First, a confession: I am totally guilty of complaining about how many big box and chain stores we have in this area and how comparatively few locally-owned businesses, and yet I’m not very good at seeking out the mom-and-pop shops and making a conscious effort to support them when I can. I mean, sometimes Starbucks and Target just seem so much easier when you know exactly where they are and what you can expect from them, right?
Okay, I feel better now. So this weekend I decided to check out a little café in my neighborhood that I’ve had my eye on since it went in over a year ago. Benedict’s Café is located in a pretty unremarkable strip mall on Bell Road just west of 56th Street (in the same strip as the Circle K). I had been hoping it would be as sweet on the inside as it looks from the road (which I drive approximately 18 times a day), and it absolutely was.
My three-year-old had a gorgeous blueberry muffin and I had a cup of coffee while we chatted with Courtney, a recent culinary grad and pastry chef for the café. Turns out? Not only does Benedict’s serve a full breakfast and lunch menu, they also do full-service catering, events and cooking classes! This summer, Thursdays are ice cream nights, with home-made toppings, milkshakes and specialty sauces from 5-9pm.
I can’t wait to get back to Benedict’s (and to walk there when the weather cools down) with the whole family to enjoy weekend brunch or lunch. The menu looks amazing and the setting is so darling you forget you’re in a strip mall on Bell Road. 🙂 It was a great reminder to me that locally-owned businesses may not be as obvious as the chain stores, but giving them a try is almost always worth it.
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Sarah Powers is a writer and Scottsdale mom of two. She came to the valley from Southern California by way of Chicago and would take Arizona summers over Midwest winters any day. A perfect day for Sarah starts with coffee, ends with chardonnay and includes lots of baby giggles and sticky-fingered kid kisses in between. She loves high ponytails, showtunes and using her kids as an excuse to stay in and go to bed early, which she would do anyway. Sarah often tweets and sometimes blogs about the messy, tender, fun, funny and irreverent moments of parenthood.
We love this place! The food and owners are just amazing. We are so lucky they are in our neighborhood:)
Thanks for the comment, Amy! 🙂 I’m so excited to have finally checked it out!
Ohh I will have to check them out that is RIGHT by my parents house and I never knew it was there! Thanks for the tip!
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