Dreams, coffee and a taste of Falmouth

WESTERN BUREAU:

There is coffee, and then there is coffee served with a little theatre.

At the newly opened Dream Catcher Café & Lounge in Falmouth’s Artisan Village, coffee can arrive personalised with edible artwork, food is deliberately dressed for the camera, and a little of the historic town’s story is served alongside wraps, paninis, pastries, wine and charcuterie.

Officially opened last Saturday, Dream Catcher is the creation of three partners who set out to make it more than another place to grab a cup of coffee.

Their mantra says it all: Come for the coffee. Stay for the experience.

And there is plenty to experience on the menu.

Dream Catcher leans into breakfast, brunch and light café fare, with guests able to build their own wraps, sandwiches and paninis, choosing from jerk chicken, smoked salmon, turkey breast, turkey ham, tuna, bacon, picnic ham or eggs. These can be paired with mozzarella, pepper jack, cheddar or feta, along with vegetables and sauces, ranging from mango chutney to honey mustard.

There are also smoked salmon, ham and cheese and continental bagels, an assortment of pastries and waffles, and playful offerings such as waffle dogs on a stick.

For those who would rather linger over something stronger than coffee, the ‘lounge’ part of Dream Catcher’s name comes into play with wine, artisan cheeses and charcuterie boards.

“People eat with their eyes,” Shelly-Ann Fung-King, one of the partners, told Food, explaining that presentation is deliberately part of the experience. “Everything we do, we want it to be beautifully presented. It looks very creative and artsy before consumption.”

That attention to presentation extends to the coffee and pastries.

Dream Catcher has edible-printing technology that allows select drinks and pastries to be personalised with images or messages, adding another element for birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions.

“If I know it’s their birthday, their anniversary, or whatever it is, we have a printer that actually prints edible [images] onto [the fare], whether it’s pastries or drinks,” Fung-King explained.

Worthy Park and Coffee Traders are among Dream Catcher’s strategic partners, alongside Wisynco and Uncorked. These partnerships complement a concept that moves easily between coffee, food and wine.

Sunday brunches are also planned, complete with live performances or a DJ, because the owners want Dream Catcher to function as a social space as much as a place to eat.

“We want Dream Catcher to be a spot where people can come and chill,” she said.

“It’s gonna be known, and this is what we want it to be positioned as, the perfect hangout spot to meet friends, relax. You can do your work, get away from the hustle and bustle in a secure environment, with ample parking.”

There is another ingredient in the Dream Catcher recipe, however, and it has nothing to do with what’s on the plate. It is Falmouth’s history.

When the three partners first walked through the Artisan Village, the individual shops already had names assigned to them. Dream Catcher immediately caught their attention.

They saw something of themselves in it.

“We’re all dreamers; we’re constantly chasing dreams, and we’re go-getters,” Fung-King said.

The name took on added meaning as they considered the story of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, particularly the themes of love, courage and following one’s own path despite opposition.

The historical theme isn’t confined to the café’s name. It comes to the table.

Dream Catcher’s outdoor tables incorporate stories connected to Barrett Browning, Good Hope and Falmouth, while others feature Ludi and references to different locations around the historic town.

The idea is that guests can read the stories, discover something about the area or play a game while waiting for their food.

“It tells a story about Falmouth,” Fung-King explained.

That storytelling sits comfortably within a space the owners describe as bold, bright, colourful and uplifting.

At about 500 square feet, Dream Catcher’s interior is relatively intimate, with seating for about 20 people, complemented by outdoor dining that comfortably accommodates another 30. The larger outdoor area can also be configured for events for groups of more than 100.

Some of the paintings inside were created by Fung-King and her daughter, Leah, further reinforcing the handmade, artistic character of the café. And outside, subtlety gives way to fun.

A giant coffee cup appears to pour coffee onto an oversized bean on which visitors can sit and pose for photographs. An enormous kettle has been transformed into a flowerpot, with other oversized coffee-themed pieces positioned around the space.

They are deliberately ‘Instagrammable’ touches designed to make the surroundings as memorable as the meal.

Behind the concept are three partners whose different backgrounds helped shape the food-and-lifestyle experience. Fabio Batista brings years of food-and-beverage experience, spanning equipment and set-up as well as food preparation, while Michael Foster has worked in hospitality and transportation and has connections with hotels, tour operators and destination management companies.

Fung-King brings sales, marketing, leadership, customer experience and a strong creative streak to the mix.

Together, they wanted to create what they felt Falmouth was missing: somewhere attractive and comfortable where people could meet a friend, have breakfast or brunch, work over coffee, enjoy a glass of wine or simply sit and reset.

For them, a thriving Dream Catcher should contribute to a thriving Artisan Village.

But, at its heart, this is still a place built around the simple pleasures of good coffee, good food and good company, with a little history, art and entertainment thrown in.

Or, as Dream Catcher puts it: Come for the coffee. Stay for the experience.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com