Commitment to gluten-free remains as menu items are introduced
Ashley Torres prepares a boba tea at the Smiley Cafe. Boba teas, featuring tapioca balls that float in the tea are a new item at the Smiley Cafe.
Patrick Armijo/Durango Herald
Charles and Lisa Shaw, owners of the Smiley Building, will host an open house Thursday celebrating the 20th anniversary of when the Shaws, including brother John Shaw, bought the old school and converted it into an arts and business building. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles and Lisa Shaw, co-owners of the Smiley Building, relax Tuesday on their deck surrounded by solar panels on the roof of the building. They will host an open house Thursday celebrating the 20th anniversary of when the Shaws, including brother John Shaw, bought the old school and converted it into an arts and business center. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Building, on East Third Avenue and 13th Street, was formerly the Emory E. Smiley Junior High School. It was built in 1936 and was used as a school until 1994. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Building, on East Third Avenue and 13th Street, was formerly the Emory E. Smiley Junior High School. It was built in 1936 and was used as a school until 1994. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles and Lisa Shaw, co-owners of the Smiley Building, will host an open house Thursday celebrating the 20th anniversary of when the Shaws, including brother John Shaw, bought the old school and converted it into an arts and business building. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Building has been transformed from a school to a community gathering place for businesses, concerts, schools and artist studios. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles and Lisa Shaw, owners of the Smiley Building, will host an open house Thursday celebrating the 20th anniversary of when the Shaws, including brother John Shaw, bought the old school in 1995 and converted it into an arts and business building. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles Shaw, co-owner of the Smiley Building, has preserved much of the building as it was when it was a junior high school. For 10 years, he and his brother, John Shaw, worked to renovate the historic structure on East Third Avenue. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Linda Orf and Dennis Benedetto enjoy lunch from the Smiley Cafe on Tuesday in the Smiley Building. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles and Lisa Shaw, co-owners of the Smiley Building, will host an open house Thursday celebrating the 20th anniversary of when the Shaws, including brother John Shaw, bought the old school and converted it into an arts and business building. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles Shaw, co-owner of the Smiley Building, has preserved much of the building as it was when it was a junior high school. For 10 years, he and his brother John Shaw worked to renovate the historic structure on East Third Avenue. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles Shaw, co-owner of the Smiley Building, has preserved much of the building as it was when it was a junior high school. For 10 years, he and his brother John Shaw worked to renovate the historic structure on East Third Avenue. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles Shaw, co-owner of the Smiley Building, has preserved much of the building as it was when it was a junior high school. For 10 years, he and his brother John Shaw worked to renovate the historic structure on East Third Avenue. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Carrie Hladik, right, owner of the Smiley Cafe, staff member Jen Rawling, left, and Angela Wilson prepare breakfasts and lunches Tuesday at the Smiley Building. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Building serves as a community gathering place, as well as office space for nonprofits, a Montessori school and various artist studios. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Building serves as a community gathering place, as well as office space for nonprofits, a Montessori school and various artist studios. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Building serves as a community gathering place, as well as office space for nonprofits, a Montessori school and various artist studios. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Most exterior areas that receive good sunlight have solar panels at the Smiley Building. The owners built the largest array of photovoltaic panels in the region to make the building energy-efficient. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Charles Shaw, co-owner of the Smiley Building, has preserved much of the building as it was when it was a junior high school from the 1930s to 1990s. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Building serves as a community gathering place, as well as office space for nonprofits, a Montessori school and various artist studios. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
After Lisa and Charles Shaw and his brother, John Shaw, bought the Smiley Building in 1995, they worked to restore its historic features and renovate it for use as a community center. They also built the region’s largest array of solar panels on its roof. The move helped them save thousands of dollars a month in utility costs. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
After Lisa and Charles Shaw and his brother John Shaw bought the Smiley Building, the brothers rebuilt and replaced 275 rotted windows in the building. The Smiley is on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango artist Cheryl Roberts Lee talks Tuesday about her art that is displayed in the Smiley Building. The building quickly became a place where many artists opened studios. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango business “illuminarts” is located inside the Smiley Building. The office is located where a suspended running track used to be in the gymnasium. Charles Shaw built several offices with lofts. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Several electric car charging stations are located outside the Smiley Building, part of the vision of the building’s owners to make it energy-efficient and environmentally progressive. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Cheryl Roberts Lee shares a studio in the Smiley Building with two other artists. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Smiley Cafe has been purchased by Grant Andrew, who will keep and enhance its commitment to gluten-free baked goods, sandwiches and salads.
“The owner before us, Carrie (Hladik), did a great job of building a business identified with gluten-free baked goods, great quiche, and we want to continue that and build on that,” Andrews said in an interview at the Smiley Cafe on Feb. 6.
Everything baked from scratch at the cafe will be gluten-free, and Andrew said only a few sandwiches and wraps made with bread and tortillas made elsewhere will contain gluten.
Andrews purchased the cafe on Sept. 30, and since then, kitchen supervisor Heather Hinsley – known in Durango for operating the Cake Cafe and Celebration Cakes Catering and serving as culinary manager at Manna soup kitchen – have added an almond cake and a chocolate cake to the carrot cake Hladik featured. The cafe also serves gluten-free baked doughnuts.
Grant Andrew, new owner of the Smiley Cafe, says he is especially impressed with the community found by tenants in the Smiley Building.
Patrick Armijo/Durango Herald
“We want people to take a bite of our baked goods and not realize they are eating something that’s gluten-free. We’ve all had that experience when we bite into something and realize: Oh, it’s gluten-free – we don’t want people to have that here.”
Andrew, who has a background with online businesses, said Hinsley has been integral to ensure the quality of the baked goods, sandwiches, salads and coming up with ideas that can be executed for new menu items.
“I’ve gained a great respect for people in the food service industry since September,” Andrew said. “It’s easy for a customer to say, ‘They make great food here.’ What you don’t realize is the work that went into it from the sourcing, the baking, the presentation. It’s been an in-depth education for me.
“Heather is in here constantly tweaking. I’ve learned the difference between ‘meh’ and ‘amazing’ is the little things.”
Also, since September, the cafe has introduced boba teas, sweet iced teas with tapioca balls that float in the drink.
Andrew said the growing popularity of boba tea, along with a scarcity of places in Durango that serve it, made it an attractive new menu item.
Besides the food, Andrew said, he would like to use the cafe to serve as a community space.
“We have a couple of groups that meet here. We have a Bible study, Local First holds a networking event here and the high school student government has had a few events here, and we want to offer our space as a meeting place to the community,” he said.
Most of the Smiley Cafe’s fare is gluten-free, including these baked chocolate doughnuts.
Patrick Armijo/Durango Herald Durango
Ideas for gatherings at the cafe include curated art shows, workshops and even as a locale for business meetings.
Andrew noted sometimes business meetings are more productive when they occur outside the office environment.
The cafe is offering its space rent-free to businesses, individuals and nonprofits looking for a venue for parties, workshops, performances, networking events or other gatherings.
One of the main reasons Andrew said he was attracted to the business was the community now found in the Smiley Building.
“People walk in here and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I went to middle school here. Now, you have young mothers coming here for yoga.’ It’s a really functional place for community in the heart of Durango. The space is really a draw and we want to help the building thrive. As the health of the building goes, so goes our business,” he said.
The Smiley Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The cafe is closed on Sundays.
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