The Front Porch Cafe

Feeding body and spirit with Americana-inspired dishes

RESTAURANT VISION

The building at the downtown Ellsworth four corners had been sitting vacant for years. Locals say it’s been a restaurant as far back as they can remember, but the last owner couldn’t make it work, so he just packed up and left.

“The building sat vacant until local churchgoer Bob Felton envisioned making it into something,” explained Jan Rasmussen, The Front Porch manager. “He wanted to turn it into a nonprofit, pay-what-you-can restaurant.”

That dream was realized seven years ago and, after updating the building and the kitchen facilities, Rasmussen now manages The Front Porch Cafe. The restaurant is overseen by a board of directors that manages the finances. All proceeds are funneled into operating the restaurant, which has become as well known for its classic American fare as for its charitable contributions to Ellsworth and the surrounding community.

Open for breakfast and lunch, The Front Porch Cafe’s menu reads like a “best of the Midwest.” Sitting at the counter with its vinyl-covered stools will bring back memories of the Andy Griffith Show, where locals offer a friendly smile and desserts are served up in generous portions.

MIDWESTERN CHARM

Breakfasts, especially, are reminiscent of early morning diner stops to fuel up before fishing or skiing, starting with the Front Porch Special: two eggs any style, your choice of sausage or bacon, chunky homemade American fries and toast. The vegetarian Julie Omelette is another top pick, with its well-balanced mix of broccoli, onions, green and red confetti peppers, tomatoes and cheddar cheese.

“Also really popular are our homemade biscuits and sausage gravy,” Rasmussen said. “There’s a lot of extra pork sausage in the gravy, not just a couple of little pieces.”

If you decide to stop in for lunch instead, start with one of the Front Porch’s soups. Their corn chowder is homemade, thick with milk, butter, onions and celery, and stuffed with sweet kernel corn, while their chicken noodle soup is good enough to chase away the flu, and their tomato-based beef chili has just enough spice.

Sandwich picks include the open-face hot turkey sandwich, with real mashed potatoes and gravy, and the Daze wrap, which teams up turkey and crispy bacon with veggies and mayo in a tortilla.

“Two other really popular picks are our Philly sandwich, which is sliced beef with onion, green peppers and cream cheese on flatbread,” added Rasmussen, “and our black bean wrap with homemade vegetarian black bean and breadcrumb filling, green peppers, cheddar, onions, cheese and our house Southwestern sauce, which has a little zip to it.”

And don’t miss the desserts. Front Porch pies are made from scratch and you’ll want to order extra Monster cookies, enormous oatmeal confections filled with peanut butter, chocolate chips and M&Ms, so you can take some with you.

“Our most popular pie is the coconut,” Rasmussen said, “which arrives with a very, very tall meringue top!” Add a cup of fresh-brewed Backdraft coffee — a local brand from East Jordan roasted by a local fire chief — and you’ve got yourself an All-American meal.

NEIGHBORLY DINING

When it’s time to pay, that’s where becomes even more neighborly.

“There is a suggested donation price for each item on the menu,” Rasmussen explained, “but when you get your check, you just take it up to what we call ‘the treasure chest,’ and you put money in with your check

if you can afford it, extra money if you’d like to pay it forward, or none at all if you’re going through a difficult time.”

You may be asked to write your zip code on the bill for the cafe’s demographics tracking, which helps secure grant awards and other funding, but everything else is anonymous.

“We won’t know who did and didn’t pay, and it doesn’t matter,” Rasmussen said. “In addition to a hot meal whenever folks need it, this is a gathering place. The good energy in the building brings in lots of groups and organizations and we’ve helped a lot of different kinds of people, from a gal who lost her job to a veteran who had been living in his car.”

In spite of their good works, the cafe often runs at a deficit, even with help from the Manna Project and other charitable organizations.

“Being short makes it tough to plan for the future, but we really want to keep making this work,” Rasmussen said.

So, if you’re looking for your dining out dollars to support a good cause, The Front Porch Cafe is a great place to start.

The Front Porch Cafe is located at 9235 Main Street in downtown Ellsworth. Hours are 7am–2pm. For more information, call (231) 588-2000 or find them at facebook.com/ frontporchellsworth. Donations may be sent to Front Porch Ministries, 9235 Main Street, PO Box 37, Ellsworth MI 49729.

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