Café Rendezvous brings European flavors to Houlton

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
SERVING UP STROMBOLI — Matthew Williams shows off a stromboli at Café Rendezvous in Houlton. In the background is shop owner Ammael Appleby.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Stepping inside Café Rendezvous is a treat of the senses both visually and aromatically. Located at 8 Market Square, Café Rendezvous is a new coffee shop and eatery operated by Dwight and Ammael Appleby of Houlton.
    Sensing there was a need for a non-traditional café in downtown Houlton, Ammael Appleby put the wheels in motion to open her new business a few months ago. Appleby said she had been trying to open a business from her Main Street home, but was unable to due to zoning issues.
    “This location actually worked out much better,” she said. “There is a lot of traffic downtown from everywhere. There’s a lot of travelers down here, but there aren’t many places for them to go.”
    She said in just the few days that she has been open she has seen a lot of traffic from Canadian and out-of-state shoppers.
    Appleby’s goal is simple: to provide customers with a unique and elegant experience while sampling her gourmet treats. There are several tables and couches for people to sit on and enjoy a cup of espresso and a Danish or pastry. There is also a wide-screen television on the wall and free wireless Internet for the customers to enjoy.
    A native of Chicago, Appleby said she and her husband have spent a lot of time traveling around the world and found most places had a small café where people could hang out, do some work outside of the office or just relax in an interesting environment.
    “We needed something like that here in Houlton,” she said. “Everyone hears that there is nothing for youth to do and how so many of the shops that used to be downtown are gone. People reminisce about how beautiful downtown used to be. So I thought, ‘Why not do something about it?’ I saw a need, so I filled it.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
LOOK OVER HEAD — The ceiling at Café Rendezvous is decorated with many colorful and interesting pieces of artwork.
    Appleby said she feels downtown Houlton could return to its glory days if enough people started doing something instead of just complaining about what is not there.
    “We are all supposed to do whatever we are good at to reach out and help the community, so that’s what I am doing,” she said.
    Opening a new business is hard enough, but trying to do so at the same time that a hurricane is coming through proved challenging for the Applebys.
    “A lot of my shipments didn’t make it through in time because of the hurricane,” she said.
    Dwight Appleby is a military interrogation specialist for the Pentagon, but is looking to retire, she said. Therefore the couple decided the time was right to open a café in Market Square.
    “He and I are both very capable chefs, so this is something we thought we could do together,” she said. “We thought it would be a good benefit for the community and good for our family.”
    Inside her café, patrons are treated to a stunning visual array of artwork, lighting and tapestries. Ammael painted all of the artwork found inside her café, which features bold red, purple and gold colors and eclectic pieces of art and fixtures. The artwork can also be found on the ceiling, providing interesting conversation pieces when sitting and sampling the cuisine.
    “My husband said we had to have something vibrant with a lot of life and energy,” she said. “Usually people pick very subdued tones with their businesses. We wanted something interesting so no matter where you sit you have a conversation piece.”
    Her menu is both ambitious and diverse, while featuring a European flavor to just about everything. In fact, it’s so ambitious, that by her own admission, she will probably have to scale back somewhat early on. She is still in the process of finding help in her shop, which would free her up to focus on the baking.
    “I’ve been working on this menu for quite a while,” she said. “One of the things my husband and I do when we travel is to study art, food and music. We go to small cafes, searching for things that are traditional and unique. That is what we want to do here, in my own interpretation. All of the items on the menu are things that I like. If I don’t like it, I won’t make it.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
READY FOR BUSINESS — Ammael Appleby waits on customer Friday afternoon in her new shop Café Rendezvous, located at 8 Market Square in Houlton.
    She makes a variety of gourmet sandwiches, wraps and salads. Appleby also plans a soup of the day, such as Bayou Jambalaya, Hungarian Goulash and Baked Burgundy French Onion.
    The beverage menu features lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, coffee, fruit smoothies and Italian-style sodas (such as ruby red grapefruit, cherry lime and vanilla sasparilla). Pastries, cookies and other sweet treats such as funnel cake, cannoli and pretzels are also offered.
    Appleby said her menu also features daily surprises, which she hopes will add to the excitement of coming into her café.
    “I really believe that if the chef loves what they are making, it will transfer through to the food,” she said. “I think people are getting tired of fast food. As a pastry chef, I change things every day. I woke up this morning and decided I wanted to make quiche, so that’s what I made.”
    Her hours of operation are a work in progress, but she plans to be open later in the evening. For more information, or to place a phone order, call 538-6093.