Cafe a la C’Art – the Evolution of a Neighborhood Eatery
A few years ago in the El Presidio neighborhood, several opportunistic thieves went on a low-ball, non-violent crime spree, burglarizing homes and cars on Main Street and in the vicinity. Among the targets of their malfeasance was the pastry case at the tiny Café à la C’Art, tucked away in the Stevens-Duffield House at Tucson Museum of Art. Area residents reacted identically to the news . . . “Well, no wonder. Probably the most valuable part of their haul.” Pastry chef Laura Quarrella no doubt considered that a compliment, as well she should. Her scrumptious pastries defy any compliment that’s effusive enough to do them justice.
In 1996, Judith Michelet and her son Mark launched their catering business, Carte Blanche. Their plan was to block out the entire month of August each year, and “life would be peachy.” One of their clients was the Tucson Museum of Art, whose director decided that he wanted to replace the eponymous bistro that put Janos Wilder on the culinary map, “Janos,” which had occupied Stevens-Duffield House from 1983 to 1998. According to Judith, “he insisted that we were going to do it. We decided we were not going to do it. He kept coming after us, and one time, we were catering the craft fair, and we saw him coming and we hid in the bushes.” He ultimately won, but not without a fight.
For a number of years the café and the catering progressed, serving lunch and utilizing the brightly decorated sunroom and tranquil patio on the east side of Stevens-Duffield House (Palice Pavilion) housing the Pre-Columbian and Folk Art collections. In 2008, under current director Robert Knight, TMA gave them one additional room. Then, in early spring 2012, it was determined that the collections needed to be moved because humidity and temperature couldn’t be controlled. Therefore, the café got the extra rooms by default and doubled its size. So lunch only became lunch plus breakfast. Finally, several months ago, dinner was added, Thursday through Saturday. Perhaps an unfair test, offering dinner in the middle of summer in Tucson, but immediately business expanded because of the extra space. “We could have used this space 10 years ago,” Judith says. “Going into fall, it’s going to be incredibly busy for breakfast and lunch. To have waited for fall, it would have been a real mess.”
Dinner is, unlike breakfast and lunch, full table service, with appetizers and boutique beers and wine, so the staff had a lot to learn, logistically. “It’s been an expensive learning proposition,” says Judith, “but we have a very good reputation. And a very loyal clientele.” Each week, along with the lunch menu, they offer meat, chicken and vegetarian entrees. The plan is to ultimately be open 6 days a week, 5 to 11pm, so as to take advantage of hungry post-concert and theater patrons. “One of the things we have going for us is all the free parking after 5pm. We are easy to get to because we are outside of the construction zone.”
In November, Café a la C’Art will feature the following menu items:
Autumn Salad – Seedless Red grapes, spiced walnuts, Camembert cheese, Granny Smith apples, dates and dried cranberries on organic field greens, with a Port vinaigrette.
Southwestern Spiced Pumpkin Soup –with a cilantro lime crema and toasted pepitas.
Maple Scones – with candied pecans and cranberries.
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake – with a pumpkin cream cheese frosting.
Spice Cakes –with a dried fruit compote.
Autumn Beers – Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale andSam Adams Octoberfest.
Café à la C’Art is located at 140 N. Main Ave., 628-8533, online at cafealacarttucson.com and 628-8533. Open seven days a week, Monday – Friday: 7am-2pm, Saturday & Sunday: 8am-2pm, Thursday- Saturday: 5pm-9pm.
Category: FOOD & DRINK
