Special touch

A "Touch of Grace" is what you might find at 818 Broadway.

Extracted espresso dripped into waiting shot glasses at Grace Cafe Monday, October 22, 2007.

The address isn't a church, synagogue, temple or any other building reserved for worship. Instead it is a coffee house and cafe. And since its 1997 birth, owner Grace Parry has been trying to bring "grace" to the Cape Girardeau area.

According to Parry's right-hand man, manager and barista trainer Robbie Britt, bringing grace to the customers starts with a mission statement, and the employees that follow it. "Our mission is to provide a touch of grace to all that enter these doors. This means the employees to each other, not only to the people at the other side of the counter," Britt said.

A coffee mug caught extracted espresso at Grace Cafe. (Kit Doyle)

Britt said it all starts with the hiring process. "We really try to hire people that are going to want to provide a touch of grace through the services that we provide," Britt said. He said that without people behind the counter who have a passion for providing great products and great service that the cafe just wouldn't be the same.

According to Britt and the Grace Cafe training manual, it all started in the mid-1990s when Parry started out with herbal healing in her home. Britt said that once the herb business picked up, Parry looked for a bigger location. She found a space on the corner of Spanish and Themis streets where she opened a coffee and herb shop in the same building, but as two separate entities. Britt said paninis were first offered in Cape Girardeau at that location, and it was where Parry's interest in coffee grew.

Grace Cafe barista Robbie Britt sipped an espresso during a break in work Monday, Ocotber 22, 2007, in Cape Girardeau.

"She had caught a glimpse of what coffee could be and really wanted to expand on it," Britt said.

Britt said that a part of the expansion came with moving to a larger location on Broadway.

"When we moved, we saw a growing interest in coffee and food," Britt said. He said that at the new location there was more space for experimentation. "All of it was just a big experiment, and we finally found out what worked."

At the third and current location (just down the street from its second home) Britt said they have tried to really hone in on what works and what the public wants. "Here we are still experimenting and trying to constantly educate ourselves," he said.

Now Grace Cafe offers a variety of iced and hot coffees, espressos, teas, a selection of pastries and sandwiches, several vegetarian options, soups, salads, hummus with pita, hot breakfast items, ice creams, cultural seasonal items (like lox and bagels during Lent), a sitting area, reading materials, free high-speed Wi-Fi and LAN Internet, herbs and even vintage clothing and art sales.

Barista, or espresso expert, Robbie Britt has been finding good grinds for Grace Cafe for four years, pictured at work on Monday, October 22, 2007.

"We strive to offer foods that are fresh, organic and locally grown. Foods like our breads and pastries that are homemade that our bakers and pastry chefs make here at the cafe. We use locally produced free-range chicken eggs for our omelets. We are trying to really offer healthy options for our customers," Britt said.

Britt said he really enjoys focusing on the coffee. "The coffee is my baby, my passion."

Grace Cafe only serves fair trade coffee and at the highest standard of quality, Britt said.

"We select the best coffee from the top 1 to 3 percent of coffee harvested. We also use Shade Grown coffees, which mean there are no added pesticides," he said.

Britt and Parry provide us with a few of their food and coffee recommendations.

Espresso: It may seem plain-Jane but it will get your motor running.

Cappuccino: A local favorite that can be spiced up with a variety of flavors.

Brazil Natural Dry Pea berry: A chocolaty-yet-balanced blend that (according to Britt) sits on your palette like a dry wine.

Three Egg Omelets: Made fresh from local free-range eggs with your pick of four ingredients.

Basil Pesto Panini: An original classic panini.

Chicken pazole: A Mexican-inspired recipe with a hint of lime.

Cinnamon rolls: A spiced homemade dough, iced to perfection.