2021 Local Food Guide for Michigan

Page 95

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY THROUGH COFFEE JENA BROOKER

Contributor

CAFÉ RICA

62 E Michigan Ave, Battle Creek, MI cafe-rica.com

It’s a family affair at Café Rica, a coffee shop located in downtown Battle Creek. Against the backdrop of a technicolor mural of a flamingo, natural light fills the spacious shop, complimenting the wood floors and exposed brick. Brothers Tristan and Jackson Bredehoft run the cafe full time with help from their parents. After years of searching for the best coffee, their father discovered the beans they now source from Café Naranjo, a cooperative in Costa Rica. Their mom, who speaks Spanish, helps coordinate the orders. From its inception the cafe was integrated into the local food system. The brothers took the food business course at Can-Do Kitchen in Kalamazoo, brewing their coffee there before switching to Sprout’s incubator kitchen in Springfield. Café Rica sources from many local food businesses for their extensive menu that includes bagel and waffle sandwiches, tostadas, coffee and tea, and even their own canned cocktails and cold brew. “Working with bigger

companies that provide food and food services doesn’t have the same touch as a local person that you build a personal relationship with,” Tristan says. Their local suppliers include The Fire Hub, Continental Bakery, Avalon Farms, 365 Urban Farm, Horrocks, and others. “Anything we can get locally and fresh we try to get,” Jackson says. "It just tastes better.” Founder of 365 Urban Farm, Kathy Antaya, says in addition to Café Rica’s benefit to the community as a whole, they’ve continuously promoted her farm. “It was significant to boost our identity within the community,” Antaya says. In their food menu, Café Rica sources tomatoes, basil, carrots, broccoli, and cucumbers from 365 Urban Farm. Regardless of the cost, the brothers are committed to working with other local food businesses. “It was always in the forefront of our goals to integrate as much as we can with the community,” Tristan says.

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DETROIT BLACK FARMER LAND FUND REMOVES BARRIERS TO BUYING LAND

2min
pages 110-111

MAQUE CHOUX SALAD WITH CITRUS VINAIGRETTE

1min
page 109

Mushrooms, Microgreens & More

2min
pages 104-105

Strengthening Community Through Coffee

1min
page 95

One Margarita to Go, Please!

2min
pages 86-87

BLACK EYED PEAS & COLLARD GREENS BRAISED IN COCONUT MILK

2min
page 85

New City Neighbors: Building Faith Through Growing Food

2min
pages 80-83

The New Normal: Adaptations through the Covid 19 Pandemic

7min
pages 68-72

Reducing Food Insecurity in Mid Michigan

2min
pages 64-65

BEES IN THE D

1min
page 54

Building Healthy Places: Healthy Impacts on Rural Communities

2min
pages 52-53

Plath's Glazed Pork Chop

1min
page 43

The Village at Grand Traverse Commons Local Food Tour

1min
page 42

Local Food Online

2min
pages 40-41

Farms for Folks: Increasing healthy food access while building vitality in U.P. Farms

2min
pages 22-23

Michigan Tart Cherry Pie

1min
page 16

Biiskaabiiyang: The Process of Returning to Ourselves; A Look at Anishinaabe Foodways

2min
pages 12-13

Keep it Fresh: Managing Your Market Haul

1min
pages 10-11

Michigander Beach Bum Cocktail

1min
page 46

Simple Black Bean Soup

1min
pages 63-65

Navy Bean Dip

1min
page 66
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