Today I had one of the best lunches that I have had in quite some time. I went to a fabulous vegetarian resturant in Royal Oak, Inn Season Cafe. I went with a very new friend that I just had the pleasure of meeting at one of my many jobs. She is also a foodie, a personal chef, very energetic and most of all passionate about the art she loves, cooking.  Upon meeting we both struck up a great conversation and somehow realized we both had the same passion, loving to cook for the people we love and anyone else who would love to eat what we cook.
She is a vegetarian, but I really am not, I still love my chicken pot pies and my tuna salad sandwiches,
but I also can love a completely vegetarian meal, which at times I crave. We love the fact that we both cook to make people happy and the process of cooking itself. So many people find it hard to cook a meal, but there are some that find the entire process, from planning, to shopping, to preparing, to the last sizzle in the pan, quite a ritual of satisfaction. My personal pleasure is really seeing the finished product and the smile that it brings to the person I serve it to. I don't love to eat but I sure love to cook so everyone else can eat. I think my new friend and I share that love together.

We shared food pictures like we were sharing pictures of our children. There is something
wonderful about seeing a piece of carrot cake on a beautiful glass plate that just says
perfection.

The Inn Season Cafe had a great atmosphere, homey and cozy. Everyone there knew my friend,
which led me to believe that, one, she is a very wonderful person and two ,that the Inn Season is
a very small town everyone knows each other and everyone knows your name kind of place.

I had the bean quesidilla which was so full of flavor,so fresh, so delightful to put in my mouth that
I felt like it came right from Mexico. My friend had a beautiful stir fry that came in the most beautiful
classic white bowl, and it was piled with lots of veggies and both dishes looked like they were photos waiting to be printed in Martha Stewart Living magazine.

The tea we ordered was served in charming little classic teacups, each with beautiful designs and it seemed as though they had just reached into my grandmothers china cabinet to serve us. I was delightfully impressed at this little touch because when the cup was placed in front of me my heart
went ah-h-h-h!

We sat for quite awhile not realizing the time passing by and the rain outside, greying up the
streets, because where we sat, it felt like a garden filled with life and light from the people inside
enjoying the meals made from the beautiful vegetables that gardens provide. Despite the rain
Inn Season Cafe was truly a sunny experience.