Meadowlark Bakery & Café

The fear of change is often something so detrimental to our lives and yet I’ve seen it defeat both my self and others more than I’d like to admit. I spent years of my life in misery overwhelmed and subdued by my choices in most cases hardly aware of it because I had convinced myself “This is who Iam , What I do , What I like , How it’s supposed to be” Any suggestion to change really anything was met with defensiveness and skepticism. I had no idea who or what I could be and all the things I could enjoy. It wasn’t until I had absolutely no choice I decided to change. As a result not only would I say Iam a better happier more caring person than I was but also I like foods I never was willing to try , I enjoy hobbies I never thought I would , I have friends I never thought I would. The list goes on. And it doesn’t have to take losing yourself and everything else to be willing to change. As the seasons have begun to change I reflect on myself and what’s different from this time last year and the answer is nearly everything and it’s incredible. We all find so much beauty in the Fall season and the leaves changing and yet no one really likes having to rake up the leaves and bag them up. How similar to our own lives. Change is often beautiful and a form of rebirth yet we don’t care for the uncomfortability and challenges it creates so we avoid it until we are faced with absolutely no choice, but to clean up our messes. Hopefully you’ll join me today and making life a little bit easier and ourselves a little bit better by embracing change by seeking it, by allowing it to help you become who you deserve to be and
to have the life that you deserve to have. Maybe start slow like trying a new food or go big and change everything that’s up to us.

As Fall embraces us we look forward to offering you some new seasonal menu items !

This week we will be showcasing two I’m very excited about!!

“TIMES ARE CHANGING”

Salmon BLT Wrap with Avocado Aioli

Salmon/Bacon/Mixed greens/Tomato/Avocado Aioli

“FEAR NOT BUT FEAR ITSELF”
Chicken and Waffles sandwich

Sweet waffles / House made fried chicken breast / spicy pickles / Chili and Maple Aioli

Fall is here, and so are our NEW hours!
🍁Mon to Sat, we're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from 7am-8pm
🍁Sundays, we're a bit tired, so still closing up shop at 4pm.

When our food costs take a dive, we love to splash the savings onto our customers! We're happy to say, these are now our NEW prices for our ridiculously delicious, creamy ice cream and gelato, scooped up fresh ALL year-round! 💙🍦

FIRST FRIDAY IS HERE !

Stop by and try some of our great new specials!!

OUR FIRST FRIDAY DEAL IS - PETER PIPER SANDWICH / FRIES / DRINK 14$

We also are officially offering our Pumpkin Spice coffee and …. PUMPKIN ICE CREAM !!!

WE HAVE SOME GREAT VENDORS AND NOVA HERE WIRH SURVIVORS OF ABUSE WHO WILL SHARE THERE STORIES AT 5:30 !!!!!

SPECIAL ITEMS

“warm embrace “

COFFEE CRUSTED SHAVED STEAK / provolone / apple and onion jam / FRESH APPLE ONION SLAW

“FAMILY MATTERS”

HOUSE MADE CHICKEN TENDERS / MASHED / CORN / GRAVY

“LOVE PREVAILS”

BROWN BUTTER HONEY SHRIMP / RICE / ROASTED BROCCOLI

We will be reminding everyone of our upcoming FIRST FRIDAY ALL WEEK !!!!!

IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW WOULD LIKE TO JOIN AS A ARTIST OR VENDOR PLEASE REACH OUT !!!

Please come by and have some great food specials or grab one of our deals on our daily menu items !!

We have new coffee flavors coming ! ( we all know what it is )

Awesome Artists and vendors

And most closely to my heart NOVA is joining us to share resources and Survivor experiences!

Will have board games and music

And for once the weather should be beautiful!

Stop by and have a great experience and be part of something beautiful and fun !!!

It’s so easy to take food for granted. Obviously we need it in order to survive. It gives us energy. Helps us grow. Most of us have foods we like or dislike. It becomes simple to just treat eating like a chore. Something we do to get to the next thing we need to do. Or at least I have the habit of doing so. Even going out to eat I would rush through a meal as if I hadn’t eaten In days. Yet food is much more. Food is memories. Food is celebration. Food is love and warm embrace. I’ve made food with love for as long as I’ve made food always trying to be considerate and kind to the person receiving it. Yet I haven’t stopped to appreciate the love and kindness shown to me for quite some time. This week with First Friday approaching and survivors of abuse and violence coming to share there experience I thought about how comforting food can be and how uplifting and inspiring just slowing down and taking the time and awareness to allow the food and the person who cooked it for you show us love and gratitude through the experience. I’ve asked some of the survivors and people close to me what their comfort food is. What that meal is that brings them back to that safe and special place and fills them with hope. Food is just one of those small beautiful ways in which we receive love and comfort in our lives and if we just slow down and focus on being present there are so many more.

Whats your comfort food??

Some of this weeks specials !!

“Going home”
Sheppards pie smash burger / potato croquette / sweet pea puree / roasted carrots and onions / cheddar cheese / Gravy

“Megan’s favorite”
EGGPLANT parm / seeded brioche / mozz / pickled peppers and onion

“Guys night out”

FRIES / cheese / gravy / grilled ham

With much gratitude today I have 7 year’s sober. 7 years of freedom from the chains of addiction and all the hardship it caused. Some people and fairly might ask “what does that have to do with the cafe?” Understandably so. To that I respond it has everything to do with the Cafe. Our mission here at Meadowlark Bakery & Café goes far beyond serving our community the best Food , Pastries and Coffee we can muster. We strive daily to truly show our love for our community and that includes those who struggle. We often employ people who are newly sober and looking to start over. Many of our staff and guests have experienced struggles be it from addiction or abuse , from lose or mental health issues. Our goal is to harvest a healthy and encouraging place for people who have any issues to feel comfortable and taken care of to feel that people genuinely care and that they have the opportunity to grow into the person they’re meant to be. I don’t share this with you for accolades but rather for you the person reading this going through something either similar or different to know theres hope and there is always someone here at Meadowlark happy to just talk happy to help in any way we can. We have resources and can guide you in the right direction for anything you’re struggling with. We are not just pretending to be here for you on social media. We truly will be. So feel free to stop in our reach out anytime. We love our growing community and want to show that love in as many ways as possible! Thank you all for your support

With that our first Friday event is quickly approaching!!!

Please come by Friday Sept. 6 from 4-9 for our first Friday event !!!!

Will having Amazing new Food specials and drinks

Art !

Vendors of all sorts ( crafts , clothes , vintage )

Open Mic !

Board games !

And something very close to my heart NOVA will be joining us with resources for people in need as well as ways you can help get involved with helping others

most importantly Survivors of abuse will be sharing there stories and how they overcome the challenges of that experience today !!!!

Please come by and support a very special evening with very special people !

Labor Day weekend deals !

In an effort to show our appreciation for all the hard working people out there today we will be running a special deal Saturday and Sunday !!!

Come get a Smash Burger or Wrap and a side of fries and a drink for 14$ !!!!!

The special includes any wrap or our signature Smash Burger !!!

Labor Day I would say is one of my favorite holidays. Not that much changes or anything significant happens on Labor Day. Hardly because I get a long weekend because there’s no such thing in the food industry. I just love what it represents. I love the history of the holiday and the idea of all the people who came together to fight for workers rights. I sit outside in a chair everyday while I write these posts watching customers come and going. Looking at the people in there cars driving by. Everyone of us regardless of our job playing our role to make America function. Providing comforts and needs to each other. Helping each other. Building each other and our communities upwards together. We don’t see it on the news. It can only be seen from within it on the ground. Far too often we miss it though our heads down trudging through the work day eager to get back to our families and lives beyond the paycheck. I encourage you to look up today , look around this week. Be proud of all you do for others and how far your reach is into other peoples lives without ever seeing it or being rewarded for it. Thank every single one of you for what you do. Thank you for all your hard and thankless work. Without the hard working efforts of you all none of what we have and experience would be possible.

Exciting news ! We now have customizable cakes available to purchase daily ! You can just stop by and grab one !

We hope everyone has a safe and wonderful weekend. Find a way to treat yourself and to show your love to someone else.

“Keep going”

Chilled Tomato/ Parm Pasta

Pasta / Parm / Cherry tomatoes / Calabrian Chilli / Basil

Far more defeating than failing is giving up. So many things in my life I started with the fear of not doing well so I gave up. I would wallow through life so disappointed in myself. There comes a point where no matter what we just have to try. So many of my biggest successes today are not the outcomes of my efforts rather my efforts itself. Keep going.

“Don’t give up”

Smash Pita

Smash burger / grilled pita / tzatziki/ feta / cucumber / onion / dill / kalmata olives

It’s so easy to get discouraged by our mistakes. To want to give up. In truth there are very few things I’ve done I haven’t made mistakes. They’re also plenty of things I should do but as a result of making a few mistakes I’ve given up on. In reality though few things if anything would exist in our lives if it wasn’t for mistakes made by people trying to achieve something else. If Iam open to learning from my mistakes and willing to apply what I have learned to trying again the outcome is almost always far greater then I had planned. Keep trying today. Fall short , just get back up. Whatever you’re working on will only be better for it.

“Either you run the day , or the day runs you” and how delicately the outcome hangs in the balance. Many days I’ve allowed to run me into the ground , many people , many situations. It’s fascinating how fragile we can be emotionally and how quickly with out the slightest warning we can allow ourselves to be driven by those emotions to the point of destruction. I woke up this morning to my beautiful 1 year old daughter staring into my eyes looking for love. To an amazing fiancée who feels comfortable and confident enough to seek my help getting ready for the day. Employees reaching out to me for guidance. Friends looking for support. People helping me seeking clarity in how I would like to receive that help. And yet as I drove to work all I thought about was how much I need to do. Annoyed by people wanting and needing from me. Frustrated with every text or call. Confused where the focaccia we made for today’s special disappeared to. By the time I got to work I was fully prepared to throw some dishes passive aggressively. Scrap the specials. Spend 3 hours reviewing camera footage to find the dang focaccia and most definitely turn some sad boy playlist up and grumble through my day in silence aside from the occasional yelling over a mistake or fake smile for a customer. Thank goodness I stopped. Took a breathe and prayed. Took a step back and asked myself how we can fix this. Almost immediately by just acknowledging the issue and recognizing it’s wrong not only did I feel much better but could also so clearly seeing how amazing and blessed I am to be in the position I am today to have these challenges. It’s all about perspective. We fixed the problems. We created something delicious. I didn’t cause harm to anyone and I don’t have to apologize for my behavior. And now how I feel and when I smile it’s authentic. Life is good more often then not even when we are convinced otherwise. Take a breath. Pray if you do so. And Run your day , don’t let it run you.

That being said here’s two of this weeks specials I’m very excited about!!!!

“Dr.Jekyll”

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Smash Burger W/ Mixed Berry Jam

“Mr.Hyde”

Hot beef sandwich W / Pickled peppers and veg

I’ve needed help all my life and continue to only today thankfully it looks different. I’ve been homeless , hungry , jobless , no car , no insurance, no will to live and that’s honestly just a few of them. But churches have fed me , friends have housed me , family gave me jobs , coworkers drove me around. People amazing people have gone out of their way and sacrificed so much to get me to where I am today. And continue to. Help is always just a phone call away so long as I’m willing to ask for it and accept it in the form it comes rather than how I want it. That said it’s interesting how quickly we can come up with excuses to not try and help one another. How easily we will scoff and complain about being inconvenienced by other peoples calls for help. When someone is in need so quickly I can find myself disrupted by the idea of putting someone else’s needs before my own wants. Or having less of a desire to help them based on my judgement of them.I don’t want to be this way. It’s not that I don’t love helping others the way I was helped. It’s that it’s in my nature to always selfishly put my comfort and what’s convenient before other peoples needs. I find though that when I set aside judgement and work through selfishness and make an effort to do my best to show up and help others no matter the cost that it always feels amazing. It’s a process but I want to be a better helper. Imagine how much better our lives let alone our world could be if we all made more of an effort to genuinely help one another.

How can we help you ?

How can you help others ?

We hope our new coffee specials help !!

This week is the release of our S’Mores coffee aswell as our Cinnamon Toast Crunch coffee !!!!

Honestly not a big flavored coffee guy but these are incredible.

Also a little sneak peak of some things in the works for this weeks Savory specials!

My Grandma has owned a diner my entire life. It’s in fact that kitchen where I began my culinary journey at 12-13 washing dishes , prepping and eventually cooking. I always looked up to my grandma She is hard working ,funny ,says whatever she wants ,She is a successful business owner and a great cook. She is cool under pressure and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. She also has helped my Mother ,sisters and I immensely. That said I never felt like we had a deep ,meaningful relationship. I never felt like she cared about me ,I always thought she liked my sister more and gave her all the attention. Mind you I knew all she had done for us and for me and was grateful but I was also selfish and wanted something more. Let me tell you what I had done for her durning that same time. Nothing.Maybe contributed to a Christmas gift. And yet I carried this sadness that we didn’t have a real relationship. I resented her for thinking I wasn’t good enough. Which wasn’t the case only what I told myself. About 8 years ago she hired me at the diner for probably the 4th time and although I was far from the person Iam today I was a lot better than I had been for years. I started to talk to her ,to text her ,to be more honest with where I was at. I started to actually make an effort to build the relationship I had sought. And that’s the thing I have a choice today I can sit around telling myself these stories or be willing to do something about it. I need to make the effort to change something when I’m disatisfied with it no matter what I tell myself or how I think it should be. Why should anyone else be responsible for me and my willingness to build a relationship with them ? Today I feel I have an amazing relationship with her and know that she cares and loves me and she hasn’t done anything different. I did.I had to.

Are you putting forth the willingness to create the relationships you’re looking for or expecting they just turn out that way ?
What are you willing to do today to fix that thing you carry that weighs you down ?

This weeks Drink special is our

ICED BLUEBERRY CHAI ! Come in try something new and fuel up to find the willingness to Grow

For a very long time Sunday was just another day. Most weeks I didn’t even know it was Sunday. I was always focused on the next thing , the next one. Focused on how I could get outside myself or feel something different so displeased with how I was feeling. I was never present always projecting into the future or moping around the past. It was always something else Drinking , shopping , meaningless forced relationships, Work work and work. There came a point where I was so dissatisfied with life and myself that I knew something big needed to change or I was going to lose everything I did have and myself trying to get more. Whats the point of everything we work for if we never take the time to appreciate it ? The beautiful families we try so hard to build , the friends who were always there for us ? Those being ultimately all that matters in this life but also the homes the cars , vacations all the things we focus so hard on trying to achieve and trying to make perfect that we allow the act of working towards to consume us. A perpetual state of what’s next ? Never stopping to appreciate what is. Today Sundays are a day of rest for myself and my growing family. A day of worship and Thanks to God. A day of peace and love. A deep breath and an exhale of presence. And that’s what is so important being present in life with our families and friends. Truly soaking up the beautiful rewards of all the hard work and challenges each of us face daily. It’s incredibly important to us that we create a space here at Meadowlark Bakery & Café on Sundays where families can meet and spend time together. Where families can rest and have a moment to be present. We hope if you came by today or any day you receive that.

From our families to yours We hope you are having a beautiful Sunday. We hope if not yet that as the sun sets you find the time to be present with your loved ones. To have peace and gratitude for all you do have , regardless of what you’ve yet to receive. We hope you can see all you have achieved this past week and show yourself some grace.

How can you finish your evening present and with a full heart ? How can you share that with your family ?

I cannot even imagine the amount of times that I’ve allowed minor inconveniences and disruptions to my plans ruin my day. I would like to say make me have a bad day. That wouldn’t be the truth though would it ? I make me have a bad day. I allow the frustrations of things not going my way or being as easy and convenient as possible for me control me emotionally. Next thing you know I’m feeling sorry for myself. I’m upset with everyone else and I miss out on all the amazing ways things do go in my life. I have to focus on the blessings. I have to seek gratitude in all situations. When I’m seeking gratitude and embrace all that I’m grateful for I begin to see more and more in every situation. Today I could’ve woken up and easily chosen to find the negatives in life but today I choose gratitude.

Meadowlark Bakery & Café

To show our Gratitude for all of you incredible people who keep us going today we’re offering….

But one get one free pastries !!!

And a Smash Burger / Fries and a drink for 14$ !!!

Thank each and everyone of you for being part of our community and I pray today you look past the inconveniences and challenges you’ll face and seek gratitude!

What a gorgeous day, right?🌞
Flaky pastries that'll make your taste buds do the cha cha slide, smash burgers so juicy you’ll need 5 napkins, and hand-cut French fries because regular fries are so basic. Grateful to have customers like you soooo
🔥TODAY🔥Buy any pastry, get one free, because sharing is caring.
AND…Score a combo meal: our famous smash burger, fries, and any drink $14

I heard a man ask last night “Would I rather have peace or be right” we laughed because as it turns out our initial response is we would rather be right. Who doesn’t like to be right ? Who doesn’t like to have the answer to problems? The problem is I almost will never stop at having the answer to someone’s problem and find myself letting everyone know what they are doing is the problem and Iam the answer. Sitting here I know I’m not. I know more than anything that I really don’t know much of anything. Yet I’ll find myself being contrary challenging things that mean nothing really. With this always comes a sense of frustration and anxiety this false idea that without me things would fall apart. Meanwhile I’m consciously and constantly relying on God and the people around me to become a better version of myself. I can’t do both I can’t play God and rely on God simultaneously. It creates this chaos within me that’s unbearable. I’d rather peace I need peace when I push aside my ego and look at what really matters and what actually makes up the best parts of me. Peace is the answer. None of this is obtainable without practicing Humility. We are all on this earth doing our best making efforts to overcome life’s challenges the best we know how. I need to remember that and practice Humility in all my interactions otherwise not only do I miss out on the opportunity to grow and receive new things. I also cause harm to others and make them feel less than or not as important when really every relationship I have today is incredibly important, every interaction, every experience I’m no better than any of it in fact it’s exactly what I need.

Is a lack of humility stealing your peace today ?
cafe

That being said here’s this weekends special.

“Humble pie”.

Grilled Chicken Breast/Corn jalapeño blueberry salad / Avacado puree / feta / basil / House made tortillas

We live in a paradox. Realistically the only way to find any peace and solace throughout our ever demanding day is to not have expectations. Yet society itself , the government, the world around us in one way or another demand we meet there expectations. So often and so subtly most times we hardly realize the direction of our lives is based on those expectations rather than our own hopes , dreams or goals. For along time when I wasn’t trying to make others meet my demands I was always trying to meet others. I was so worried in fact with what others expected I would become whatever they wanted me to be slowly losing myself and by the time I noticed I had lost them too because it wasn’t authentic and I couldn’t maintain the facade for very long. It’s no way to live. It’s not really living at all rather existing. I would use coffee for years as a tool cup after cup overly caffeinated trying to meet the demands of the rat race , trying to beat the rat race. Today I can see there’s no winner to the rat race. That I don’t need to participate. That I can focus on myself and my needs and those of my loved ones without consuming myself with the expectations of the rest of the world. Today I sit with my morning coffee and a sip it. I drink it slow. I appreciate it. I take that time to to find myself. To recover from the demands of the world rather than to meet them. Come by today do something kind and loving for yourself. Get a cup of coffee and drink it slow. Think about how you can love yourself better and better be yourself today. Get out of the race even for a few moments and catch your breath. You deserve this. We all do.

That being said…..

Today we are introducing our new coffee provider Kaldi Coffee. They’ve shared there incredible American blend imported directly from Italy with us !!!

Come have a FREE drip coffee on us with any purchase today.

Meadowlark Bakery & Café

For myself at least as a young man I always found it easy to be overly critical of my parents. In my experience talking to others I don’t think I’m alone in this. As a teenager and into my early twenties it was so easy to blame my mother for the way my life was unfolding. “Had she only done this” or “if she just said this” or gave me that thing then I wouldnt be the way Iam. What a cop out. What an easy way to take zero responsibility for my life and behaviors. As I’ve grown and make a daily effort to look at my role in things today and to take responsibility for who Iam I reflect on all those times I blamed my mom. All those times I was hard on her or ungrateful. It breaks my heart. When I look beyond all that I can see all these incredible powerful inspirational moments with my mother. A single Mom doing absolutely everything and anything she could to give us the best life she knew how. She wasn’t perfect none of us are but she tried as hard as she could perfectly. I wouldn’t be here without her. For every mean ungrateful thing I could say as a punk kid. Today I can say and more importantly see 3 times as many beautiful and powerful things she has done to help me become the man I am today. It hasn’t been pretty or graceful. Life definitely hasn’t been a Disney movie but then again who’s is ? And that’s what I needed to realize my mother not meeting my absurd and selfish expectations didn’t make her a bad mom or mean she didn’t love me. She was doing for me what I didn’t realize I needed for myself…

Call your mom and tell her you love her..

That being said our new special this week is a combination of two of my favorite food my mom would cook for me.

“Moms best”

Pan seared breaded pork chop / Brussel sprouts and apple slaw / sriracha Dijon mustard/ shaved provolone

When I was 8 years old a man broke into our home . He leapt through a second story window and tossed my mother throughout our home until eventually dropping his knife and fleeing. All the while my sister and I were in our bedroom. Scared. I remember the fear I felt , I can feel the fear I felt today as if it happened yesterday. I remember as a young boy feeling so angry and so weak and wishing I could’ve done something and so crippled by the fact I hadn’t.I remember in the days after as the policemen searched for him my innocence and youth fading away. I never got that back. I carried that fear and anger with me throughout my life. It bled into my actions and relationships. I withdrew from everything. I avoided confrontation at all costs and when I had no other choice I met confrontation with anger and aggression. Fear can do horrible things to a person and most of us who’ve lived in fear have had good reason to do so perhaps. The world can be a scary place. To live in fear though is to be a prisoner driven by those fears controlled by them. I had to break those chains. I had to realize although I may be afraid I can no longer let those fears define me. I had to learn to trust. To trust God. I had to learn to share my fears with others who could guide and comfort me. Today fears crop up but I no longer live in fear. My faith in things working out and in amazing people around me helps turn fear into strength , into passion and drive. Fear doesn’t have to control us.I wonder how that moment so long ago affected my mom or if she’s asked herself if it has. I should ask her….

This is a sad story but it has a happy ending today my family and I are incredibly strong. We just had to do the work to overcome it like all difficult things.

How’s fear effecting you?

That being said

Here’s some of this weeks specials.

“Faith over fear”

Everything seasoning crusted Salmon / Noodles/ Soy and Honey ginger dressing/ Avocado/ cucumber/ asparagus/ jalapeño / wonton chips / pickled ginger

“Don’t be afraid”

Candied Jalapeno Bacon Grilled cheese

Candied bacon/Jalapeño/Cheddar Cheese

You ever find yourself walking through life with a puss face on , grumbling and mad at the world ? That’s me. For the longest time the quote “Sometimes I’m angry that I feel so angry” truly defined my attitude towards life. If you were to ask me why I would likely ramble on about the state of society and all the people who didn’t act and do what I wanted them to. I was selfish.I found myself passionless and empty yet longing to feel something beautiful. For the better half of my life I would chase that feeling with stuff like Shopping , Relationships and Alcohol all of which wore off almost immediately and led me into a deeper bout of self loathing. It was an incredibly exhausting way to live. There came a point where I had no other choice but to change. To change my perspective, my attitude and my behaviors. It’s not easy. But it’s much easier than the alternative and all it took was working through some of it long enough to see how rewarding the results were on the other end. Don’t get me wrong I can still get angry and feel sorry for myself. Just yesterday I wanted to scream at the world. But I didn’t I paused , I prayed , I asked others for guidance and I went to bed feeling light and satisfied, grateful for the life I have and all the reasons I have to even be angry. Try to smile today. Try to live in the pause. Seek peace. Stop pretending anything in this life is worth allowing it to control our emotions like puppets.

That said here’s our Weekend Specials…..

“Bringing out the claws”

LOBSTER BLT
Lobster/Bacon/tomatos/Butterhead lettuce/Avocado/Sriracha Aioli/Gruyere Cheese

“Don’t be so crabby”

Crab salad/tempura Avocado/ Mixed Greens/ Cherry Tomatoes/ Hardboiled egg/ Oil & Vinegar