Table is this community

We’re half way through the year and there is almost a sense of normalcy again. Beautiful laughter roaring through the cafe, the sound of the coffee grinder sifting through espresso beans, sticky syrup on the tables post waffle brunch, and hugs. So many hugs. It almost feels like the past year and a half didn’t happen, right? 

Almost. 

I’m out of town this weekend-- the first time in the whole pandemic--and I’m finally taking time to sit and reflect on the wildness of the past year and a half. Boy, was it wild. The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we made for months, the year of wearing masks for 12 hours a day, the nights of planning ahead when we didn’t know what tomorrow would look like...wild. 

Now that I’m sitting with that wildness a bit, I’m realizing I learned a lot! I could probably write a book on running a pay-what-you-can cafe during a global pandemic. But it wouldn’t be about peanut butter and mask wearing and late-night scrambling and bottom lines.  Nope. It would be about YOU. 

I would tell your stories. Because each one of you kept us going, each one of you cheered our cafe on and showed up how you could, and each one of you reminded us daily how important and beautiful this work is.

“Maggie, I LOVE THIS. This is so much fun. Can I come back every day?” Jared, a new A Place at the Table volunteer, found out about us during the pandemic. He began to come often and pay a few dollars for his meal. Now he volunteers multiple days a week, runs food, and chats with tables, bringing such a joyful spirit to the cafe. 

Stories like Jared’s, stories like yours--that’s Table. More than waffles, more than coffee, more than the space itself, Table is you. Table is people. Table is this community. 

And that’s why, even though the laughter and the sticky tables and the hugs are all back, we aren’t quite back to normal. And that’s a good thing. We’re all a little different now than we were a year and a half ago, aren’t we? We know more than ever how much we need one another.

I am thankful for Jared, I am thankful for you, and I am thankful for what is to come for all of us in this tiny Hargett Street cafe. Thank you for bringing community and good food to all regardless of means.

See you at the Table soon. I guarantee you Jared will bring you your waffles, with a huge smile on his face.

Real hugs,
Maggie 

PS. We are open for inside and outside seating Tuesday through Sunday 8am-2pm.