Toulouse enjoys his lemonade at the Trellis Cafe

“Let’s stop here,” Nina said to my non-verbal suggestion. She’s very good at listening to me that way. She would tell you that it was the “character” of the building, its inviting patio with al fresco dining and all the cars parked out front (always a good sign)—oh, and perhaps the inviting sounds of live music that drifted out through the open doors. Of course, all these helped…wink.

The Trellis Cafe is located in Hubbards, a charming rural community on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, not far from Peggy’s Cove and right on the scenic coastal road of the South Shore known as the Lighthouse Route. First settled in 1757 by the Dauphinee brothers, Hubbards became a thriving fishing community and now enjoys a popularity with tourists as a destination for recreation and sightseeing.

We opened the screen door and were greeted by a cozy and bright maritime-cottage interior, done tastefully in cheerful yellows, reds and oranges. Plates were displayed on the wall as were some local artwork. The windows,

Hubbards Cove, Nova Scotia

under charming striped awnings, currently displayed the works of Grant and Janis Cobb (of Grunts Glass Studio).  Tables were garnished with grinders of Tellicherry black pepper and Mediterranean sea salt. I was told that the table candles came from the local TV series Black Harbor.

Wilma Raaymaker and Dennis Mansour had come to Hubbards—“a place where people have chosen to live” says Wilma—and Wilma bought The Trellis Café four years ago. Their motto is “Real Food since 1985” and they proudly serve home cooked meals with fresh ingredients and fresh-ground Fair Trade organic coffee. Of course it isn’t Swiss café crème but it was very good. The Trellis preferentially uses local ingredients, Wilma told us, and their cooks take pride in the “down-home” healthy food that is baked and made totally on the premises. “Tasting the fresh goodness of the earth makes food an edible symphony,” says Wilma.

Singer John DeWolf teaches Toulouse some guitar

We ordered a Greek salad and smoked salmon quiche with goat’s cheese and asparagus and paired it nicely with a vibrant French Cross Pinot Grigio. The quiche came with the Trellis’s signature “home fries” (fried potatoes, really), which I confess I scarfed most of. When Nina asked our waitress to tell her what wonderful spices were used, Jenny grinned and said she’d have to kill her if she did. We decided not to know. :-3

While we were there, we were treated to the excellent light jazz sounds of the Caissie-DeWolfe Duo. We feasted on a desert of moist chocolate cake paired with a Rothchild Pinot Noir, as George Caissie played the xylophones to DeWolfe’s guitar picking. They sang anything from a Billie Joel tune to a hypnotic Bossa Nova and I found myself swaying and little paw tapping to the lyrical Brazilian rhythm.

We’ve come back a few times already and tasted several of their deserts including the bumbleberry crisp, featured in South Shore Tastes (Nimbus Publishing), and defined by Wilma as: seven south shore sumptuous surprises (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb, apple and cherry) in one Nova Scotia flavor.

On one occasion a group of local musicians sauntered in holding guitar cases. They sat around a table and just began

Local musicians jamming at the Trellis Cafe

 to sing and play. Three guitars, a concertina and lively voices sang out a medley of folk, pop tunes and ballads—some originally composed, I later learned. Don Webb, Holly and others were the Thursday night jam-crowd and it was Thursday night.

Wilma told us that a local musician or group also plays every Friday and Saturday night (like the Caissie-DeWolfe Duo, among others). And every month The Trellis Café features a different local artist. The art varies from the glass art of Grant and Janis Cobb and Teresa Young to the nautical water colors and landscape acrylics of Suzanne Day and Paulette Melanson and Bedford artist James Pay. The Trellis has also served as a gallery for hooked rugs, photography and local pottery. Many of these, Wilma informed us, served as fundraisers for local non-profit societies, including an annual school childrens’ art festival.

The Trellis Café is more than a place to eat and drink: it’s a social club, Wilma told us as the jam-group serenaded us with a lyrical Crosby, Stills and Nash tune. I looked around at the packed room of laughing and chatting locals—everyone seemed to know each other—and heartily agreed. It’s all about community. “It’s my community,” Wilma added. Where she raised her kids. A community she is nurturing by providing a meeting place for local talent and local fun and great food.

Wilma relaxes for two minutes with Toulouse

If you want to find the character of Nova Scotia, check out the Trellis Cafe. It’s the place where you’ll find the locals … and the characters … ;-3

They are open year round for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Contact Information for the Trellis Café:

22 Main Street, Hubbards, NS; 902-857-1188; www.trelliscafe.com

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