ABOUT the CARDINAL CAFE
Do you believe in divine providence? Read on … it’s a great story!
our story
In 1989 Sandra Lefebvre opened a full-service restaurant named Dusty’s Cafe (her nickname) in the town square of Claremont, NH. It was busy from the start, open from 6 am to 2 pm, serving hearty, homestyle fare in a warm, friendly atmosphere.
One day, as Sandra stood at the flattop cooking eggs and homefries, a cute little 12-year old girl walked in through the side door and said, “Hi. I’m Debbie. Do you have any work I could do? Sandra was immediately moved by the sincerity and sweetness of the girl and the fact that she was so young. She replied, “How old are you?” When Debbie told her, Sandra said, “I can find things for you to do, but first you have to get a work permit. Come back and see me then.” Debbie didn’t waste any time. She came back just a few days later with her permit, and Sandra put her right to work … fetching supplies at the local grocery store, washing dishes, and whatever else needed to be done in a pinch. They became attached at the hip!
During that time, Sandra had become friends with a talented, local singer named Heather. Heather also had a love for the food industry and expressed a desire to come on board at the Cafe. It didn’t take much training … she took to it naturally … and when she wasn’t on the road performing, Heather was behind the grill at Dusty’s cooking with ease.
Sandra sold the restaurant in 1994, and the three ladies went off in different directions. Sandra moved to California to be with her children and opened another Dusty’s Cafe in Cameron Park. Heather moved to Washington State where she started her own family. Debbie remained in Claremont and had children of her own. But the three of them stayed in touch, coming in and out of each other’s lives, sometimes in person and sometimes by phone. For a couple of years, in the summers of 2023 & 2024, Sandra and Debbie operated a successful food trailer called East & West, LLC … but Sandra still felt the need to make one more visit to her children in California.
Now, 38 years later since their first restaurant, with an older and wiser attitude and a few gray hairs, the ladies are coming together again! Sandra came home, yes HOME. She decided that traveling and California had run its course in her life and she wanted to stay where she felt her peace. She wasn’t looking … but the opportunity presented itself when her sister, Jennifer, forwarded a Facebook post showing the Cafe for lease … with a “Just thought you might be interested.” Thanks, Sis!
Debbie was already in town and was very enthusiastic about serving the community again … and Heather, well Heather, she’s coming HOME too … all the way from Washington State … to help make this a success.
So there you have it … THE THREE AMIGAS! How can we go wrong? This is the culmination of all of our experience and desire … a time to “shine” … a time to bring wonderful cuisine to our community. Sandra brings the “heart” of the food through her faith and her love for cooking. Debbie brings a “face” to the public … she is beloved by everyone who meets her. And Heather not only brings another well-seasoned cook to the business, but a wealth of internet marketing and social media expertise. She is full of ideas!
We truly look forward to this new venture and to serving our community once again!
about
SANDRA
Sandra grew up in Claremont, NH and graduated from Stevens High School in 1974.
Shortly after, she hit the road to see more of the country … and landed in Lake Tahoe, California, where she lived, the first time, for twelve years. It was there that she was introduced to the restaurant industry.
“At first, I was living in San Francisco and working for a law firm. Then one weekend we went camping in Lake Tahoe and I fell in love. I went back to Frisco, quit my job, and took my tent up to Tahoe. I pitched it at Camp Richardson, got up every morning, and walked the streets asking various businesses if they needed help. I ended up cleaning rooms at the Eldorado Motel for a short time. Ho Hum … the only fun in that job was trying to beat my record for cleaning all the rooms faster than I did the day before.
Then someone told me about a restaurant under new ownership looking for waitstaff, and I went right over after work. The restaurant was named ERNIES COFFEE SHOP and it was super busy. “Do you have experience?” Celeste (the owner) asked me. “Yes,” I lied. How hard could it be? Take orders, carry food to the table, take money … “We’ll give you a try,” she said. So I cleaned myself up the next morning and started in. I observed my co-workers, did my best to follow suit; and it really seemed like I was getting the hang of it. About a week later, Celeste confirmed that she would “keep” me, but she winked and said, “even though I know you never did this before!”
I learned just about everything I knew from Celeste … waiting tables, short-order cooking, the proper way to cook eggs, business startup, business bookkeeping … she introduced me to all of it during my years in Tahoe. The rest of my experience just comes from doing … years and years of ‘doing’.”
Sandra spent most of her adult life traveling back and forth from New Hampshire, where her father, mother, and siblings lived, to California, where her children were … a few years here and then a few years there … alternating between restaurant and office management as careers. She credits her father with her unshakable work ethic and desire to always “do better.”
She has owned and operated several breakfast/lunch eateries – The Chamonix Cafe in South Lake Tahoe, CA … Dusty’s Cafe in Claremont, NH … Dusty’s Cafe in Cameron Park, CA … East & West, LLC Food Trailer in Claremont, NH … and now Cardinal Cafe in Claremont. Her love for the industry, her desire to serve good food, and the pleasure she gets from making people smile … are all expressed in her cooking.
“That’s what makes the food so good!” she says, as she points to her heart.
When she’s not behind the grill, Sandra enjoys walking with her dog, JoneZ; trips to the ocean; yardwork and poolside at home; and a good book or movie.
about
DEBRA
“You don’t have to be the smartest cookie in the world to do what you want in life.” That’s right from Miss Debra, our front-of-house quirky, lovable, and always-wearing-a-smile personality.
Deb grew up in Claremont, NH and, as a teenager, kept a keen eye out for opportunity and purpose. At the young age of 12, wanting to earn her own money, she showed up at the side door of Dusty’s Cafe and inquired about a job. That’s how she met Sandra (Dusty), the owner … and they have been friends ever since.
Deb candidly admits: “I’d been daydreaming most of my life … but I finally awakened and became more focused when I stopped drinking. I’m almost 2 years sober … the AA program really works for me. I have a good relationship with my higher power … I pray all the time.
You can have fun sober. And I believe everything happens for a reason. Thanks to my higher power, my significant other, Shane, and my friend, “Dusty”, I can now learn something new and different … I’m not afraid to try.
I enjoy making people smile or laugh. It could be my silly earrings (I have a ton!) or maybe I dress up for Halloween or wear my silly Christmas sweater … or maybe I just say the right thing. The ocean or pool is my friend. I love the sun and I enjoy finding new places to hike. I love to pick fresh fruits and I’ve just discovered that I really do have a green thumb when it comes to growing cherry tomatoes. I love to decorate that one corner of my house for holidays. I like music and dancing … but I can’t dance … and I like mini golf, bowling, boat rides, and reading short stories.
And, oh, don’t forget … take good care of yourself.”
That’s Miss Debbie in a nutshell.
about
HEATHER
Heather grew up in New Hampshire and the Upper Valley region of Vermont. At an early age she discovered that she had two passions … food and music. In between working at local eateries, she could be found performing on stage with her band that traveled throughout New England. It was at
such a venue in Claremont, NH that she met Sandy. Shortly thereafter, the two of them worked together at Dusty’s Cafe and, even after moving in different directions, have been lifelong friends ever since.
“I thought the big city would ROCK, so I headed to Seattle. I wasn’t wrong! For 10 years I blended restaurant work and music … until I found that I needed more nature in my life. So I bought some land and started a farm. My New Hampshire roots kicked in as I got back to raising gardens and animals. I’m an “animal whisperer” … turkeys and pigs are my faves … goats and ducks, not so much.
I was active in Grange, local conservation groups, and farmers markets; and then I opened up a small sandwich shop, ‘Philly Bob’s’ in Shelton, WA, where I fed the locals some good ole’ New England food … until I had a stroke. Then everything scaled way back, and I began to heal from traumas I had carried around my whole life. I started reflecting back on my true joys … nature, music, and food. I dove into forest foraging and natural healing, incorporating that into the foods I cooked and consumed. I built out a minivan and have been “tooling around” and putting my bush-craft skills to
the test …
Until Sandy called … that’s all it took … a chance to be part of an exciting new venture and finally “come home” after 38 years. I am personally looking forward to networking with local small farms, growers, and herbalists … and volunteer opportunities as well. I look forward to re-establishing
myself within the local community and, more importantly, spending lots of time with my son and grandchildren who live in Springfield, VT.
And, oh yes, BINGO with Deb!”
