Exploring Life & Business with Cate Kidder of Family Table Cafe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cate Kidder

Hi Cate, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
2016:
It all started when the Kidder family was gathered around in a hotel room on family vacation. Diana (mom) and Joe (dad) wanted to begin their family legacy, Brandon (son) had been managing Ocean Prime in Troy at the time, and Jocelyn (daughter) was a culinary school grad eager to pave her way. In ONE WEEK, the Kidders created an LLC, bought an old diner in Auburn Hills, created a menu and opened their cafe.

2019:
Jocelyn fell in love, got married, and decided to sell her share in the cafe to follow her dream of becoming a mom. Brandon became a self-taught head chef.

2021:
Brandon married Cate who had just graduated with degrees in Business and Mass Communication. She joined the team as co-owner and front of house/social media manager.

2021:
Joe suffers from a heart attack followed by a stroke. He and Diana take a step back and become silent partners, leaving the legacy in the hands of Brandon and Cate.

2023:
Diana gets a cancer diagnosis and is still fighting.

Today:
Our best friend, Mike, is now the Head Chef. Brandon runs the day to day operations of the business and Cate works from home with their 9m baby Kinsley, doing the books and running the marketing side of the cafe.

Future:
The goal is to pass this legacy down to our child(ren). We want to eventually be completely farm-to-table with a small plates restaurant on the farm, a wedding venue, and flower garden for seasonal events.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Gosh no! But the Lord has had His hand on it from the start. And He just keeps showing up in perfect timing.

When you do business with family, you have to learn to keep your heart in the right posture despite differences in business strategy. Some of us are dreamers, some of us are logical thinkers. Which balances us out most of the time. We’ve learned you have to be in complete agreement in order to move forward, otherwise you’re dishonoring the people you love most, and stunting the blessings that come your way.

It has been hard work, both emotionally and physically, but today, the cafe is thriving.

Covid-19 took a hit on us as it did most restaurants. But there’s something extra special about our community. We chose to stay open (when we could) for carryout only. Members of our community came in often. Essential businesses ordered catering. Guests bought gift cards for the future to help us get through the week. The city stood with us. We received relief grants from the state. Things were tight, the world was falling apart, but the love and support from our community covered us through the storm.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Family Table Cafe?
Family Table Cafe is a family-owned brunch restaurant. We are Christians who believe that our community is worth being served, and feel called to creating a safe space for people to come for fellowship & great food. We try our best to be as locally sourced as possible. We use local butchers and farmers out of Eastern Market, a bakery located in Utica and purchase all of our coffee from the Avondale High School Business Program called Beans to Bags. We are a scratch kitchen, focusing on trying to serve the freshest, most flavorful and clean food we can. We are open Monday-Saturday 7am-3pm.

We aren’t shy or ashamed to give the glory to God. We know that when people walk into our little cafe, they feel the peace of the King. We know that when they leave, they will be leaving with a refreshing encounter. It’s not just about food. It’s not just an old diner. This is our ministry.

There’s a need in our community that I’m sure others feel from time to time. A desire to feel like you’re a part of something. To feel like there’s room for you to take up space. That you’re wanted. That what you have inside of you is found valuable to those around you.

At our cafe, there will always be a seat for you at the table.

We have met some of our best friends at our cafe. Guests have been welcomed into our home church. We had some of our regulars at our wedding. Our staff feels like our brothers/sisters/sons/daughters.

Our food is delicious. And affordable compared to the current market trends. We are the only breakfast place in the downtown and we have plans to grow our legacy. But, man, it’s what I said above that really matters.

To help us get the word out about our services, we would love for it to mentioned that we offer online ordering for pick up through the Toast Takeout App, are available on Uber Eats and Grubhub, and we have some really fun evening events planned for this summer as well as live music the first Saturday of every month featuring Eugene Mann, saxophonist, from 10am-1pm. We are also expanding our catering services and are in the process of refining a menu for more elegant events like weddings, showers, and business conferences.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
We are pretty involved with our customers and staff and really care about being a family so there isn’t really anything that I can think of that would be surprising.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://familytablecafebakery.com
• Instagram: @familytablecafe
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/familytablecafe
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/family-table-cafe-auburn-hills