Long before there was a Mercantile & Cafe, or a Barn Sale, or even a Life’s Patina, there was our kitchen at Willowbrook Farm, full of five kids.
When we first moved in, our children ranged from five to fifteen, and that kitchen became the center of everything, homework happening on one end of the counter while dinner came together on the other, birthdays and ordinary Tuesdays celebrated with equal enthusiasm. I’ve always said that my love of gathering people came honestly: from my grandmother, who never needed much of a reason to throw a celebration and always seemed to be making something for someone. That instinct to feed the people you love, make it a little beautiful, pull up more chairs than you think you’ll need has quietly shaped everything we’ve built here.
My grandmother, Nan, and her sisters. Women made of steel who lost their husbands young, yet still showed up for each other every day with joy, mischief, and tea (or a hot toddy) in hand. I learned everything I know about gathering people well from watching them.
So when we opened the Mercantile & Café inside the old Jenny Lind House, that same instinct came with me. Every quiche we bake, every sandwich we build, every pastry that comes out of the oven still warm, it’s all made with that same feeling in mind. Food as art, yes, but also food as an invitation. A way of setting a table for whoever walks through the door.
These days, life looks different than it did back in that kitchen at Willowbrook. Running Life’s Patina means I don’t get to cook for my own family nearly as often as I used to, and I know I’m not alone in that. So many of us are busier than ever, still wanting to gather the people we love, still wanting the table to feel like it took more time and care than we actually had to give it.
Twenty years into life at Willowbrook now, I can look back and see just how much those years held… the beauty and the hardship of raising a large family while building a dream business alongside it, often in the very same afternoon. But through all of it, what we’ve tried to create here has never just been about what we sell. It’s about the experience of it, a place where people can walk in, take a breath, and set down whatever worries followed them through the door.
That’s exactly the gap we started dreaming up a way to fill. In the years since opening, that feeling has lived mostly inside our walls, in the quiche we bake each morning, the sandwiches we build to order. But so many of you have asked the same thing I used to ask myself as a mother of five trying to pull together one more gathering: could we bring a little bit of Life’s Patina home with us?
Today, the answer is yes.
Introducing Takeout Catering at Life’s Patina Mercantile & Café
We’re so excited to introduce our new takeout catering menu, a way to bring the food you already love from the Mercantile & Café to your next gathering, celebration, shower, meeting, or simply an ordinary day that deserves something special.
Everything is made from scratch in our kitchens, the same way it always has been. Nothing changes except where it ends up, your dining room table instead of ours.
- Boxed lunches — a choice of tomato, basil & mozzarella with pesto; chicken salad with harissa aioli and arugula; or one of our seasonal salads, each served with a side of pasta salad and our brown butter chocolate chip cookies
- Shareables, serving 8–10 — our LP salad and sandwich trays, built for a table full of people
- Individual salads — the same seasonal favorites, sized just for one
- Coffee Carafes, serving 8–10, with everything you need to pour
- Pastries, from scones and cookies by the dozen to whole cakes, tarts, and galettes made to share, including our seasonal quiches, serving 8–10
You can explore the full menu, with all the seasonal details, right here.
Good Food Takes a Little Planning
We believe the best food is never rushed, and catering is no exception. That’s why we ask for orders to be placed one week to one month in advance, with a minimum of one week’s notice. Orders have a $40 minimum and are picked up right at Mercantile & Café during our regular business hours.
It’s a small window of planning for a table that, we hope, feels like it took no effort at all.
Let Us Set the Table With You
Whether you’re hosting a brunch with friends, planning a work lunch, celebrating a shower, or simply feeding a crowd, we’d love to be part of your gathering. That’s always been the heart of Life’s Patina, not just growing and making good food, but sharing it, the same way my grandmother did, and the same way I’ve always hoped to do in my own kitchen. I want our catering to carry that same feeling into your home: less like ordering takeout catering, more like someone else quietly setting the table for you.
Click here to view the full catering menu and place your order. We can’t wait to be part of yours.
