fəˈlanTHrəpē post #1: Selma's Cafe

A little house tucked away on the West Side of Ann Arbor has enhanced my appreciation of Fridays. Every Friday morning from 6:30-10 Jeff and Lisa open their home to local guest chefs and any foodie willing to start their morning a little earlier than usual. They call it Selma's Cafe, but that's really a misnomer because you won't find anyone there named Selma and it doesn't resemble any cafe I've ever seen. The simplest explanation is that it's a local foods breakfast salon. For a donation of $12-15 you can either choose one of the 2 dishes the guest chef prepares or one of the staples that they always serve: bread pudding, waffles, or the vegan option. Their mission is multifaceted; not only do they support local farmers, producers, and chefs, but they use the proceeds to build hoop houses.

When I first heard about Selma's I thought it sounded extremely awkward. Pulling up a chair and dining in some random person's house? No thank you. However, after going I was very impressed. It's a welcoming atmosphere and all of the volunteers are extremely friendly. Everyone wears a name tag and since space is limited, you usually have to share a table with strangers which adds to the whole experience. The food is usually prepared quickly and in the meantime you can either chat with fellow foodies, watch the chef do their thing, or simply stare in amazement at their beautiful kitchen.

(After dining, simply stick your name tag anywhere and it'll be there waiting for you when you return. Or you can do what I do and pick a new name every time you go.)

In the past I've had the pleasure of trying a Korean pulled pork breakfast sandwich, biscuits and gravy, breakfast pasties, and cheesy grits with a breakfast enchilada. I'm getting hungry just thinking about all of the fabulous food I've had there! If I still haven't succeeded in convincing you, check out the Yelp reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/selma-cafe-ann-arbor-3

You can sign up to be on their e-mail list on their website: http://www.selmacafe.org/ They promptly send out the menu on Wednesday afternoons.

Here's to Fridays--lc.