Since its inception seven years ago, little has changed at Farm:Table, the tiny Post Street cafe neighbors and tourists frequent for morning coffee and farm-to-table breakfasts. Though the cafe got new owners in January, they say no drastic changes are on the horizon.
Sarah Digert took over the cafe this year, along with Antonio Ruiz and Frank the pug (whose photo hangs above the shop's communal dining table). Digert, who lives right across the street, used to spend her days working for La Boulange and later Starbucks, but she says Farm:Table has always been her cafe, and she could regularly be found there on her days off.
For years, she joked with the previous owners, Tom Benson and Wendy Rouse, that once they were ready to retire, they should sell it to her. And sure enough, they did.
Like Benson and Rouse, Digert has a passion for natural foods, and is continuing to source all of Farm:Table's ingredients from the farmer's market and local vendors. She's currently seeking space to grow some of her own ingredients in a co-op garden—which may take a while, given most gardens' sizable waiting lists.
When it comes to the menu, Digert says the housemade yogurt and cereal mix are her favorites, and "never going anywhere." She'll continue to always offer a daily toast and the egg croissant, although the latter item often sells out.
"I do things that I like," Digert said of the items she's added to the menu since taking over. Every morning, the cafe now serves fresh-baked muffins; whoever works the kitchen gets to decide which flavor to run with that day. They're regularly sourcing tarts from Vive La Tarte in SoMa, or making their own on select days. They're also rotating in hearty seasonal dishes: ratatouille was last week, and sloppy joes are coming up next.
Digert says she has no complaints about the neighborhood, and enjoys seeing neighbors regularly and meeting tourists from all over. She's heard some grumblings about the cafe's tiny footprint, but they don't faze her at all. "I love the space. It's the right size for me right now," she said, noting that micro-cafes are trendy at the moment, anyway.
For now, the cafe is one-of-a-kind. Digert says she and her business partners will likely open a new location in a year or so—but that it definitely won't be identical to Farm:Table.
