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Eclectic New Cafe & Espresso Bar Coming

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Three amazing young women entrepreneurs, all Lakeshore High School alums, have essentially come full circle in their lives in preparation for the roll out of their exciting new joint venture in the heart of downtown Stevensville that they are, not coincidentally, calling the Full-Circle Cafe & Espresso Bar in the space that was formerly occupied by Heart of the Beaches Cafe at 5729 St. Joseph Avenue. The newest business in town will soon be open in the oldest building in the community.

It's a unique story of the evolution of a couple of local women-owned food service businesses. Full-Circle Cafe & Espresso Bar will open any day now and is the convergence of those two businesses into a third great venue that they hope will be your "go-to" scene for some great coffee & espresso drinks, and both sweet and savory food offerings all in an eclectic Internet cafe-style of setting in their own hometown.

Full-Circle is the brainchild of Jayme Surch, Teri McGuigan and Mindy Kasewurm. Jayme & Teri founded Everything Sweet Bakery & Cupcakery last year, operating out of a home-base situation crafting high quality, first-class cupcakes, cookies, cake-bit truffles, pies, cakes and more. That business grew exponentially thanks to a large and loyal following of raving fans. 

Meanwhile, their friend, Mindy Kasewurm has carved out a remarkably successful niche catering business called Mindy's Real Food where, as a Real Chef for hire, she has hit a grand slam with her savory empanadas. Her role at Full-Circle Cafe & Espresso Bar entails her newest venture, eMpanadas by Mindy's Real Food. 

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The merger that brings all three together is an advancement of their long-time dream (and, frankly, their obsession with espresso!) to operate a cafe together. It had been relegated to simply a dream until the owners of Heart of the Beaches, Lori & Earl Small, decided to close the cafe after three years and move on to other adventures, clearing the way for the ladies to assume the property next.

The new Full-Circle Cafe & Espresso Bar will be a full-service coffee bar featuring Infusco Coffee's fresh-roasted in Sawyer and espresso drinks along with sweet & savory baked goods, all scratch-made, with an eye on seasonality, sustainability, local-sourcing, and more all while giving back to the community. As the new cafe gets rolling this summer, the ladies hope to add soups, salads, quiche and other offerings. 

Mindy's eMpanadas will introduce you to some of the world's most diverse culinary flavors, side-by-side with familiar favorites, all wrapped in a flaky, baked crust in the worldly little pies known from Spain to Argentina as empanadas. An empanada is a small, hand-held, pastry pocket, baked or fried, considered to be literally gourmet "hot pockets." Breakfast empanadas at the cafe will be crafted from organic flour, grass-fed butter, pasture-raised eggs, the highest quality ham, locally smoked bacon, and handmade sausages, fine cheeses and the freshest vegetables available. 

The concept for Full-Circle stemmed from the increasing need for commercial kitchen space for both operations in concert with the need for a bakery storefront and order pick-up space. The winning combination of all those great food offerings with coffee fostered the logical decision to launch the new business together. 

The new cafe will be open six days a week, Wednesday through Monday, from 7am to 3pm with a menu consisting of a rotating selection of pastries, muffins, baked oatmeal, quiche, fresh fruit parfaits, and breakfast empanadas each day, with a slightly expanded menu into the afternoon each day. 

So…who are these ladies? Teri McGuigan is a lifelong resident who earned her bachelors in business and masters in organizational leadership from Siena Heights University. She has managed her own catering business with a wide variety of foods but is most enthralled with the development and creation of delicious desserts.

After her time at Lake Michigan College, Jayme Surch bounced between corporate America and the restaurant industry, who teamed with her best friend Teri last fall to unleash their passion for baking with lots of historic family recipes in tow. 

Mindy Kasewurm is a Kendal College School of Culinary Arts grad who has built a thriving personal chef and catering portfolio with clients all across the region. 

The new Full-Circle Cafe & Espresso Grill is housed in the building that Earl Small saved from the wrecking ball in 2007 and spent the next five years renovating every aspect of, which is historically significant inasmuch as it is the oldest building in the village of Stevensville. The ladies of Full-Circle are leasing the 2,500 square foot building on a 3-year deal. 

Full-Circle boasts seating inside for some 58 people and there is space for small private parties to be held as well. Additionally, the seasonal patio out back will seat another 16 to 20 people in a nice setting at the rear of the building. 

You can keep tabs on the new place and their exact opening date, probably next week, by following them on Facebook through this link:

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