Whiteley Creek Homestead

In addition to the Baking Education Center at King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont, the complex has a bakery, cafe, and baker's store. The cafe is built in the round with beams supporting an expansive open, domed ceiling. Its construction reminded us of the Round Barn Theater in Napannee, Indiana. But chunkier. Not nearly as intricate.

Displays of black and white and color posters hanging on the walls tell the story of King Arthur Flour's historical journey. The morning after my granddaughter's and my attendance in the class, Wholehearted Baking: Whole Wheat Breads, Dick and I ordered breakfast in the cafe. Appropriately, the menu highlighted grains and bakery items produced onsite.

Farmhouse tables and metal chairs. So fitting. Sweet.

Dick ordered a bowl of Pompanoosuc Porridge prepared with steel cut oats, white whole wheat bulgur, and flax with a side of nuts and raisins. I chose maple syrup-sweetened granola made with oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut, and cinnamon.

I loved LOVE the earthy presentation… Metal trays with burlap fabric embedded within provide a backdrop for the breakfast's brown shades of autumn. Natural tan napkins, stainless steel condiment cups to house toppings, and a tiny metal pitcher of milk seal the deal. Even the names-porridge and granola conjure an image of earthiness.