Sourdough bread, goodies served fresh at Cafe Brarlin

Photo by Lance Masterson

Alice Kollinzas offers quit the assortment of baked goods and more at Cafe Brarlin in Independence. The bakery is in the black house that is just north of the city’s civic center.

Alice Kollinzas was ready when opportunity knocked.

“I’ve been in food service pretty much my whole life, since, you know, as a teenager,” Kollinzas said. “I’ve been baking forever. Just kind of always wanted to do something with it. And then, finally, you’ve got enough funds to be able to do something like this.”

The “something like this” refers to her opening Cafe Brarlin, the bakery-plus she owns in downtown Independence. The cafe is one of several businesses located in the black house, a former residence, just north of the city’s civic center.

Kollinzas and husband Ben Jackson moved to Dallas several years ago. They preferred opening the cafe closer to home. But it turned out opportunity, when it did arrive, had an Independence address.

“We looked in Dallas for pretty much the whole time that we’ve been here. Nothing was opening up,” she said. “So anyway, this place just popped up about a year ago.”

Independence also proved more affordable than Dallas. Another plus is that the building, at 413 S. Main St., is steps away from the heart of the historic downtown area. They jumped at the chance.

Kollinzas thought about a different career path. But ultimately the lure of baking was too enticing.

“I tried to do other jobs, but it was too hard for me to leave the restaurant business. I really like it,” she said. “I really love baking, and I want people to try (Cafe Brarlin) out.”

Those accepting Kollinzas’s offer will find a bit of of everything on the menu. From the freshly baked breads and sandwiches to treats, salads with quality produce, wraps, soups and humus, house blend chai and more.

“I make bread in-house. It’s all sourdough based,” she said. “There’s a few different types of bread that we do” with the sourdough.

Kollinzas prefers working with sourdough because it has more moisture than other doughs and is easier to control.

Fresh baked bread is sold as loaves and used for sandwiches.

“My sandwiches are different than most people’s,” Kollinzas said. “One sandwich, the Dale Cooper, features thinly sliced chicken breast with a chili mayo on it. And, of course, I’m baking my own bread. So not everyone has that.”

Most of her breads are wheat-based. Her country bread, for example, features whole wheat and rye. Baguettes are whole wheat and spelt with a little white flour.

“Our ciabatta is like a softer white roll, basically, and is a quick rise. So that one has little bit of commercial yeast in it. But the other ones don’t. Some people are sensitive to yeast,” she said.

Cafe Brarlin’s menu also features three different types of vegetarian sandwiches, along with other items.

“I make a lot of treats that are always rotating in and out. There’s always cookies, which is one of my favorite things to bake,” Kollinzas said. “And then we have gluten free and vegan options, as well as plenty of vegetarian things on the menu.”

The word “Brarlin” is a mashup of “Bro” and “Darlin,” the nicknames Kollinzas and Jackson have for each other.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4, Saturday.