By SVERRE BAKKE
The Enterprise
Unless you're paying attention to the signs as you're passing through Husum, you'd have no idea there's a small cafe tucked away behind this burg's only bed-and-breakfast establishment.
"It's a shame people can't see it from the road, but I guess that would spoil the surprise," says Petra Hoffman-Lehmer, owner/operator of both Husum's European Patio Cafe and Riverside Bed & Breakfast.
The European Patio Cafe (493-8900) is located at 866 Hwy. 141, 7.5 miles, or just 10 minutes, from downtown White Salmon.
It's open six days a week, Wednesday-Monday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It serves both breakfast and lunch, and specializes in quiches and desserts.
"The menu has worked out very well," notes Hoffman-Lehmer, adding, "I've never done anything like this before in my life. I love to cook, but I've never had any kind of formal training. But people don't believe me when I tell them that."
She opened the cafe Memorial Day weekend and has enjoyed a thriving business since, thanks to a growing base of regular customers who've been spreading word of the cafe's existence to friends and acquaintances.
"I've been overwhelmed by the reception the cafe has received from the public," Hoffman-Lehmer says. "People tell me they keep coming back because they love it here."
The cafe -- replete with red-brick flooring, wrought-iron furniture and large, green canvas umbrellas to protect guests, come rain or shine -- offers an intimate outdoor dining experience for those on the run and others who like to enjoy a meal at a more leisurely pace.
"The nicest compliment I've heard so far was from someone who described the cafe as `unpretentious,'" Hoffman-Lehmer says. "The other thing people keep telling me is how nice it is to have something different in Husum" in terms of dining-out options.
If not for some checking Hoffman-Lehmer did with the Klickitat County Health Department during planning for an upcoming expansion of her bed-and-breakfast operation, though, the cafe might not have happened.
Her original intent was to put a gift shop in the brick storehouse that sits behind the residence.
"But after contacting the health department and finding out what the water requirements would be for the new guest rooms, the thought of doing a cafe became very realistic," Hoffman-Lehmer explains. "There really was no planning involved. It's just been a lovely surprise."
Hoffman-Lehmer's improvement plans recently received approval from the Klickitat County Board of Adjustment. Under terms of her conditional-use permit, she'll be able to convert an existing garage into a four-bedroom suite.
Plans also call for expansion of the patio, with the addition of more room for seating guests, and construction of an old-world kitchen. (Hoffman-Lehmer currently prepares meals in the kitchen of her house.) Building is scheduled to begin in October.
"I'm very excited and so looking forward to next year," Hoffman-Lehmer says. "Having the kitchen here in the cafe means I'll be here all day long and people can watch me cook and share in the experience."
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