A new location on Main Street in Hamilton is making a world of difference for Lorrayne Tyler, owner of Cherry Street Café. Tyler relocated Cherry Street Café from The Mill, where it was a fixture for six and a half years, to 225 W. Main, at the corner of Main and 3rd.
Tyler has been interested in cooking since she was in high school. She’s been in the valley since 2009, but before that lived in various places in the Northwest. She noticed that the food was pretty bland and she missed all the flavors and varieties of food that can be found on the coast.
“In California every culture is there and eating their food is a beautiful experience. I thought, if I like the foods, maybe somebody else will too. I started cooking with flavors that I couldn’t find elsewhere [in the valley].”
At The Mill location, Tyler was cooking everything to order, specializing in burritos and crepes. At the new location, she has changed it up some, implementing a system where she can “get more fresh, tasty food to people faster.”
Tyler and her three employees now serve up a menu featuring grilled wraps or bowls that start with lettuce or rice, proteins like chicken, black beans or grilled tofu, seasonal roasted or grilled vegetables, and house-made sauces, plus a choice of three fresh toppings, such as tomatoes, cheese, Greek olives and more. Examples of the sauces are tzatziki, pesto, teriyaki, and coconut curry, to name a few.
Tyler says she’s “a fanatic about freshness,” adding, “you won’t find any wilty, brown lettuce here. If it’s not good enough for me, I wouldn’t serve it to someone else.”
With former experience as an improv comic, along with the delicious bowls and wraps Tyler serves up some of her quirky and funny comments to put customers at ease.
For example, while being interviewed for this article, Tyler called out to a couple who walked in for the first time, “Sorry, you’re just not up to our dress code,” quickly adding that she was “just teasing.” They appeared to love the joke.
Cherry Street Café is located in the historic Banque building and Tyler says it is a much better location for her. “I love it here. People can find me now. There’s plenty of space and it’s open and bright.”
Cherry Street Café is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The café also has a full espresso bar with a walk-up window on Third Street that opens at 9 a.m. and features coffee by Zaxan Coffee Roasters. Cherry Street Café’s phone number is 375-5068.
Cherry Street is also the only cafe that’s part of the Culture Crawl that happens every second Saturday of the month at local art galleries. There will be live music at Cherry Street Café this Saturday and you can get your Culture Crawl card punched for a chance to win a gift basket.
“I feel really lucky to have my business in this really historic building in historic downtown Hamilton,” said Tyler.