Who is Colleen? I am.

The kitchen has always been my happy place.

Years ago, some friends asked if I would make 200 decorated cookies for a mother-son prom. There was just one small problem: I'd never decorated a cookie in my life.

But I love a challenge.

So I said yes, figured it out, and those 200 cookies ended up changing my life.

One order became another. Cookies became a business. The business became a bakery. And eventually, the bakery became Colleen's — a neighborhood café serving breakfast, lunch, coffee and all the things I still love to make.

And "make" is an important word around here.

We actually cook in our kitchen. We make our biscuits, focaccia, soups, dressings, pico, scones, pastries, cookies, and everything from scratch. We source fresh and local ingredients whenever we can, including remarkably fresh eggs from a local Amish farm. Our espresso drinks are handcrafted with Intelligentsia, award winning, coffee.

It's more work.

We think it's worth it.

Over the years, Colleen's has become about much more than what comes out of the kitchen. It's the familiar faces at the counter. Families we've watched grow up. Friends meeting for coffee. Someone discovering us for the first time. A café becoming part of a neighborhood.

All because someone asked me to make 200 cookies I had absolutely no idea how to make.

I'm still happiest in the kitchen.

Fresh ingredients. Made here. Served with personality.

See you soon ~

 Colleen