Owned by Chef Melanie Melle who has an impressive background within notable area restaurant kitchens and who happens to be one heck of a pastry chef (she’s won several “Best Of” awards at recent dessert competitions), her café and bakery sits suspended high above the roaring French Creek, offering unbelievable vistas of mammoth black granite boulders which are rocky vestiges from Ice Age cataclysmic upheaval. The creek cascades around them. Trees disappear end- lessly into a void of nature’s ethereal green.
Inside this jewel box there are just thirty-six seats, a collection of wooden two and four-top tables. Walls are painted a warming
umber and decorated with works from local artists. The structure dates from the 1860s and is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
In short, it is the cutest, quaintest sight you’ll ever see.
The concierge in me always looks to support any local business, and Melanie’s bakery has been no exception. I’ve had an extra-special affinity for her, I’ll gladly admit. She to me is truly “The Little Guy” - i.e., She has no marketing budget/Is in an off-the-beaten path location/Holds great promise for those who come to visit.
That location, Saint Peter’s Village, is barely a blip on the county map, yet what there is of it - a random assortment of few old shops, the Bakery and next door, The Inn at Saint Peters (a full-service restaurant offering overnight accommoda- tions), all located above those lush, dreamy falls - translates into this side of para- dise.
During my October dinner there, as I scarf down another slice of pizza, I look around the intimate yet packed room. Couples nuzzle over roast beef stuffed baguettes, a steaming bowl of soup, a plate of pizza; most have brought their own bottle of wine or a few have six packs of craft beer.
A tickle of a thought begins to emerge...
The next day, as I’m prepping my offered dish for a neighborhood party (various root veggies which will be slow cooked in maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and topped with roasted sunflower seeds and crumble feta cheese), the thought surges forth:
“All those diners who brought their own libation and paired it with such simple food; What if I approach Melanie with the suggestion of teaming-up for a one- Saturday night-a-month special dinner? We could serve a four-course meal and incorporate a special theme to it!”
84 March April 2012
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