by: Laurie Benson

Sunday, February 18th marked the day of Buena Vista’s new Mothers Neighborhood Bistro’s soft opening. From 4pm to 8pm the place was packed with people, laughter, the fragrances of fresh herbs, espresso, and sweets, and the chipper sound of clattering tableware and glasses. By the end of the day, the five women who started this new restaurant felt both exhausted and ecstatic with the response they had received from their many friends and community members.

Not only is Mothers a very welcome addition to the community, it is a unique business in and of itself. What started as the vision of one mother, Cheryl Mehaffey, and her desire to honor Mother Nature and her role in the way we live and how we eat, has expanded into a collaborative of women all working together to bring their talents and vision to the town.

At any point in the day you will find several of these five women making lattes, baking pastries, serving entrees or sitting and talking with friends. They are all actively involved and committed to creating the type of environment where they would want to spend hours catching up with friends, reading a book, checking their e-mail and enjoying a great meal.

“The concept behind Mothers is to create exciting foods and beverages, to treat our customers with kindness and to be an essential entity to the community” explains Cheryl.

With their menu of comfort foods, teas, lattes, beer and wine these local women have made a success of this concept. They have transformed the old Meister House Bed & Breakfast into a Main Street hotspot that in the summer will include a wonderful patio area where locals and visitors can start their day with a cup of coffee in the warm sun, or find the perfect ending to the day’s excitement while they watch the sun set on the Collegiate Peaks.

In addition to their several dining areas, there will be an entertainment and wi-fi room and a community room that will be available for meetings, clubs and classes.

Mothers will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They will feature a simple menu that uses regional and organic ingredients wherever possible and will highlight fine wines and microbrew beers.

Mothers Neighborhood Bistro is located at 414 East Main street. Their winter hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and they are closed on Tuesdays. Be sure to stop by when you visit town. You are sure to return again and again for the great food and even greater atmosphere
and sense of community.