Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Food with Purpose
Email to a friendPrint this article
Step into Haley House Café and Bakery in Roxbury’s Dudley Square and step back a bit in time – not too far, maybe the late 1970s, but slightly updated. Put away your PDA, pour yourself a cup of richly brewed organic Love Buzz Equal Exchange Coffee, or choose from a variety of teas, order an enormous and delicious chocolate chip cookie, take a seat and chill out.
Haley House is not just a café, but a way of life. Art from the community covers the brick walls inside the seating area, while one whole wall is dedicated to educating guests about the environment, including this tidbit of information: “14 billion tons of trash is dumped into the oceans every year” and “One can takes 80 years to break down.” The wall also boasts the café’s composting and recycling efforts. Free Wi-Fi is available, as is an eclectic selection of books in a brightly painted bookcase. A sign that reads, “Welcome Friends” hangs above the ordering area. The atmosphere could not be more casual.
Almost all of the food here is made from scratch (some of the breads are sourced elsewhere, including Iggy’s) using recipes inspired by the diverse African American, Cape Verdean and Hispanic community surrounding the café. As many ingredients as possible are fresh, organic and locally grown.
Open for breakfast and lunch, the café’s menu changes regularly, but features mainly sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads. Thursdays feature different panini on house-made rosemary focaccia, and under Executive Chef Dave Andrews’ direction, there are daily specials: Tuesday is International Day; Wednesday features Summer Salads.
Plates of down-home offerings like turkey meatloaf or roasted turkey or chicken come with two sides, the choices of which may evoke such sweet nostalgia you will have trouble going back to work: macaroni and cheese, sweet potato mash and collard greens among them. Before you think otherwise, know that Haley House Café is committed to promoting healthy eating, so even these favorites are made to be low fat and lighter than their Southern counterparts. The sweet potato mash, for example, is just that: mashed sweet potato with a little butter and some spices; no heavy cream. The dressing on the Caesar salad is emulsified with tofu and made with whole grain mustard, making it healthier and lighter than traditional dressings. But it’s still delicious, even for the non-tofu eaters. “Food in its natural state is delicious enough,” says Andrews. For summer, he’ll be featuring small plate tapas like offerings for lunch and breakfast, so diners can have a variety of tastes in one meal.
If you are lucky enough to get a side of the House Healthy Slaw (see recipe, below) with your order, you’ll never go back to mayonnaise-drenched coleslaw again. Made with ginger and vinegar and super fresh red and Napa cabbages, this crisp salad’s bright, clean flavors are delightfully refreshing. Wash it all down with one of four house-brewed iced teas.
No matter when you go, do not bypass the baked goods. Under the direction of pastry chef Leslie Turock, the muffins, cookies and bars are “flavor through the roof,” she says. Turock is moving in the direction of making more items with whole grains and less sugar. A vegan blueberry cherry muffin is made with mashed bananas; a tender light pumpkin muffin is not cloyingly sweet, like so many are, and is topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. Get there early for the cornmeal-asiago-rosemary scone and do not pass up the strawberry rhubarb crisp topped with fresh whipped cream.
Haley House Bakery Café is one component of the entire effort that is Haley House, a nonprofit launched in 1966 in the South End to provide food and housing to homeless men in Boston. In the years since, it has grown and expanded, while still staying true to its original mission. From its main location on Dartmouth Street, Haley House serves 45,000 meals each year to homeless men and stocks a food pantry for the neighborhood’s needy elderly residents. It also offers 107 units of permanent, low-income housing. The 12-year-old Bakery Training Program at the Bakery Café is a rigorous six-month curriculum designed to prepare trainees to become professional bakers. At least 10 trainees graduate every year, 85 percent of whom have gained employment at hotels or restaurants in the area.
On Saturday, May 10, Haley House will host its third annual silent auction and wine tasting to benefit its efforts. The event will feature food from the Bakery Café, instrumental music and the chance to bid on a range of choice auction items, including gift certificates to Boston restaurants, a fall-foliage weekend, and jewelry by local artisans. The event is at the Haley House main office at the corner of Dartmouth and Montgomery streets in the South End, 4-7 pm.
Haley House Healthy Ginger Slaw
Serves 4 - 6
Dressing:
4-inch piece of fresh ginger
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper or hot sauce to taste
1. Wash the ginger well with a scrub brush and warm water, cutting off any knobby spots. Peel and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Mince in a food processor.
2. In a bowl, combine the minced ginger with the oil, sugar, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper or hot sauce. Whisk until combined. This dressing keeps well for 4 weeks, refrigerated in an air-tight container
Slaw:
3 carrots, grated
1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 head Napa or Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced or 6 scallions, chopped
1 cup slaw dressing
Combine the carrots, cabbages, onions or scallions and 1 cup of the dressing in a large bowl and toss well. This recipe will work with all kinds of veggies. Try chopped tomatoes, grated raw beets, raw green beans, raw chopped broccoli or cucumbers or more.
Recipe from Didi Emmons
Comments