2 Chefs Catering, Millennium Café's new management, putting emphasis on coffee, pastries, lunch
The Millennium Café at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library is under new management.
Ryan and Trish Peterson, owners of 2 Chefs Catering, have been contracted by the Library Foundation to manage the café and provide catering services for in-house meetings and events.
Trish had a vision for the café when the Petersons accepted the role.
“I wanted to have really good coffee," she said, "and I love to bake, so I wanted to bake.”
With a focus on freshly brewed coffee and cappuccinos, the Petersons are partnering with Topeka-based Caffiend Coffee Co. to offer local, fresh-baked pastries daily, along with other breakfast items, including the library’s famous quiche and a Scone of the Day.
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Feeding your mind and body
The café is part of the full-library experience for many of its patrons. It will reopen Tuesday after repairs from a water leak are completed.
“It’s good to have something in the library," Trish said. "They can get a book, and come get a coffee, order fresh pastries and lunch specials.”
Trish says everything in the café is homemade and local, including house-made salad dressings. For those with a sweet tooth, cheesecake, cookies, brownies, pound cake and a Cake of the Day can be enjoyed on site or ordered ahead to take home, just in time for holiday entertaining.
All menu items are available for dine in or takeout.
The Millennium Café first opened its doors in the early 2000s. When COVID safer-at-home orders were issued in March 2020, the library was forced to close for business.
The Library Foundation seized the opportunity to remodel the café for the first time in nearly two decades before reopening a year later. A completely renovated dining room, along with the recent addition of Claire’s Courtyard to the west offer patrons both indoor and outdoor seating options.
Engroff Catering managed the café from January 2020 until stepping down in July of this year, when the Foundation began the search for a new business to run the on-site café.
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About 2 Chefs Catering
2 Chefs Catering has been in business for the past 12 years. The Petersons also own and manage Lakeridge Bar and Grill in Ozawkie near Lake Perry.
Ryan and Trish have plenty of experience in the restaurant and catering industry. Between them, they have worked for Plantation Steakhouse, the Topeka Country Club, Top of the Tower, Aboud’s and the Blind Tiger.
After they were married, the couple went to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Ariz., to train before returning to Topeka and opening their own catering business and restaurant.
In addition to providing food service for the café, 2 Chefs Catering caters all events that take place on library property. From full buffets to snacks and cookie trays, library patrons who use library meeting spaces have access to this service as well.
“I’ve always loved the library,” said Trish. “It seemed like a good idea, and I was right because we’re having a lot of fun.”
The Millennium Café will reopen Tuesday. Its hours are 8 AM-4:30 p.m. weekdays and is closed on the weekends.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 2 Chefs Catering emphasizes coffee, pastries, lunch at Millennium Café
