A storefront on Silver City's Bullard Street is set to become a daytime coffee-and-soup counter and evening gathering place, with plans for games and a spiritual book club. Driftwood, founded by Melissa Woods, Jesse Westenberger and Zeyah Pearson, is scheduled to open at 810 N. Bullard St. on Nov. 6, 2026. The fundraiser planned ahead of the opening will offer mocktails and other nonalcoholic drinks; the plans described for the café itself do not specify an alcohol policy.
The three founders aren't newcomers to Silver City's dining scene. According to the Silver City Daily Press, the Driftwood team previously helped create two of the town's best-known former restaurants, Revel and The Curious Kumquat. Revel, co-founded by Westenberger on Bullard Street, served elevated farm-to-table comfort food for years before closing permanently in 2022, according to New Mexico Magazine. The Curious Kumquat, meanwhile, earned chef Rob Connoley a 2014 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Southwest for his foraged high-desert cuisine, per the James Beard Foundation, before shuttering in 2016.
A Phased Launch Built Around Soup, Smoothies and Pasta
Driftwood's opening won't be an all-at-once affair. Phase one will center on smoothies, soups, gourmet-to-go meals, yoga, special events, and Westenberger's signature pasta sauce, with art classes possibly joining the mix, the Daily Press report notes. Westenberger, who has worked as a cook throughout his adult life, plans to sell pasta sauce that isn't available on grocery store shelves, and the café is acquiring machines to make its own pasta in-house.
Eventually, Driftwood plans to teach customers how to prepare meal-prep foods themselves and will add a retail component, the same report states. The business intends to grow gradually, only as fast as the founders feel able to manage, and will initially open Monday through Thursday with occasional weekend special events — a limited schedule the founders say is meant to give staff room for training and development.
A Work-Life Balance Built Into the Business Plan
The limited schedule also reflects a personal priority for Westenberger: according to the Daily Press report, weekend availability with his family was a condition of joining Driftwood. The founders plan to start with Monday-through-Thursday hours and add offerings gradually.
Woods, a local yoga instructor, rounds out the founding trio alongside the youngest partner, Zeyah Pearson, who is completing her senior year of high school through home studies and dual enrollment at Western New Mexico University. Pearson is also finishing the CO:STARTERS entrepreneurship program, which the Daily Press reports equips aspiring entrepreneurs with insights, relationships and tools to turn ideas into action and passion into a sustainable endeavor. The 10-week program, administered by Southwest New Mexico Arts, Culture and Tourism, has graduated 107 participants across 14 cohorts since launching in 2020, helping launch 47 local businesses in Grant County.
From Pastry Pop-Ups to a Japanese Tea Room
Pearson isn't new to Silver City's food circuit either. She previously ran a pastry pop-up at Gila Hike and Bike for years when she was younger and has participated in Chocolate Fantasia, the Mimbres Region Arts Council's longtime downtown fundraiser. At Driftwood, she plans to contribute a Japanese tea room and may take on more responsibilities once the café expands to weekend hours.
The Daily Press reports that Driftwood is planning community programming alongside food, including a free mahjong club, Scrabble and a spiritual book club. The founders hope the café will give young adults another place to gather in downtown Silver City. Driftwood's soft-opening open house on Nov. 6, which falls on a First Friday, will share information about meal prep, the smoothie menu and fall soups.
Fundraiser Dinner Set for Oct. 26 at The Corner Kitchen
Before the doors open on Bullard Street, Driftwood is hosting a four-course fundraiser dinner Monday, Oct. 26, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Corner Kitchen, 300 S. Bullard St. The menu will feature Westenberger's pasta, Pearson's tiramisu and Woods's Curious Kumquat chicken corn chowder, with meat, vegetarian and gluten-free options available. Musician Dustin Hamman is donating his time to provide music for the evening.
The dinner costs $100 per person, excludes alcohol in favor of mocktails and other nonalcoholic drinks, and is capped at 40 attendees — a cap that had reached about half its capacity as of the Daily Press report. Proceeds will fund equipment for Driftwood's new kitchen, and those interested in reserving a spot can email [email protected].
The storefront at 810 N. Bullard St. was previously slated to house Soul Sip Apothecary, an alcohol-free functional mocktail lounge announced in late 2025, according to the Silver City Daily Press.
Downtown development and local business support
Silver City’s Main Street Plaza, between 7th and 8th Streets just off Bullard Street, is described by New Mexico MainStreet as a community and economic development project. Separately, Southwest New Mexico Arts, Culture and Tourism says Grant County CO:STARTERS uses a facilitator-led, collaborative format with groups of 10 to 15 participants.
