Selma Cafe

I had heard of the Selma Cafe several times over the past year and, today, I finally went. Selma Cafe is a unique place and, having experiencing it, I’m sure I will be returning again and again.

Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCab

Selma Cafe is a local foods breakfast salon that serves breakfast every Friday morning. (“Selma stands for Soule-Eberwhite-Liberty-Madison-Affiliation.) Each week, the meal is  prepared by a different guest chef. This week the chefs were two ladies from the Bona Sera Supper Club, a community dining project. The breakfast salon is hosted at the of home of Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe in Ann Arbor and the money, a suggested donation of $12-$15), helps fund  new local-foods infrastructure.

Today’s menu included:

• Duck “Poutine” Duck confit over duck fat, hashbrowns, duck gravy and homemade cheese curds, served with a fried egg.
• Italian Vegetable Tart served with hashbrowns and hoophouse greens topped with Michigan cherry and honey vinaigrette
• Blueberry bread pudding (with bacon if you want it)
• Whole grain waffles with warm apple compote (with bacon if you want it)

Italian Vegetable Tart

I chose the Italian vegetable tart with a poached pear and blueberries on the side. The ladies I went with each had the duck.

Duck "Poutine"

The guest chefs and volunteers who make this happen every week.

You can see what I thought of my breakfast.

I have been quite intrigued with Selma Cafe from the first time I heard about it, but I really had no idea what to expect. After all, it’s not everyday you get to go to a complete stranger’s home for a professionally-prepared breakfast of seasonal and locally-grown foods. Still, I wanted to be prepared, so I read about the place. I looked into how the money would be spent. I made sure the menu had something on it I would like. I found a friend to go with. And today, at long last, I went! What I learned is that Selma Cafe isn’t really about the guest chef or the amazing food or even the terrific project it supports. Selma Cafe is about the people. People who understand that what is really important is building strong networks focused on fostering the health of a community. Doing it with a great cup of coffee and a fantastic meal? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake.