Birchwood Cafe

Get ready for a gushfest.

I don't know that I can adequately explain my love for Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis. After following Birchwood on Facebook for years, I finally stopped in for breakfast and it solidified everything I already knew. Why do I love it so?

1. Delicious eats. The cafe motto is "Good Real Food" and they mean it. Fresh, seasonal, nourishing, beautiful - everything food should be.

2. Breakfast. I'm a huge fan of cafe breakfasts and they do it right with savory waffles, veggie-filled egg dishes, perfect bowls of yogurt, fruit, and granola, and excellent coffee refilled for free.

3. Unpretentious. Come as you are and you will be welcomed with a warm smile.

But the top reason I adore this place has something to do with this.

And most definitely this.

Birchwood actively sources product from local organic producers and I want to hug every single one of the staff because of it. It must take an enormous effort to call up thirty producers instead of calling in the weekly Sysco shipment, but they have figured it out, developing a fresh, fun, reasonably priced menu that highlights those farm marvels. Good Real Food, indeed.

On this sunny weekend morning, the line was out the door with courteous, patient people. The vibe was warm and casual. As I sipped my coffee, the server brought my scrambled eggs, loaded with spring herbs and vegetables like dill and golden beets, crowned with pickled ramps and early spring greens. My thick slice of birdseed bread came with a tiny jar of tart grapefruit marmalade. I was enamored by the elegance, the beautiful simplicity of it. Cafe breakfasts are so often carby/syrupy/greasy gorgefests. To be presented with a breakfast plate so pretty, light, flavorful and fulfilling was a welcome, refreshing change.

And then Tracy comes by to refill our coffee. Tracy is the owner of Birchwood Cafe, and here I am, a longtime follower, a superfan, loving everything about what she's created, this place, this energy, and all the work behind it to source, plan, procure, grow Birchwood and thus farm-to-table casual dining into what I see before me, travelling seven hours from Bismarck to sit at that table and bask in it right at that moment - and the woman behind all of this is carrying a coffeepot, asking me if I'd like a refill.

"Yeah, sure, just half a cup."

As she's pouring, I'm debating. 'Should I say anything? It's Sunday morning and the line is out the door, she's probably busy. Would that be weird to say anything? Yeah, it's probably weird...but I'm going to anyway.'

"Hi Tracy, I'm Beth and I just wanted to tell you that I really admire you for all you've done..."

She couldn't have been kinder. She stopped to say thank you, asked about Bismarck, talking briefly about the Bismarck co-op that will be opening soon (just a few more memberships to go!), how great it is to be able to promote and support local organic producers, how local food availability continues to grow in North Dakota. Then Tracy said those magic words:

"Well, maybe you should open a cafe."

If it could be anything like Birchwood, sign me up.