Community Matters Cafe
Pulled Pork Johnnycake at Community Matters
I tried a little café called Community Matters, in Wesley Heights. Like everywhere I try, it’s been getting great reviews in the food world, so I knew I had to go.
The first time I went was on a Saturday. Unbeknownst to me, they only offer their breakfast sandwich on Saturdays (during COVID), so I wasn’t able to try much. More on that, later.
Bummer, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying myself, because spoiler alert: The breakfast sandos are delish!
Here’s what I tried on Saturday...
Egg Sandwich - We tried both the bacon and the turkey sausage with scrambled eggs, although they can cook your eggs any way you’d like. The thick cut bacon was cooked to perfection: not too soft but not too crisp. The turkey sausage was a very thick patty, with GREAT texture. Both sandwiches were served with cheese, on a fluffy brioche bun. Gotta say, it’s exactly the breakfast sandwich I want after a late night of drinking. It’s got that perfect amount of grease: enough to add some flavor, but not enough to be described as “greasy”. With that said, the flavor is very mild in this sandwich, so I definitely recommend adding a bit of ketchup and hot sauce. With the right condiment punch, it hits just right.
But I had to go back for more!
After my first experience at Community Matters Cafe, I knew I HAD to go back and try more of the menu. The place was super cute, the staff was so friendly, and the food was good – I needed to know what I missed with the rest of the menu. So the next time I was nearby on a weekday, I stopped by around lunch and tried several delicious-looking dishes.
The weekday goods:
New Orleans Hot Chicken Sandwich + Tahini Brussel Sprouts - Buttermilk Fried Chicken with a Cajun hot sauce, slaw, and Bread & Butter pickles served on a brioche bun. A very solid fried chicken sandwich. They used thick, white meat chicken, cooked to perfection. The pickles add a delicious crunch, as does the slaw. It’s not nearly as spicy as I expected though. In fact, it was actually pretty mild. While it was my least favorite dish I’ve had here, I would still order it again, so that’s saying something. This dish also comes with a choice of side, so I chose the Tahini Brussels. I will order these EVERY TIME I go to Community Matters Cafe. PHENOMENAL. Tender without being mush. Fried. Crunchy. Creamy. Heaven. Brussel sprout haters? Try these and be converted.
Pulled Pork Johnny Cake - Cornmeal Pancake made with jalapeños, bell peppers, and sweet corn. Served with braised pulled pork, green onions, a honey ginger glaze, and topped with a perfectly cooked fried egg, sunny side up. This was my FAVORITE dish that I’ve tried at Community Matters Café, hands down. The flavors and textures are a symphony in your mouth. I love the Johnny cakes. They have a slight kick to them from the peppers, but in more of a southwestern spice kind of way, rather than being hot. I also love that they leave some of the corn kernels whole in them. Don’t quote me on this, but I think they might throw the braised pork on the griddle before serving it, because it has all these wonderfully crispy bits that take this dish to the next level. Once they throw the egg on--which is pure yolk porn--there’s not a single thing I would change about this dish. Perfection.
Cajun Sausage Skillet - Made with Andouille sausage, blackened onion, pepper, celery, home fries, remoulade, and covered with scrambled eggs. Served with wheat toast. The scrambled eggs were almost like an omelet on top of the skillet. The home fries were super crispy, in the best way possible. Nice crunchy bits on the outside and tender potato inside. Yum. The onions were “blackened”, but I’d say they were closer to caramelized. Overall, I was a VERY big fan of this dish. It had plenty of flavor, very well rounded, and a slightly spicy kick to it.
Sweet Tea - I got this as a drink to go with my food, and you know what? Quite frankly it was the best sweet tea I’ve ever had. I’m serious, it was PHENOMENAL. Sweet tea is often too sweet for me, but it is PERFECT at Community Matters Cafe. It has a natural taste, rather than sickly sweet like most, and while sweet, you could actually taste the tea. Go figure! The sweetness had a slight vanilla flavor as well, which slowly melded into a subtle lemon flavor in the finish. It was really quite nice. I’m amazed.
So, what’s the deal with the operating hours and the menu?
Now after all that, I found out WHY Community Matters Café follows its current operating hours (Currently only open Monday -Friday). It turns out that they are a program first, and a business second. Their mission is to help graduates of the Charlotte Rescue Mission thrive in their recovery.
Students in the Community Matters Café Life Skills Program spend six months at the café, tackling topics such as adhering to a schedule, financial responsibility, and healthy ways to cope with conflict and stress while managing their recovery. As part of this, the Café wants to make sure everyone has the time off they need to promote a healthy lifestyle – and thus they have limited staff on Saturdays and are closed Sundays. People first, business second. Fantastic.
Good food with a big heart
Overall, I’d give this place a 9/10. The food is seriously wonderful. The staff and students are so friendly, and go above and beyond to make sure you enjoy yourself here. On top of that, I LOVE the mission. Once you interact with the people here, you will only want to support Community Matters Café even more. The only downside with the Café is the operating hours; however, I completely understand why they are the way they are. I hope this business thrives and is around for a long, long time. If you like good food served with a community focus, give this place a try!