were included in the nut mixture — not at all traditional, but certainly tasty. The large amount of nuts made it extra crunchy — as much a confection as a pastry — and avoided the sogginess that sometimes occurs with overly soaked phyllo leaves. It was exceptional.
The person responsible for that wonderful baklava — as well as everything else at Edgar’s — is manager Mike Saltsgaver, who tackles his job with great enthusiasm and, now that I’ve discovered the “what,” fills me in on the “who” and “why.” The coffeehouse is named for Goodwill’s founder, Edgar Helms. This is the only Edgar’s Coffee House location, although if it becomes successful enough, Land of Lincoln Goodwill is exploring the possibility of opening others throughout central Illinois.
Saltsgaver worked in the food industry for years, mostly in corporate operations, but became disenchanted with corporate food culture. Before coming to Edgar’s, he’d managed a local Starbucks. “I just got to the point where I couldn’t stand those frozen pastries coming in from Chicago,” he says. He relishes not having to deal with “corporate constraints.” “We get to listen to what customers want,” he says. “If somebody wants something, we’ll try to make it. A guy recently brought in a recipe for lemon bars and asked if we could make it. Now it’s a regular on the menu.” That’s why he instituted the sandwich menu, which he says has expanded business. “We have a to-go menu for folks in a hurry. And we can accommodate corporate lunches for up to 50 people.”
Then there’s that baklava. “Everybody loves my baklava,” says Saltsgaver. Asked about its “cult” status he says, “Oh, yeah — my baklava ladies. They came in a group and I suggested they try it. They said they didn’t like baklava; it was too sweet. So I gave ’em some to try, no charge. They’ve been coming back regularly for it ever since.”
Good as it is, baklava isn’t Edgar’s best seller.
That distinction belongs to the gooey butter cake. I’m probably better off not trying it. Saltsgaver is equally proud of Edgar’s coffee. It comes from Chauvin, a third-generation roasting company in St. Louis. Not only are Chauvin’s coffee flavors exceptional, says Saltsgaver, but the roast used for espresso preparations (lattes, cappuccino, macchiatos, etc.,) is a blend that combines sweet and smoky flavors.
Still, what’s a coffeehouse doing in a Goodwill store? Someone walked in shortly after me, looked around, saying, “It’s just weird to walk in here and find this place.”
“When I heard about it, I wondered, too,” says Saltsgaver. “I had an image of someone with bouffant hair pouring bad coffee from a hotplate. My biggest problem is letting people know we’re here.” Edgar’s started as “haven” for non-shoppers accompanying friends or family. But it’s become much more than that. “It’s a coffee shop with a conscience,” says Saltsgaver. “Giving back to the community and focusing on the community is what we’re about.” That’s not just talk. Edgar’s is part of CWLP’s “Hands Up” program. Folks who need assistance with their utility bills can get it by working at Edgar’s. And Edgar’s will soon become a Goodwill Service Project Participant, teaching job skills that will enable special needs people to “become self-sufficient through the power of work.” June marks Edgar’s one-year anniversary, and Saltsgaver has dreams for its future.
Dreams of making it profitable enough for a full-sized kitchen and bakery, to make breads as well as pastries in-house and expand the menu. He dreams of putting Edgar’s into other Goodwills. “Everybody who works here has such a passion for what it is,” he says. And what it can become.
Contact Julianne Glatz at [email protected].
