As I wrote about here earlier yesterday, on the first Saturday of December, which was a lovely warm sunny morning, I found myself in the town of Beaver. After buying bagloads of stuff at the Beaver Farmers Market, my family and I were ravenous, and so we headed up Beaver's main drag, looking for an interesting place for a late breakfast or an early lunch.

There were several choices, but we wound up delighted to have chosen to wander in the open door of the Cafe Kolache.

It's an extremely warm, welcoming, bustling little place that specializes in kolaches, Czech pastries that traditionally are filled with apricot or prune. Like several eateries in Texas, from whence owner Kristi DeMaiolo moved back home, this cafe specializes in making and selling kolaches with every kind of filling.

My family ordered one bacon (pictured, slightly blurry, but really good); one sausage, cheese and jalapeno; one apricot (pictured); and one apple, plus a steamed milk, a cup of loose-leaf breakfast tea and a cup of Prestogeorge coffee (pictured). The bill was covered by a $10 bill and that included a $2 tip for our boisterous server.

We settled at a table in the cozy Gathering Room and savored the food and the space, which have been written up by numerous publications over the decade it's been open.

The Food & Flavor section posted a prediction that kolaches would be trendy this year. I don't know about that, but I love places that specialize in specifics like this. And I love places that seem to be such buzzing hubs of community.

We went back up to the register order a jalapeno and cheese kolache and a big cinnamon roll with pecans, and were stuffed -- too stuffed to try the day's special of a turkey dinner kolache.

The cafe (724-775-8102) is taking orders by Monday, Dec. 17, for holiday trays of kolaches, or cookies, or its housemade biscotti, as well as gift baskets and assorted rolls (nut, poppyseed and apricot).

Certainly, the Cafe Kolache worth visiting if you find yourself in Beaver, which has several other good places to eat, including Mario's Woodfire Pizza and, on the other side of Third Street, BeauCo Bistro, which on Saturday was offering the special of a Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwich for $5.95.

I'm looking forward to going back.

Bob Batz Jr. photo

First Published: July 3, 2015, 12:27 a.m.