Another company is preparing to replace Sue’s Coffee House in St. Clair’s Riverview Plaza.
Emily Marriott, a resident of Port Huron, said she heard about the cafe’s closure earlier this year and visited a girlfriend in St. Clair. Now, she’s hoping for a mid-June opening for Simply Fresh Café in the old coffee house at 201 N. Riverside Drive.
“We had talked in the past of opening something together,” she said. “I made a phone call to the real estate agent and the ball started to roll.”
Today, five weeks after that April 3 phone call, Marriott said she was ready to put her personal passion for healthy eating into practice. She has experience that includes professional corporate jobs and some time in the restaurant industry. More than that, she said she had “loved cooking my whole life”.
Sue’s Coffee House closes
Its Simply Fresh Cafe will offer a variety of smoothies, juices, salads, and wraps or sandwiches, including vegan, keto, and gluten-free options.
Marriott said she wanted this to be both a place to take out and a place to sit, but with a new feel.
“We will have free Wi-Fi for the public, and we will have seating areas with dining tables,” she said. It will mean a change of scenery – with a ‘bright and sunny beach feel’.
“I’m all about the palm trees,” Marriott said with a laugh. “Just something nice and bright.”
Marriott said she visited the St. Clair County Economic Development Alliance to develop a venue with this concept in Port Huron.
But she said that idea fell through – until now.
“(Sue’s) was just in the perfect location, at the right time,” Marriott said. “And everything just fell into place.”
Later, she said she would like to transform Sue’s wine bar at the back of the cafe into a smoothie bar.
First, Marriott said she wanted to get her feet wet and “see where we are with guests and reviews”.
During the winter months, she hopes to offer cooking classes.
“I want to take nutritional cooking classes,” Marriott said. “… I believe in the importance of nourishing, of healing your body with food. This is really what I would like to do. This is my vision: to feed the community.
Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @ Jackie20Smith.
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