A new cafe is open for lunch at the Gospel Fellowship Church in Plainsboro, at 625 Plainsboro Road, with the sole purpose of raising money for the church mission fund to send teams to minister to the Lakota Tribe of Native Americans in South Dakota. “It has been a team effort all the way, and we are blessed to have the opportunity to provide a service to our community while raising support for our mission’s teams,” says Michel Paller, cafe manager.
Soups, sandwiches, and salads are available Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To facilitate the operation, patrons are asked to fax (609-799-0012) or phone (609-799-3417) their orders in the night before. Eat in the homey smoke-free cafe‚ or take the food to your home or office.
Paller, a West Windsor resident, coordinates the team of cafe volunteers. Born in Manhattan, she was raised in Washington Heights and the Bronx. Her mother, a legal stenographer, is also a sculpture artist and a stone carver. Her father, a draftsman, also dabbles with painting and sculpture.
She has lived in West Windsor for close to 10 years and met her husband, John Alexander Jr., in church. They were married in 1994. He works in building operations for the New Jersey State Bar Association in New Brunswick.
She attended Hunter and Manhattan Community College and worked in childcare for close to 30 years. She is also a photographer and had a recent exhibit at the West Windsor library. To prepare for running the cafe, she took an eight-week caterer’s training course through Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick.
“The tables, done in a variety of earth tones and lovely florals and garlands, are the result of a whole team of decorators that came in and transformed the basement kitchen into Glory Days Caf‚,” Paller says. The “decorators” include Ginger Hunter, Joy Butler, Andrea Butler, Sangeeta Kamble, and Rebecca Chand.
Kamble, a mother of two school-aged children, also does all the set up. Chand not only makes the chicken salad, but makes earrings — for sale at the cafe.
Others involved in the cafe include Sucy Philip, Mary Driscoll, Linda Cameron, Chris Cifelli, Elloise Williams, and Cameron Clark. Philip not only does the shopping, but also makes sandwiches in the kitchen one day a week. Driscoll is the greens salad maker. Cameron, a singing teacher, nurse, and therapist at a retirement home, works at the cafe‚ on Fridays. Cifelli visited area business door-to-door and shared menus with over 700 people. Williams, a former restaurant owner, makes the soups. Clark, an international cook, contributes Malaysian and Indian dishes to the menu.
The church gave them an offering of seed money and now the cafe‚ is going directly to profit. “We had a list of material items that we needed for the kitchen and a list of canned and dried foods. We had two pre-opening days where we had practice runs. We made money then and we will continue to raise funds,” says Paller. “When a business shows a profit the first day they open, it is a miracle. We passed inspection and we’re ready to roll.”
Sandwiches range from $4.25 to $5.25; salads, $3 to $4.50; and soups are $4. Fresh fruit, desserts, and soft drinks are available. Cash only.
