Flint restaurant serves up crepes with local produce, sustainable practices

A local restaurant is setting a new standard when it comes to local responsibility and community support in its business model.

Beginning small with just a crepe cart in fall 2009, Flint Crepe Company fully opened its doors about two years later.

The idea originally came about when primary owner Robb Klaty wanted to contribute to the local economy and help better the local food system. At this time he was already heavily involved in food production in the area, from a goat farm in Grand Blanc to the area's first urban garden hoophouse. Klaty knew creating a restaurant that focused on local and sustainable aspects of food was the natural next step.

The local and environmental promise

Ryan Beuthin, a manager at Flint Crepe, says because the restaurant relies on what's in season locally to determine what they serve, their menu typically changes about five times per year, keeping it fresh, relevant, and aligned with local produce growing trends.

"Fresh, local food almost always tastes better and is better for you...Crafting our menu off of what Genesee County has to offer makes us more resilient as well as tasty," Beuthin says. "We believe that sourcing food this way is the most responsible decision both fiscally and environmentally."

Plus, they have formed relationships with local growers who they know are practicing standards in line with those of the restaurant.

Locally, one of their main produce providers is Green Stewards, started by Klaty. From sweet potatoes to hot peppers to fresh greens, the produce is seasonal and fresh. For strawberries, they turn to a local hydroponic grower--Fowler's Farm Market, where the strawberries aren't grown in the ground, but flourish in hanging pots that contain water and plant food.

And the waste at Flint Crepe Company also is handled in an environmentally-conscious way. Both food and paper waste are composted locally, which helps the soil where the produce is grown. While the restaurant's owners hope their customers do the same with their waste, they also provide biodegradable take-out products to ensure any waste created won't be waste for long.

Flint Crepe even takes the bacon grease left at the end of the day and does something quite unexpected for our current times--they recycle it into citrus and ginger scented soap. You'll never think the same way about bacon again.

Helping others

Flint Crepe goes one step further in their quest to stay local by helping the community each Tuesday.

Soon after opening, one of the employees came up with the idea of Tuesday Tips, where collective tips received that day would be donated to those in need. Soon after, the restaurant wanted to chip in as well. Each Tuesday the restaurant donates the equivalent of what was collected in tips for the day to a local organization or group. The employees get to keep their tips but are welcome to donate them if they wish.

"One of the founding ideas of the restaurant was that it should be a place that strengthens our community and sets a high bar for how a for-profit business can be a positive force for change," Beuthin says. "Giving is a big part of that."

The food behind it all

Not sure what a crepe is? Well, if you've had a crepe somewhere else before, theirs may seem a little different to you.

"What we do is far different than what most people think of with crepes," Beuthin says. "Most of our best dishes are actually lunch and dinner entrees. So usually, I tell folks to look at the descriptions and whatever sounds good to you as a sandwich or entree will be great in a crepe."

Two of their most popular crepes are the Reuben--the beef is from Detroit and and the sauerkraut is from Ann Arbor--and the Monte Cristo Crepe, which includes jam from the Mitten State. They also serve up the Original "Inside-Out" Egg and Cheese--the eggs come from just down the road--and The Mazraa, which includes greens from a Flint hoophouse.

Fair trade coffee and tea are also served here as well as sweet crepes that include choices like the Apple Tart made from Michigan apples and cranberries, Mocha a la Mode, which includes Michigan ice cream, and Peanut Butter and Honey, with house-made peanut butter and local honey. Flint Crepe even makes their own powdered sugar to top these delicious crepes.

One of the principles that Crepe runs on is being able to cater to pretty much everyone. From gluten-free items to vegan and vegetarian, they've got their bases covered.

Beuthin hopes anyone who has not tried out Flint Crepe yet will stop by and give them a try.

"What we're aiming for at the Flint Crepe Company is to provide one of the best eating and coffee experiences in the region while staying grounded in the reality of what people can afford and want to eat day to day. We're still learning how to be better, but we do hear consistently that what we are offering is exceptionally delicious, unique, exciting, and worthy of recommendation to others. Come try it out and let us know what you think," he says.

Julia Woehrer is a freelance writer who also works as an Internet content manager for a resort group. She attended the School of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University where she concentrated in photography and minored in journalism. She volunteers at a local no-kill cat shelter and enjoys spending time with her cats, Bella and Macy.