A quick glance at the menu at Holy Smokes! Cafe and it is clear there is something that makes this cafe different: There are no prices.
In keeping with their mission to serve, the owners decided not to charge fixed prices. "We wanted to feed everyone from the well-off to the destitute, but the idea was to do it in a way that does not detract from one's dignity while still serving great food," said Scott Mishler, the creator and one of the co-owners of the cafe.
Late last year, Mr. Mishler found himself unemployed and wondering what he was going to do. He saw others, particularly in his own neighborhood and church, also going through lean times. He knew he wanted to do something; he just didn't know what.
Then it occurred to him. "I've been making church dinners for maybe over 30 years. And I'm always the cook at family events. Why not take my love of cooking and new-found free time to reach out to others?"
He didn't have to look far for help -- his brother-in-law, Robert Montgomery, was a former police officer, and on disability. Almost killed several years ago in an accident, Mr. Montgomery also loves cooking and unlike Mr. Mishler, had some formal training in vo-tech school.
Another friend, Joe Martin, while employed, jumped on the bandwagon to help the two self-proclaimed chefs, along with other family members and friends. But where to set up shop? They had little funding, just a lot of desire and willingness to work hard.
Looking at the long-time history of food and ministry, the small group approached their church, Cheswick Presbyterian Church, and asked for help. It seemed like a good match.
Dr. Hendrik Bossers, their minister known as "Dr. B.," agreed. "These guys had a good idea, and it is our mission to serve the community. This was a good way to do it, while helping them out," he said.
The church has a large kitchen, plenty of tables, dishes, silverware and serving dishes. The Allegheny County Health Department inspected and approved it. The team even came up with an appropriate name, Holy Smokes! Cafe. Mr. Mishler said, "My wife and I were walking out of a store with Dr. B, and I said, 'holy smokes' about something, and he said, 'Well, there's your name.' "
The cafe opened in January, serving breakfasts and lunches on Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. During the Lenten season, they offered fish fries on Fridays.
Cafe meals are served in the parish hall, the tables and chairs set up like every other big church event, family-style. Mike Knauer, fiance of Mr. Mishler's daughter, Jan, helps manage the kitchen and do prep work, does public relations and works as a waiter. "Everyone sits down like in a real restaurant and I take their orders and bring their meals," he said. A manager of a small retail outlet, he feels this is another way to use his skills and help with the new business.
After church services, many of the congregation come down to the hall to order breakfast or dinner. On any given Sunday, the crowd may vary from as few as five or six to 20. On a recent Sunday, Trish Gonzales, church member, ordered one of the most popular items on the menu, the pulled pork wrap. "It is the best, she said. "They have such a great variety and everything is homemade."
During the cafe hours, the quietest of the three chefs, Mr. Montgomery, keeps things hopping on the stove while Mr. Martin works over the outdoor combination grill/smoker to make the burgers and heat the smoked food items.
The menu features smoked salmon, brisket and ribs from the grill; pulled pork, pulled chicken and smoked salmon wraps; hamburgers and paninis; salads and pizza; along with some side dishes. They also serve homemade desserts including Mr. Mishler's pies -- with the best crust in the world according to Mrs. Gonzales -- and chocolate torte.
Mr. Martin, who works full-time, has known Mr. Mishler and served kitchen duty with him for years. "We started with Doughnut Sundays and now we are doing this," he chuckled as he placed burgers on the grill, "but this is great. One of our goals is to attract more people to our parish, and we're hoping this will bring them in for a meal, then they will stay."
Although they don't charge fixed prices, they've created what Mr. Mishler referred to as a "voluntary and anonymous payment system." Envelopes are on each table and people put in what they can afford and what they want to donate towards others' meals, allowing diners to give as well as receive.
In order to expand their business to sustain the still-unemployed owners, they started catering small events and doing fundraisers with their homemade pepperoni rolls. Since smoked meats and fish are one of their specialties, they take orders for smoked salmon, brisket, ribs and turkey for pick-up or shipping.
Recently, the group received good news when they received a $25,000 grant from the Presbyterian Synod of the Trinity through its Self Development of People program to assist people trying to improve their employment situations.
The money will be used to buy more catering and cooking equipment and portable roasters so they can expand to concession stands at fairs, festivals and company outings. "We recently had to turn down a large company event with great regret because we just didn't have the capacity," Mr. Mishler said. "Once we have our new equipment that situation will change."
Right now, Holy Smokes! Cafe staff is gearing up for their first Thanksgiving dinner. They hosted a large family-style Easter dinner, so Thanksgiving seemed like a natural. "I cook all the meals for the holidays anyways, so we just cook for more," said Mr. Mishler, who's planning a traditional feast, but with his "mean" sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin. They're hoping to feed local senior citizens and others who don't want to eat alone.
Eventually, the workers behind Holy Smokes! Cafe hope to open a cafe in a stand-alone location. But for the meantime, the church works out just fine. Mr. Mishler said, "We are still operating on a shoestring budget, but Holy Smokes! Cafe is looking forward to serving the community with good food the way it was meant to be served -- with love, compassion and a heart of service."
Holy Smokes! Cafe will be serving dinner at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Cheswick Presbyterian Church is located at 1401 Pittsburgh St., Cheswick. For more information, contact 724-980-2124 or holysmokescafe1@yahoo.com.
First Published: November 23, 2009, 10:00 a.m.
