"Mighty Good" coffee

If the robust, lingering coffee fumes in my car are any indication, this week's coffee should be a good one. Locally-roasted coffee from Mighty Good Coffee of Ann Arbor will be served hot this Thursday. A refreshing twist to coffee will be crisp apple cider by Lesser Farms. Good news - we've "reserved" two more gallons from the next pressing, so we'll have fresh apple cider for a few more weeks.

Deb is brewing up buckwheat crepes with winter vegetable filling and poached pears. And heavenly hash gets a spooky makeover with purple potatoes from Tantre Farms. Creepy decor will be dangling overhead, so tread lightly. (Even Yellow Door gets in the Halloween spirit!)

Once Laureen or Angie greet you on Thursday, wander over to the new "message board" at the coffee table, so you can see where your Yellow Door breakfast was grown. It's a great tool for getting the scoop on where to get fresh, local foods.

Holiday schedule: Closed December 24 / Open on New Year's Eve!

Please take note:

Yellow Door is closed on December 24 .

Come party with us on New Year's Eve - eat, be merry and bring along a little sparkling wine fun, if you wish, for morning mimosas!

Apple cider that tastes as if you're biting into a juicy, mouth-watering apple

Hunting for giant pumpkins, cinnamon donuts and apple cider on Sunday led us to Lesser Farms and Orchard in Dexter. The just-pressed apple cider prompted sighs and oooohs of contentment from all family members. We picked up a gallon, drove away and drank four cups full of the juice... with juice dribbling down our chins, we turned around and picked up another gallon. The juice tastes like just-picked-from-the-orchard apples. Seriously. It's that good. 12651 Island Lake Road, Dexter. (734) 426-8009

got cranberries?

Freshly plucked (well, actually sucked) from the bog, Michigan cranberries make their first appearance at Yellow Door this Thursday. Dawn is whipping up some cranberry bread pudding, which will surely be delightful. Tis the season after all -- cranberries are mostly harvested in October.

Interestingly, Michigan's cranberry crop is now puny compared to, across the big lake, Wisconsin. We have just over 300 acres of cranberries on six farms, including the largest in Cheboygan, the oldest in the U.P. and at blueberry farm DeGrandchamp in South Haven -- where our featured cranberries were grown in a handful of 4-acre trenches. (Wisconsin's acreage? More than 17,000!) Back in the 1800s, Michigan had "tens of thousands" of acres of wild cranberries. Darn those developers and lumberjacks!

Related to the blueberry, cranberries offer a ton of healthy goodness and are among the only three fruits native to North America. (This statement is mostly true.) The other two fruits are blueberries and concord grapes.

Read this Detroit News article for more info on Michigan's cranberry industry.

What a grand Grand Opening!

The kitchen bustled, the pork shoulder hash ran out, the coffee brewed to the last drop and the people celebrated a really cool breakfast fundraiser for Chelsea Community Kitchen. Yellow Door's Grand Opening was, indeed, grand!

Laureen greeted guests and Angie served up a freshly-juiced apple-pear blend. The cooks - Deb, Mully and Tracy - whipped up the freshly made hash, turkey sausage and pancakes. This week, I tried the zucchini-cherry bread accented with a side of blueberries, and caught up with Marsi and Bill Darwin. The artists and Morel-hunting experts offered to take me in the spring to their super, special, secret hunting grounds. (I wonder if I'll have to be blindfolded???)

Chef Craig of Common Grill dashed in for breakfast. Many chair sponsors, including Maria and Chris Jacobson, savored the experience and Ginger enjoyed the autumn view from the cozy window table.

Next week, expect freshly-harvested cranberries -- harvested Wednesday -- from DeGrandchamp Farms to be featured in at least one of the breakfast options.

Hmmm.... where is Yellow Door located???

Are you really interested in checking out Yellow Door? And you just can't seem to find the address? We're not trying to be tricky. Rather, we're not allowed to publish it.

So, send me an email and I'm happy to give you the scoop on the location in Chelsea. On Thursdays only, if you see the fork and spoon hanging outside the cheery yellow door, come on in.

Grand Opening of Yellow Door: October 15

The Grand Opening of Yellow Door is finally here! This Thursday, October 15, breakfast is served. All the kinks have been worked out... well, we believe so anyway! We guarantee fabulous food, great conversation and artisan foods. Bring friends, co-workers and weekly coffee dates. This delicious breakfast destination benefts Chelsea Community Kitchen, a great new resource for those interested in launching new food businesses. See you there!

Meet at Yellow Door this Thursday

Come meet for coffee and heavenly breakfast this Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Be the first to dine at the cozy window table or settle in at the bright, sunny tables.

At Yellow Door, you're sure to see familiar faces and meet new Chelsea friends. It's a great networking venue and, of course, it's the Thursday breakfast destination for in-season foods of the region. Check out the menu to the right.* I can personally vouch for the pork shoulder sweet potato hash. It puts my usual bowl of Kashi Autumn Wheat to shame. Dee-lish!

*Menu is subject to change