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A new cafe that is owned by the Boulder County Farmer’s Market? I am in, especially when last week’s opening of Seeds Library Cafe means I can enjoy the region’s bounty every day of the week. Located inside the bridgeway connecting the two sides of the Boulder Public Library over Boulder Creek, the remodeled space (once belonging to the Espress-Oh! coffee shop) now breathes in the outdoors with banks of windows overlooking the rushing waters and a canopy of green trees. According to Elyse Wood, the cafe’s program specialist, the new venue was designed to plant the seeds of conversation and “connect people to our local agriculture in a way that makes sense.”
Chef and general manager Howard Caplan’s food alone is enough to draw me in. Formerly of the Brillig Works Bakery, Caplan sources 70 percent of his produce, dairy, and proteins directly from the organic farms and ranches that frequent the Boulder County Farmer’s Market. Caplan’s casual menu takes local ingredients like Haystack Mountain Buttercup cheese and chives from Toohey & Sons and turns them into freshly baked scones; organic carrots from Monroe Organic Farms are transformed into warm, cinnamon-y muffins; and veggies du jour make up the unfussy Farmer’s Pick soup (pictured).
Wood is also planning a series of community events from children’s picnics and story times to pop-up dinners and agriculture classes. Check the cafe’s Facebook and Twitter pages for information on upcoming events.
Located in the Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, 303-441-3100