This week I went in search of a locally owned, non-chain lunch place. What I found was the scene of good food, neighborly service and local culture. At Bread & Bagels, the food is uniquely delicious in a place that’s small in size but big at heart.

Bread & Bagels is a &#8220come on in the back door” kind of place, which we did. The light, welcoming terra cotta walls house paintings by local artists. I also saw some unsightly nails where paintings used to hang, and upon asking discovered for the next two months some talented local artists who are developmentally challenged will have their art on the walls.

I ordered the soup of the day (broccoli cheese) and a salad, as my mouth watered in front of the bakery case that displayed baked cinnamon rolls, muffins, cookies and eight kinds of bagels. Literally, every customer who entered while we ordered said, &#8220look at those cinnamon rolls.”

My dining companion opted for a sandwich called The Rachel – avocado, cheddar cheese, tomato, hummus and sprouts on focaccia bread. Wow, that’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? Bread & Bagels also offers traditional sandwiches like an Italian club, turkey, BLT and even a PB&J. There’s something for everyone. A friend introduced me to their asiago chicken salad a while back – made with a special chicken salad with asiago cheese and chipotle mayonnaise – but as I was eating light that day, I never got to try it out.

After ordering at the counter, we waited for our meal and looked over the pizza menu (for future reference). I watched as each customer was greeted as if they were family with hugs and interested questions about their lives. I’m wondering if anyone else is concerned about small-business owners like these, who don’t serve recipes test-marketed by a corporation, but cater and listen to those who visit them day in and day out.

Our lunch arrived within 10 minutes, served in baskets. My dining companion noted that the focaccia, a Roman flatbread, was one of the best she’d ever tasted. Often it can be crusty and hard to bite into, but the Bread & Bagels baker has found a great balance that makes it crusty on the outside and spongy light on the inside. The sandwich came with equal amounts of cheese, avocado, hummus and tomato. My dining companion found it delightfully appetizing, especially the hummus, a Mediterranean spread made from garbanzo beans, olive oil and spices.

My soup was hot and satisfying. Thick, but not overdone with too much cheese, and bite-sized pieces of broccoli. The salad had a variety of vegetables ,including fresh, deep-green lettuce, cucumbers, red and green peppers, carrots, tomatoes and sprouts, all carefully cut into small, thin slices so that the flavorful pesto dressing soaked in well.

After reading the pizza menu, I decided I couldn’t fully experience this small, quaint café unless I tried one, so I ordered a pizza to go (I knew I’d have willing taste-testers waiting at home). They offer several specialty pizzas like the mega meaty, mega veggie, pesto or Jamaican jerk, but I opted to create my own, choosing from 21 different toppings. I ordered Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts and feta cheese. The sauce was light and flavorful, made with crushed tomatoes and Italian spices. The crust, like the focaccia bread, was crisp on the outside yet lightly spongy, bite after bite. It was truly a gourmet treat that can also be delivered to your door.

The owners at Bread & Bagels are constantly looking to evolve to meet the needs of their community. They do this by personally fine-tuning the recipes and menu, but also by looking for ways to offer entertainment and an artistic outlet. There’s music every Saturday night, poetry slams for adults and youth, and this Friday, a once-a-month treat, musician Lauren Cunningham will perform. They are also affiliated with Kaleidoscope, a local creative arts youth program.

Bread & Bagels offers daily baked breads, takes specialty bread orders, and serve several varieties of specialty coffee. Tomorrow I’m heading in for one of those cinnamon rolls, to keep a heartfelt chat and local artistic culture alive.