Café is an excellent spot for brunch. On the weekends, specialty pancakes are cooked on the grill – a different kind featured each weekend. Organic chicken sausages, applewood smoked bacon, veggie sausages, eggs, and breakfast pizzas are just a few of the many breakfast items offered. Everything is also available to take out, and the “to-go ware” is biodegradable and compostable.
Rivera and Jones have more changes planned for the café. They are currently building a full kitchen so they can offer dinners, and they plan to apply for a license allowing them to serve local and organic beer and wines. They hope to retain the comfortable atmosphere while offering locals and visitors a place to get quality meals.
“I want it to be known as a place you can hang out and relax, but get really good food,” Jones said.
“Right,” Rivera added. “Someplace not stuffy so you don’t need to be dressed up.”
Both women appreciate their regular, local customers and want to bring in more locals rather than relying on tourist business. They feel that residents of South County need a restaurant like this. In addition to meals, they want to feature local musicians and artists because for them going local is not just about where they get their food, it’s about serving and supporting the community.
Honeymoon Café is located at 999 Price Street, Pismo Beach. It is open Tuesday – Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Mondays. For more information call 773-5646.
Cathe Olson is the author of The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook and Simply Natural Baby Food. For more information, visit her web site at www.simplynaturalbooks.com and her blog at http://catheolson.blogspot.com .
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