The Country Café & Bakery Offers Lunch Specials, Tea Parties Tucked In Antique Store
June 14, 2022
The Country Café & Bakery Offers Lunch Specials, Tea Parties Tucked In Antique Store
Tucked away in J & B’s Country Store -- an antique mall on Broadway’s North Main Street -- is a tiny café that does a big lunch business.
Open since 2005, the Country Café & Bakery has loyal customers and a heaping helping of newcomers, who are surprised they haven’t heard of it before.
“It’s Broadway’s little hidden secret,” said Susan Moreno, who owns and runs the café. “Throughout the week we do a really good lunch business.”
With business building by word-of-mouth and menus faxed to local businesses, Moreno, who’s owned the Country Café & Bakery for the past nine years, provides no-fuss, house-made lunches to shoppers at the country store’s front counter and delivers to workers at nearby schools and offices, along with a decadent selection of homemade candies and desserts.
In addition to an extensive regular menu featuring affordable cold salads, sandwiches and a much-loved taco salad, Moreno offers a rotating schedule of specials. Customers place orders at the country store’s checkout counter and can take it to go or dine in. The food is all made in-house, in a kitchen in the back of J & B’s by Moreno and team member Cindy Wright.
“We get along real well,” Wright said. “It’s a lot of word-of-mouth.”
The entire country store was filled with the warm scent of garlic, melty cheese and sweet tomato sauce Tuesday afternoon for this week’s offering: baked ziti. The meal, which comes with a serving of hot baked ziti, bread stick and choice of salad or coleslaw, is available through Saturday.
Previous specials have included the Dagwood, Moreno’s sandwich creation inspired by the iconic “Blondie” comic strip. This towering treat features turkey, ham, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, roast beef and cheddar cheese on wheat bread, Moreno said.
Upcoming specials will include the Rachel, a lighter take on the Reuben sandwich with turkey instead of corned beef, served on a hearty roll with choice of fresh macaroni salad or chips with a pickle, according to the Country Café & Bakery specials schedule.
“I just do everything real simple and keep it simple,” Moreno said.
There is a bright and comfortable seating area for the Country Café in the center of J & B’s Country Store – perfect for a break during a day of treasure hunting among the numerous booths in the store.
For those needing something sweet, Moreno also offers homemade candies and treats, which can be picked out from a tall wooden shelf catty-corner to the checkout area at the country store.
Additionally, the Country Café & Bakery offers tea parties in another room toward the back of the store. For the tea parties, which can accommodate six to eight people, Moreno said customers can view the tea party menu and reserve the space by calling J & B’s.
“We just set up a birthday party [for] my granddaughter, who is 7. She had all her little friends come and they did a craft. It’s a nice gathering place. It can be any occasion,” said Brenda Pultz, J & B’s Country Store manager.
Customers can try treats from The Country Café & Bakery at the monthly open house at J & B’s Country Store, which takes place Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The open house features updated booths from all the vendors along with free refreshments from the café, available around lunch time.
“We think the café adds that little bit of extra charm to the store,” Pultz said. “We have many occasions where people come to shop and it’s just nice to have a little lunch.”
- By JILLIAN LYNCH Daily News-Record
- Jun 8, 2022
Open since 2005, the Country Café & Bakery has loyal customers and a heaping helping of newcomers, who are surprised they haven’t heard of it before.
“It’s Broadway’s little hidden secret,” said Susan Moreno, who owns and runs the café. “Throughout the week we do a really good lunch business.”
With business building by word-of-mouth and menus faxed to local businesses, Moreno, who’s owned the Country Café & Bakery for the past nine years, provides no-fuss, house-made lunches to shoppers at the country store’s front counter and delivers to workers at nearby schools and offices, along with a decadent selection of homemade candies and desserts.
In addition to an extensive regular menu featuring affordable cold salads, sandwiches and a much-loved taco salad, Moreno offers a rotating schedule of specials. Customers place orders at the country store’s checkout counter and can take it to go or dine in. The food is all made in-house, in a kitchen in the back of J & B’s by Moreno and team member Cindy Wright.
“We get along real well,” Wright said. “It’s a lot of word-of-mouth.”
The entire country store was filled with the warm scent of garlic, melty cheese and sweet tomato sauce Tuesday afternoon for this week’s offering: baked ziti. The meal, which comes with a serving of hot baked ziti, bread stick and choice of salad or coleslaw, is available through Saturday.
Previous specials have included the Dagwood, Moreno’s sandwich creation inspired by the iconic “Blondie” comic strip. This towering treat features turkey, ham, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, roast beef and cheddar cheese on wheat bread, Moreno said.
Upcoming specials will include the Rachel, a lighter take on the Reuben sandwich with turkey instead of corned beef, served on a hearty roll with choice of fresh macaroni salad or chips with a pickle, according to the Country Café & Bakery specials schedule.
“I just do everything real simple and keep it simple,” Moreno said.
There is a bright and comfortable seating area for the Country Café in the center of J & B’s Country Store – perfect for a break during a day of treasure hunting among the numerous booths in the store.
For those needing something sweet, Moreno also offers homemade candies and treats, which can be picked out from a tall wooden shelf catty-corner to the checkout area at the country store.
Additionally, the Country Café & Bakery offers tea parties in another room toward the back of the store. For the tea parties, which can accommodate six to eight people, Moreno said customers can view the tea party menu and reserve the space by calling J & B’s.
“We just set up a birthday party [for] my granddaughter, who is 7. She had all her little friends come and they did a craft. It’s a nice gathering place. It can be any occasion,” said Brenda Pultz, J & B’s Country Store manager.
Customers can try treats from The Country Café & Bakery at the monthly open house at J & B’s Country Store, which takes place Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The open house features updated booths from all the vendors along with free refreshments from the café, available around lunch time.
“We think the café adds that little bit of extra charm to the store,” Pultz said. “We have many occasions where people come to shop and it’s just nice to have a little lunch.”
