Janine Winters Reinvents Breakfast
Article by Bob Pest
Janine Winters is at it again. The seemingly tireless chef, entrepreneur, and food educator is now serving breakfast Tuesdays through Saturdays at her cafe and gourmet foods store on Highway 167 just across from the Batesville Airport. Breakfast is just the latest in a string of highly successful Winters’ initiatives. She started and nurtured the Winters Park Herb Farm in nearby Desha, a hydroponic operation that sells fresh herbs to Wal-Mart. If you have ever purchased fresh herbs at Wal-Mart, chances are Janine Winters grew them. With the excess from the fresh herb operation, she launched a line of fresh herbs packed in olive oil under the Winters Park Farm label. She started Cooking Secrets, the areas first gourmet foods and cooking utensils store, then transformed part of that space into Janine’s Cafe, now serving lunch and breakfast five days a week. During it all she published The Perfume of Cooking, offering recipes using her herbs packed in olive oil; appeared frequently on Batesville radio; and wrote a cooking column for an area weekly.
When Winters opened her cafe about 18 months ago, for lunch only, she immediately caught the attention of food lovers with her innovative takes on traditional sandwich favorites like the Muffuletta and the Gyros, alongside French country classics like the Pan Bagnard. Each sandwich is a custom creation, highlighted by fresh herbs, novel meat and cheese combinations, freshly made sauces, and just the right bread selection. Equally compelling salads and soups complete the offerings, along with an extensive dessert menu, anchored by cakes and cheesecakes from Serenity Farm Bread in Leslie. The famed Leslie bakery also provides most of the bread used in the sandwiches.
Winters’ commitment to local produce, the best available ingredients, and a menu that focuses on made-when-ordered items have led to a considerable lunch business and a sizeable “take home” following. When Winters decided to add breakfast she wisely followed her successful lunchtime model, combining the traditional “eggs and bacon” combos with more varied dishes less available in the region. This mix seems likely to guarantee that this venture will continue Winters’ string of successes. Her willingness to push the envelope when it comes to fresh, local ingredients and healthy cuisine has earned her a devoted following of customers and fans. Her new breakfast offerings give customers the chance to enjoy a breakfast that does not involve a drive-through, a microwave, or a vending machine.
Menu highlights include a large, round Belgian Waffle, available with butter and maple syrup, strawberries and whipped cream, or as part of an eggs and meat combination. On three different tries my waffle was always perfect, crisp on the edges and fluffy in the middle. Omelet options include spinach, avocado, and feta cheese, along with the usual offerings of tomato, bell pepper, and mushrooms. The increasingly popular “egg white only” omelet is available for the health-conscious. Three Benedict choices are available: the traditional version with ham, poached eggs, and Hollandaise Sauce; Corned Beef Hash Benedict; and Smoked Salmon Benedict. Omelets and egg combinations are served with toast and hash browns, the Benedicts are served with a seasonal fresh fruit salad. Herbs from Winters Park Farm find their way into every breakfast dish, sometimes as a surprise ingredient, sometimes as an artful garnish.
Other menu items include the Vegetarian Bagel with cream cheese, tomato, and onion; and the Smoked Salmon Bagel with onion, capers, and a light drizzle of olive oil. Granola, oatmeal, and a Granola and Yogurt Parfait provide additional alternatives for those watching their weight, their cholesterol, or both. The “freshly squeezed” orange juice is just that, each glass is made when ordered. The daily “house” coffee varies as diners are exposed to the wide variety of coffee beans for sale—and attractively displayed for easy sniffing. Espresso and espresso drinks are also available, as well as an impressive assortment of teas.
Mornings at Janine’s Cafe are surprisingly calm. It’s a great place to ease into the work day over a cinnamon roll and a latte or to kick back on Saturday with biscuits and gravy. The service is impeccable and the knowledgeable staff is always helpful but never obtrusive. It’s good to ask about specials; wonderful surprises seem to show up in Janine’s kitchen pretty regularly.
Janine Winters brings a decidedly continental flavor to life in the Ozarks while reminding lifetime residents that wonderful things are being grown just down the road. She also demonstrates every day that healthy eating can be fun. Her latest venture should get some of us out of the drive-through lane and back at the breakfast table. Janine’s Cafe is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 7 to 11 a.m. for breakfast and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch. All menu items are available for take-out and phone-in orders are welcome (870-251-9997).
Bob and Judy Pest are co-founders of Ozark Foothills FilmFest, Inc.