Help Sunflowers Café Remain Open

Help someone who has helped others.
The town of Jaffrey and the Monadnock Region has been so proud to have Carolyn Edwards' Sunflowers Café & Catering business in downtown Jaffrey for the past 8 years. Carolyn & her Sunflowers has not only provided wonderful food, a welcoming environment, an ongoing gallery of regional artists and great live music... she has rerached out to the community time and time again to help nonprofits, the town of Jaffrey and countless individuals.

Now, it's our turn.
Carolyn is going through a rough patch financially right now and she may need to close her restaurant. It's been an especially harsh winter, she has experienced substantial employee theft and costs have risen dramatically.

Going to the restaurant with your friends and as often as can helps immensely. So does spreading the word. However, Carolyn needs an infusion of cash right now to pay her rent, utilities and some other unforeseen expenses.

Let's help a friend who adds so much to our community.

From Carolyn:
“We came through an especially hard time for almost a year.  The weather seemed to be against us this winter, affecting some of the holidays and, of course, the daily traffic.

Also we had an internal theft problem that, in the end, the Jaffrey police did an incredible job of helping to solve.

This is all coming at a time when I have a most dedicated and loyal staff. My present chef has almost single-handedly turned the food quality around and the comments I get are "I was so pleasantly surprised" by how good the meals are, along with some great reviews on social media. It takes awhile to recover from a down time but we are certainly moving forward.

The marginal income has forced us to be leaner and that will stand us in good stead in the future.

The Park Theatre, of course, would make a huge difference to this location. Meantime, The River Street Theatre, that features movies, comedy, play readings and other special events six nights a week has helped us already with people having dinner or brunch here before or after. We have partnered in advertising with them and for special occasions. We offer a discount to theater patrons when they are coming to see a show.

People tell me we are the gem of downtown and how it would affect the town if we were gone.

 We are now approaching our best season. In addition to the restaurant being busier now, I have catering lined up - have two events this weekend alone plus several weddings and parties for April and the summer going forward so I will not be totally dependent on just the restaurant income.

 I feel that we have been successful but not profitable."

This has been a wonderful community for our restaurant. The people, the surroundings and the small-town support has really been a blessing. We would like to continue to contribute to downtown Jaffrey."

-Carolyn Edwards

 Sunflowers just received three 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor:

“Delicious little bistro!”
My husband and I dined at Sunflowers Cafe when picking up our son for Spring Break - what a deliciously delightful cafe! Our salads were delicious! My husband thoroughly enjoyed the warm beet salad and I the winter pear salad. I asked for a substitution of the "maple vinaigrette" which not only was "no problem," but was out of this world when paired with the winter pear, goat cheese and cranberries! For dinner, I had a light appetizer - the crab cakes with a wonderful caper tartar sauce. My husband said the beef tips were among the best he'd ever had. Sunflowers also has a full bar, and does offer wine by the glass, which is quite nice. We loved that they serve "Mooselick" beer - a local nano-brewery - on the menu. Overall, a lovely dining experience in small town New Hampshire!

 "Aways a pleasure to eat at Sunflowers"
Great food with an open kitchen or grill! All dishes have been super tasting and done to perfection! The flourless chocolate cake is to die for!!!! I would go there and eat that has a special treat anyday!

 “The way a small-town café and restaurant should be!”
We’ve been coming here for lunch whenever we’re in the area (once / year going back ten years) and always pleased with the delicious food, nice interior (local artwork on the walls), good variety, modest prices, and friendly staff. There are enough salads and other healthy foods, along with delicious burgers and more standard fare, most of which comes from local farms and gardens, along with a small bar and local brews. More recently, they have live music Fri eves and Sundays, theme dinners, and classes. Nice work Carolyn! P.S. Leave room for homemade desserts!