In-season: Coffee
Whether we sip from our morning mug of coffee for the rush of caffeine or simply to enjoy the flavor, our culture has become obsessed with coffee. It’s often referred to as “liquid gold”—mostly for br...
Bright Spots
At the Cat Lady Cafe in South Bend, Indiana, you can enjoy cats and coffee—two beloved things that wake you up in the morning—with all of the fun and none of the responsibility. Ten to 15 cats scamper around a room filled with cat towers, cubby holes, and toys of the feather and mouse varieties. There is a comfy rug, a purple velvet couch and an Instagram-worthy wall, complete with a neon sign, behind it.
The adjacent activity room also has its charms, with board games, a Ms. Pac-Man video game and cat-themed puzzles (such as “Dolly Purrton”), along with a wall of silver tinsel. Students come here to study, drink coffee and watch the cats through large windows.
The cat café concept rose to popularity in Japan in the early 2000s and has since spread across Europe and the U.S. The appeal is universal, and especially attracts those who can’t have cats at home due to rental contracts, family members with allergies or other circumstances.
Kim Sult opened the Cat Lady Cafe with the help of her husband, Bob, in the Commerce Center building in March 2023. The café serves Bendix Coffee and, on weekends, goods from local bakers such as the Cakery, Chips and Doodles, and Thistle and Knead (gluten-free). Reservations for the cat room can be made online for $11 an hour.
“We’re trying to have something for everybody,” Sult says. She regularly hosts events featuring yoga, crochet and cat-themed pottery or cookie decorating classes. “People are always looking for things to do.”
Her most important job, though, is caring for the cats, all available for adoption through the Humane Society of St. Joseph County, where Sult was a longtime volunteer board member. Her experience makes her comfortable managing the animals and educating clients about owning a cat and incorporating it into a family. She asks about other animals and children in the home, considers the cats’ personalities, and helps find just the right pet.
The Cat Lady Cafe can initiate an adoption, but it is processed at the Humane Society for a fee of $100. “That’s a good deal for cat that is neutered, microchipped and has its shots,” Sult says. From its spring opening to the end of last year, the café helped find homes for more than 60 shelter cats.
Cat Lady Cafe
401 E. Colfax Ave., Ste. 104
South Bend, IN
574.228.2266
catladycafesouthbend.com
A cultural institution debuted in South Bend at the end of 2023, bringing with it a superb new space for conversation or contemplation over coffee and a bite.
The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art (formerly the Snite Museum) at the University of Notre Dame moved into a new building on the southern edge of campus, offering new grandeur to the collection and greater accessibility to the public. At its heart is a majestic atrium; Ivan’s Cafe is tucked neatly in a corner on the first floor.
The café is named for the Croatian-born artist Ivan Meštrović who, toward the end of his life, taught at the university. His sculptures can be seen around campus, including the large, stone Head of Moses encased above the café counter and the Ashbaugh Madonna, carved from a single block of wood, located just outside the café.
Museum director Joseph Becherer wanted a café in the new space “to make it as inviting as possible,” explains Michael Miller, an assistant director on the campus hospitality team. Museumgoers can take a break while viewing art, lingering over the selves on either side of the café that serve as the museum’s bookshop. During finals week, the café tables spilling out into the atrium were filled with students. “It allows students to be a part of a social part of campus, but also have a quiet place to study,” Miller says.
The food and drink on offer are tailored to fit the environment. “You eat first with your eyes,” says Ryli Vissers, executive chef. There is an emphasis on fresh, sophisticated food with a European inspiration, reflecting the life of Meštrović. “We serve familiar items, elevated with a chef’s touch,” he says, such as the Black Forest ham sandwich with Gruyère spread and a grain bowl featuring, among other things, baby kale, preserved mushrooms and orange blossom honey grilled chicken.
Sinai Vespie, executive pastry chef (a Food Network baking champion and U.S. team member for the Culinary Olympics), creates “little bites of art” for museum events and the café, including embellished éclairs, apple galettes and pain au chocolat, a customer favorite.
The café’s signature drink is Ivan’s Macchiato, made in traditional fashion with a double shot of espresso topped by a dollop of foamed milk.
Cora __, the lead barista, describes the museum atrium as a calming space, with its large windows and natural light. “We’re trying to slow people down,” she says, by creating an atmosphere with a relaxed and leisurely vibe—an oasis of sorts, far removed from the busy street just beyond its doors.
Ivan’s Cafe
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
St. André Way (corner of Eddy St. and Angela Blvd.)
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu
Of all the collective spaces popping up across Michiana, The Market in St. Joseph, Michigan, may be the largest. The 10,000-square-foot space is open under one roof and houses fresh produce, food, drink, gifts and more. When it opened in 2021, Sawyer-based Infusco Coffee opened its second location in the beautifully restored building.
During the pandemic that huge space was a draw, says Aaron Darling, Infusco owner.
“You can have a coffee, get up and walk around.” In fact, he offers a scenario for spending most of the day at The Market: “You could have your 10am coffee, shop some, have lunch at 11:30, grab an afternoon coffee and then get a beer and buy some wine to take home to someone.”
Darling and the other vendors at The Market benefit from the collaborative relationships it fosters. “We’re not responsible for everything, but we still have all the traffic,” he says. The Culinary Cottage cooking school brings in people for classes, and many get a coffee beforehand. Dad’s Farm specialty grocery and café does trivia nights, bringing in customers for everyone. The attitude is “It’s not my customer, it’s our customer,” Darling says.
On the shelves of the Infusco space you will find coffee beans, mugs, T-shirts, CBD drinks, granola bars and lots of Michigan-based products. The café partners with Bit of Suisse in Stevensville for baked goods. “They are total pros,” says Darling. “Their almond croissant is a life-changer.”
The drinks lean hyper-local as well. The most popular year round is the Maple Latte, says Darling, with syrup from Maple Row Sugar House in Jones, Michigan. Another favorite, the Café Miel, is flavored with cinnamon and local honey from Eau Claire. “We try to offer sweet drinks that are more balanced, healthy and natural,” Darling says.
Although The Market’s proximity to Lake Michigan certainly draws summer tourists, its location on the other side of Blue Star Highway makes it convenient for locals, since parking is always available, says Darling. The Infusco café has developed a loyal year-round clientele. “The pandemic robbed us of interaction—even a few minutes, on the way to work,” he says. “We’re just looking to be a bright spot in someone’s day.”
Infusco Coffee
The Market
301 Main St.
Saint Joseph, MI
themarketsj.com
Lisa Barnett de Froberville is a French teacher and the managing editor of Edible Michiana.
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