FOOD PROFILE

In April of 2020, two weeks after statewide closures due to COVID-19, Brewbakers Café's lease ended on its Main Street Location. A decision had already been made to expand and adapt the location of their Roastery on 48 Emerald St. to accommodate the cafe. Still, owners Eliza and Jeff Murphy didn't simply consider this a change of address. This was an opportunity to strengthen and push Brewbakers in a new direction. Creativity, collaboration and inclusivity were the core values they applied to this growth. &emsp;&emsp; The Murphy's weren't just interested in being bigger; they were interested in bringing more people to the table. They were able to accomplish this both in their redesign process, and more permanently, in the expansion of their identity, creating a partner arts organization, NOVA Arts. &emsp;&emsp;"We are trying to reinvent carefully and with discernment," says Eliza. A new vision For the redesign of Emerald Street, the Murphys worked with Kate Sutherland from KCS architecture. They shared long conversations, books and Pinterest boards, trying to honor its industrial origins and make Brewbakers' regulars feel comfortable. &emsp;&emsp;The iron beams and ducts on the ceiling are painted in a soft blue, and warm wood and lighting abound. Along one wall, with its back to the Keene on Vinyl browsing area, is the bench from the Main Street location. On a Saturday morning, it accommodates three separate groups, catching the end of a late breakfast. It looks at once familiar and new. The Murphys also brought with them their sign and several pieces of furniture. &emsp;&emsp;"It was a nice moment to think about what we wanted to carry with us," says Jeff, who spent time refinishing and caring for the pieces. &emsp;&emsp;The Emerald Street location's spaciousness may be the most drastic physical change, and it could not have come at a more opportune moment when we are demanded by social welfare to create space. At the Main Street location of Brewbakers Café, while iconic, it was impossible to practically not be in someone's lap while waiting for coffee, politely averting your eyes from their open laptop. A wait for the single bathroom made you a hazard to the staff trying to move between the galley kitchen and the seating area. &emsp;&emsp;At Emerald Street, there is a generous waiting area lined with benches and a coffee table. When we go back to normal times, we can easily imagine it strewn with interesting art books and local periodicals. But even in its COVID-naked state, the space is warm and inviting. &emsp;&emsp;A cooler by the door is filled with fresh bouquets from Billies & Tilli, a local floral and plant design studio. Adjacent is the online order pick-up table. At the beginning of COVID-19, the Murphys worked on updating their online platforms. It was an opportunity to better serve customers from afar. Last spring, this meant online coffee bean orders, but since their reopening in October, it has meant everything from allowing patrons to order breakfast from bed, to connecting with online art events. Online coffee and food orders are organic to the online infrastructure and do not rely on a third party like GrubHub or DoorDash. This allows the transaction to remain locally controlled. Having an easy online interface allows customers to interact with Brewbakers at their level of comfort. Local collaboration "We are trying to pair anything that is onsite with opportunities that are remote," says Eliza. "We need to think about extending the idea of accessibility to the COVID-era and stretch into the idea of access." &emsp;&emsp;While there is a new opportunity to spread out, the space feels cohesive and warm. It is a sort of a separate togetherness. This is also reflected in Brewbakers Café's business model, sharing floor space with Billies & Tilli and Keene on Vinyl, an online and brick-and-mortar record store. &emsp;&emsp;Billies & Tilli is carved out into a corner. The succulents and fresh bouquets are a colorful sight in the white winter light. Between the east wall and the Main Street bench is Keene on Vinyl. Pine record bins sit at fingertip level for pursuing. The visible record covers tempt further exploration. Outside, the Emerald Street location is in motion to become a major throughway of local businesses, with neighboring Fire Dog bakery, Mudita Yoga and Massage, Salt and Lime and others. The café also shares its floor space with a large stage and beautiful grand piano. Presently understated with café tables and chairs, the intention is for the stage to be home to regular performances. There is capacity for 130-person-standing-room shows as well as 72-person seated performances. Post-pandemic plans The Murphys worked with local audio company, Upstream, to install a "killer sound system," says Jeff. The shows will be for all ages, part of Murphy's platform of inclusivity. Jeff hopes it can be a place where parents and their children feel comfortable alongside college students. The café sits adjacent to the campus. When Jeff considers building community, he talks about the importance of creating an inclusive community for postgraduates to stay, live and strengthen Keene. &emsp;&emsp;The pre-pandemic fully booked calendar of bluegrass, honkey-tonk, dance parties and open mics had to be canceled, and the Murphys are proceeding cautiously with live events. &emsp;&emsp;"We are looking at how to re-enter the in-person event," says Jeff. &emsp;&emsp;Currently, they are streaming live shows under their arts organization, Nova Arts. The performances, featuring musicians and writers, are freely accessible, but voluntary ticket sales and donations benefit the artist or the artist's choice of nonprofit. &emsp;&emsp;Nova Arts is a product of Eliza and Jeff's passion for the local music and art scene. Currently, functioning under the umbrella of Brewbakers, Nova Arts may one day become its own entity as a nonprofit. It is an opportunity for the Murphys to collaborate with other local art organizers, such as Jess Gelter of Arts Alive, Sharon Fantl of Red Fern Arts Center, and Eric Gagne of the Thing in the Spring. &emsp;&emsp;In addition to shows, Brewbakers and Nova Arts will host workshops including floral design with Billies and Tillies, Yoga with Mudita, and other creative experiences. &emsp;&emsp;Brewbakers Café's new menu is serviced by Brewbakers' long-time staff, now working with a full kitchen. Released from the limitations of Main Street's induction hot plate and tiny convection oven, the new menu offers options for diverse palettes from shrimp po'boys to avocado toast. &emsp;&emsp;Jeff's priority when creating the new menu was that it would be food that would make you feel good. &emsp;&emsp;"It's not necessarily a special occasion place; it is a place you can go every day," he says. &emsp;&emsp;The café also has a newly installed draft with local beer, cider and kombucha. The goal of expanding the menu was to provide more access. This is as much to do with the types of food as it is with the extended kitchen hours. The new menu is available until 7 p.m. and offers vegan, gluten-free and child-friendly choices. &emsp;&emsp;The infrastructure is complete. The café is bustling even mid-pandemic. It is a moment to acknowledge the progress, but as Jeff looks around, he admits, this is one of those cases where "the finish line is really the starting line," he says. Paige Lindell writes from Rindge, New Hampshire.