Fort Bragg’s Don’t-Miss Diner is the Place for Always Scrumptious Homestyle Food

by Dawn Emery Ballantine

Unashamedly eavesdropping on the conversation at the next table, I heard the waitress ask, “Have you decided yet?” The woman put her menu down in despair, groaning, “It’s so hard to choose!” And it is hard to choose at Cafe 1 in Fort Bragg, which features a menu where everything is consistently delicious and good for you.

Founded 20 years ago, the ethos of Cafe 1, including much of the menu, has remained unchanged since Maria Andrea Mex and her husband, Miguel Mex, purchased the restaurant 16 years ago. Andrea explained that one of the original owners had been a dietician at the local hospital, and creating a restaurant that served healthy food was important to her. When Andrea and Miguel took the reins, they decided that they wanted that same level of health for their growing family and the broader community, so they kept the basic tenets of organic, chemical-free, and non-GMO offerings.

Andrea and Miguel grew up in a small town in Yucatán, Mexico, and they married and moved here 30 years ago to be closer to Andrea’s parents. Initially, Andrea worked as a cashier at a local supermarket and Miguel worked in area restaurants, but their family began to grow and life became more hectic. They decided that they didn’t want to work jobs where they were separated all day, coming home exhausted with little energy for the family, so they decided to purchase their own restaurant. They found Cafe 1, and it has since become a family affair.

Miguel is the main chef, and Andrea wears any hat needed at any given moment. They now have three children—Cynthia (26), Angel (22), and Santiago (10). Cynthia and Angel help in the front of the house and pitch in elsewhere whenever needed. As Andrea said, “They are always there, and sometimes we need some extra hands.” Santiago, while not officially old enough to work, grows sprouts with his mom for the restaurant, and he’s always willing to help put away dishes if he happens to be there.

The family works together and they live together, a recipe for potential conflict. But Andrea explained, “there is no fighting here, no fighting at home—always peace and a good environment everywhere.” Andrea said that the key to their success is, “We have good communication, and we have to be clear with everything.”

That sense of a peaceful environment permeates Cafe 1. The waitstaff always greet customers with a warm and welcoming smile, and the atmosphere is relaxed and home-like, with a diner-style feel and decor. The menu is extensive, and it is one of the few places in the county which offers a wide variety of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, as well as plenty of choices for carnivores. Local favorites include the Hippie Scramble, made with tofu and fresh veggies; Huevos Rancheros (with eggs) or Divisaderos (with tofu), their delicious take on the Mexican classic; and the Shiitake Mushroom Hash made with shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, peppers, and onions. Turkey bacon and sausage, omelets, pancakes, french toast, and waffles round out their breakfast menu, and they even have vegan butter and cheese, and gluten-free options.

The lunch menu is also generous, packed with sandwiches, soups, and salads, favorites including the Filled and Grilled Portobello Mushroom—a marinated portobello mushroom filled with braised tofu, roasted garlic, spinach, and zucchini topped with an apple-pepper pesto and provolone, grilled into a sandwich with your bread of choice. And don’t miss the Salmon Tropical Tacos. Fresh and delicious!

Though the menu has not substantively changed, the Mex family keeps it fresh with their daily specials, offered up by family and staff members alike as the mood strikes them. They all try to keep an open mind to new ideas, saying “Well, why don’t we try it!” According to Andrea, “New ideas are blooming. We let our customers know, we are not just warming up food … we do it all by order, there’s nothing pre-made and microwaved. We take it by order, the chef cooks each order, it’s all fresh.” They source the bulk of their produce from Earl’s Organic Produce based in San Francisco, and they supplement with purchases from various vendors at the local farmers market.

Cafe 1 keeps their seven employees busy, open every day for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Though this makes their patrons happy, it means that the family doesn’t get much time off. Andrea shared that they are planning a rare family trip to Yucatán to visit Miguel’s father. After the trials of COVID, it will be a welcome respite. As with most restaurants, the challenges posed by COVID were difficult to weather. They survived, but “We worked hard for it. It was a challenge every day, every morning,” Andrea confessed. They were able to stay open, closing indoor seating and taking over a portion of the TravelLodge parking lot as covered outdoor seating, utilizing a side window for orders and carry-out. The fickle coastal winds would blow over their outdoor tent, and that required a level of vigilance they were glad to be rid of. The local FoodRunners also helped business by making food deliveries in the area.

One side benefit of COVID was that they were able to launch their own brand of Cafe 1 salsas—Habañero, Jalapeño, and Chipotle Habañero sauces, certified organic, and certified spicy! They also sell Cafe 1 patches for your hat or jacket, as well as Thanksgiving Coffee’s Cafe 1 blend, created especially for their restaurant.

Business has grown and changed over the past 16 years, and they have some new ideas. They have just begun serving beer and wine—hooray for mimosas with brunch!

The family’s current dreams for expansion include growing more of their own produce for use in the restaurant. They have started small with the sprout project, explained Andrea, and now “we have plans and are putting ideas together for growing our own food.” They hope to find a home with some land so that they can move closer to that goal, which is very important to all of them. They are also working toward purchasing a new location in downtown Fort Bragg, where Cafe 1 will eventually make its new home.

Cafe 1 started as a place to eat delicious healthy food with excellent vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Andrea and Miguel decided to keep it that way for the health of their family and community. A restaurant where the focus is about making delicious, healthy food for people to eat and enjoy, while making a living and supporting the whole family—that’s something we can all get behind.

Cafe 1
753 N Main St, Fort Bragg
(707) 964-3309 | cafe-one.square.site
Open daily 8am - 2:30pm

Photos by Dawn Emery Ballantine and the Mex family

Dawn Emery Ballantine lives in Anderson Valley where she curates and sells books Hedgehog Books and edits this magazine.