Taste this: Croissant Breakfast Sandwich ($12.25 with jam; $11.75 without) at Flury’s Cafe
Creator: Kimberly White, owner
What makes this item special: White uses croissants baked by an Akron resident, Sally Thompson of Summit Croissants. White also adds homemade jam from the back of the house for a sweet treat. The savory fruit spread includes a twist of soda or champagne additive that gives more than enough flavor to go with what’s inside the sandwich: egg, meat and cheese.
Eye test: The generously sized croissants hold an egg, melted cheese and a choice of sausage or bacon. Jams vary depending on the day. On recent visits, options included a blubarb jam or light pink peach purple basil jam on the side. That’s not all — crispy hash browns are served with the sandwich.
Process: Everything in the sandwich is prepared on the stove. The croissant and meats are heated to 350 degrees while the egg is cooked at 325.
“When we started getting these croissants, we just [said], ‘Where can we stick them? Where can they go? Oh, we can make French toast out of them, we can make a sandwich,” White said.
Cheese is added last, dropped on the warm sandwich and egg.
For the jam, ingredients include fruit, pectin, sugar, an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice and a liquid such as water or wine.
“I’ve used chardonnay, pinot noir, and then you put it in the name so it’s like strawberry pinot noir jam. They like that,” White said.
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In a pot on the stove, add liquid, fruit, pectin, a packet of sugar and acid. “You get that to a rolling boil and then you put the rest of the sugar in and you boil it again for a minute,” she added.
White uses low sugar/no sugar pectin, because regular pectin makes the jam runny. Once the ingredients are boiled, White uses a hand blender to bring it all together.
Pairs with: French roast coffee from Pearl Coffee, located in Akron
Creator’s backstory: In college, White waited tables at Country Manor on State Road. Then in 1994, a few years after studying fashion design at Kent State University, the Cuyahoga Falls native purchased Flury’s Cafe on Sackett Avenue from the original owners, Lee and Bertie Flury. (The Flurys opened the cafe in 1966.)
Why did White become a cafe owner? She realized she had more interest in food than in clothing.
“So, this little cafe on Sackett [Avenue] came up for sale,” she said. “My grandmother was a regular customer, and she thought it was a good idea for me to buy it.”
At 26, White bought the neighborhood cafe by securing a loan from her parents. Her grandmother worked for her for free. Adding to her title as owner, White also worked as the cook — she still works in the back of the house.
About the company: This quaint, 32-seater is the perfect stop for fresh brewed coffee and a meal made with homemade croissants. Local art hangs on every wall. Patrons can choose a table for dining or sit on a stool at the bar near an arrangement of croissants and cookies. Friendly staff greet patrons as soon as they walk in the door. White talks to patrons and returning customers who’ve been coming in for years.
In 2010, Flury’s underwent renovation as White had a wall removed and claimed the space next door, allowing the cafe to double in size. Five years later, White moved Flury’s to a corner spot in downtown Cuyahoga Falls on Front Street.
How to buy: Flury’s Cafe is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.