#FRIDAYFAVES cafe eclectic
It's another #FRIDAYFAVES, babes!
As you all know, every other Friday we love to blog about our recent favorites--something/someone who has caught our attention that we can't get enough of, or a local place here in Memphis that we adore and can't help but gab on and on about, thus...
our #FRIDAYFAVE happens to be :
First of all, we both have to say that it is a pleasure to be able to feature Cafe Eclectic on our blog this week. We are adamant about making sure that we support and feature good people with open hearts, who spread positivity, and Cafe Eclectic is the epitome of those things. We're so excited to share
Reasons Why We're Obsessed with Cafe Eclectic
and a short Q & A session featuring Rachel Boulden
We got to talk with the owner's daughter, Rachel Boulden, and she was beyond accomodating of us and super sweet. Her kindness is infectious and it is evident that the same genuine spirit she has carries over with the employees.
This week, we got the honor of checking out the Midtown & Harbortown locations. We had a blast!
Reasons Why We're Obsessed with Cafe Eclectic
1. It's Comfortability and Personality.
When you first walk into Cafe Eclectic, there's an immediate comfortable, laid back, and down-to-earth air that invites you sit down and stay a while. This energy makes it easy to feel at home or, if you're at a "Lil' Cafe", find your own little corner to chat with a friend, read, work, or chill. There are cute, handmade chalkboard signs with quaint sayings or information on them that line the walls and add touches of personability to the cafe.
2. It's Unique.
Cafe Eclectic opened in 2008 and over the past seven years, it has opened three locations in Memphis, Tennessee. What's really cool about Cafe Eclectic is that each location has it's own unique vibe. The two "Lil' Cafes" found in Harbortown and Highland are smaller versions of the Midtown location. By having these different locations, the family owned business has been able to "explore different ideas and sides of the restaurant business". We love that these locations are adaptive to their environments. Memphis is an incredibly diverse city, which makes it so beautiful and unique. We love that Cafe Eclectic celebrates these differences and embraces their surroundings while also being true to their own aesthetic.
Their first location on McLean is a "full service restaurant with a much bigger menu than the other two". When you walk inside, you're immediately faced with these beautiful pastries that are every fat-kid-at-heart's dream. As if the temptation wasn't hard enough, the aroma of fresh food and coffee draw you further into the cafe.
The same goes for the Harbortown location, which can be described as a, "little community coffee house with a smaller menu and pastries and more customer one on one interaction". Here you'll find more opportunities to taste their unique, interesting, and "fun artisan coffees" and pour overs.
And the Highland location, Rachel described to us as their "hybrid baby" and told us that it's still fresh and "a lot of fun because it’s still figuring out it’s personality and growing".
3. Locally Owned, Managed, & Run by Good People.
The owner, Cathy Boulden, has done an incredible job of turning her cafes into something more than just a place to grab awesome food and drinks. Like we said, the employees are down to earth and personable. Whenever you go anywhere, an employee can make or break that place no matter how good the products are; Cafe Eclectic's employees only add to the pleasant vibe of the cafes.
4. Their Food & Drinks Are Delicious
Holy moly! Wow, this place knows its yums. We had the mouth watering opportunity to
sample a handful of food and drink items on our visits, including the chicken and pineapple panini, the brie and fresh pear panini (um, YUM!), and the Chick-N-Waffle, which will get it's own spotlight shortly. It could get it's own novel, really. Or interpretive dance. They have a wide selection of delicious looking food that we can't wait to try, like the B.E.C. on the Breakfast menu (freshly-baked croissant with scrambled eggs, applewood smoked bacon and provolone cheese), the Devil's Pie, (mac-n-cheese mixed with spicy diablo chicken and baked topped with an old-fashioned pastry crust), and of course The King, Elvis' favorite sandwich(Grilled peanut butter, banana and honey. Optional bacon)(...psh, "optional.")
Q & A
Rachel was a huge help to us and was our main correspondent as we prepared for this post. We got to ask her some more in depth questions to give our readers a closer look into what Cafe Eclectic is all about.
B + A : What sparked the idea for your family's business?
Rachel : "We grew up just a few blocks from the midtown Cafe Eclectic. As children mom had always wished for a little family escape we could walk to as a family - something with good coffee and good food. This was before Memphis had even been introduced to Starbucks and when you’d have to order good coffee via catalogue and the best most natural foods you were guaranteed to find were the ones you knew came from your own home. Everything we seemed to find in restaurants was made from a box or a can and you had to drive anywhere you wanted to go to grab a bite. The Cafe was kind of her midlife crisis finally putting into action something she’d dreamed of for other people… you never expect your mom to have a legitimate midlife crisis that would be so successful."
B + A : How much of the family is involved in it? Has it brought you closer as a family?
Rachel : "The entire family has been involved in one way or another since we opened. My brother, Dustin and I have both managed the floor and worked as baristas, servers, bussers, and stand in cooks. My sister laura has also worked as a server and now she manages our office. Mom, of course, is our boss, but she's done almost every job in the cafe, she's a delivery person, a hostess, our payroll, and business accountant. I think it's brought us closer in some ways. There's no escaping your family when you have to work with them...you kind of have to figure out your mess haha."
B + A : We see that there are some Memphis specific things on your menu, like the Grizzly bear and the "Star and Micey" drink. Tell us a little about how you keep Cafe Eclectic a true Memphis brand.
Rachel : "I think it's just a natural byproduct of being Memphians and living in the community we serve. We love our city and have been so lucky have many local musicians and artists as part of our team. You can't love, live, and work in this city without being 901 in and out."
B + A : What are some favorite food and coffee itmes from customers, or your favorites?
Rachel : "Oh man, the Chick-n-Waffle at Mclean and Highland is my guilty pleasure."
We have to agree with Rachel on that one. The Chick-n-Waffle really is ah-MAZING. We were literally talking about it even after we drove away from the cafe. It's that good! This is a must order, hands down. Our mouths are literally watering thinking about this chicken and waffle. It's just....we can't....Gotta find our chill. We also got to sip on the Lavender Front Porch & the Grizz and they were, of course, so good. Their menu at Cafe Eclectic is super diverse and you're sure to find something mouth watering there on any day of the week.
B + A : What are your plans for the future? We love your new homemade syrups, do you plan to introduce many new syrups or other food/drink items to the menu?
Rachel : "We are so excited about homemade syrups! We're starting with specials and for the homemade like our lavender brown sugar and local Quinley Whitworth honey syrup. We're going to be experimenting with some different vanilla bean and caramel syrups next. The possibilities are endless! Our new menus will be coming out soon and we're making more changes to serve a more seasonal and local menu. We're upgrading some items that are more eco-friendly and regional. I'm so excited! Can't say more now--but just you wait."
B + A : If you could share one thing with your community what would it be?
Rachel : "We're family owned and operated hands on every day. We make the coffee and the food and serve. I love it because we work to interact intimately everyday with our customers and it allows us to work our mission--'Caring for our community through the love poured into our food, beverages, and surfaces'."
Cafe Eclectic is always evolving and growing to better serve the community of Memphis, and their love for the city is evident. They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk. We're beyond excited to see what all they do! We'll be sure to keep our readers updated about all the new things that Cafe Eclectic comes up with, so follow us on Instagram @branchandanthem or like us on Facebook at Branch + Anthem.
Nicki's Personal Cafe Eclectic Faves : Mayan Cappuccino and the Chick-N-Waffle.
Sam's Personal Cafe Eclectic Faves : Chai Latte and the Brie & Fresh Pear Panini
WE LOVE CAFE ECLECTIC!
& we think you should too
Cafe Eclectic is doing amazing things, folks! You should follow & like their social media to keep updated with all of the cool, new things they're up to:
FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/cafeeclectic
INSTAGRAM @cafeeclectic
WEBSITE www.cafeeclectic.net
They've got THREE locations in Memphis, Tennessee, go check them out :
Midtown
603 N. McLean Blvd.
Memphis, Tn
HOURS : MON-SAT 7AM-10PM, SUN 9AM-3PM
Harbortown
111 Harbortown Square
Memphis, Tn
HOURS : MON-SAT 6:30AM-8PM SUN 7AM-3PM
Highland 510 S. Highland Street Memphis, Tn
HOURS : MON-FRI 6:30AM-8PM, SAT 8AM-8PM, SUN 9AM-3PM
Join us for coffee sometime at Cafe Eclectic! We'd love to chat & answer questions one on one with our readers! Contact us via email : branchandanthem@gmail.com to set up a coffee date.
Love,
Sam & Nicki
