Opened in the Irish Channel neighborhood in November 2021, Dragonfly Café is a restaurant with a mission. This swell breakfast and lunch cafe is an offshoot of the Raphael Academy and the Guild, a Waldorf-inspired learning hub established in 2012. The cafe is part of the Academy’s Town Center that also includes offices, a bakery, and the relocated Guild, which offers vocational training to students 18 years old and older. Guild members are already helping in the bakery, with plans to bring them on at the cafe as well.
The talent behind Dragonfly includes general manager Thaddaeus Prosper, his sister and master baker Tammy Patterson, and chef Gregory Thomas. The menu puts an emphasis on healthy, sustainably raised ingredients, many from Prosper’s own farm, Sheaux Fresh, which he founded with his wife Tamara in his native Algiers across the river. Prosper and Thomas both spent years working in the Emeril Lagasse family of restaurants, which explains why the service and quality of ingredients and presentation belie the casual, homey setting, not to mention the price. Eggs your way come with grits and toast for just $6, avocado toast with pico de gallo, served on whole grain Sheaux Bread is a generous serving for $9.
The grass-fed beef burger comes on a house-made sweet bun served with sweet potato fries, and as a green homage to a charcuterie board, the Paddle is a spread of vegetables and accoutrements, plenty for two. There’s also a robust coffee and tea program, offered with every imaginable milk alternative; fresh juices are soon to come.
As a former special education teacher, Prosper sees Dragonfly Café as a win-win opportunity. So often, people with developmental, learning, language, and behavior differences are isolated, which prevents important interaction on both sides. He feels that Dragonfly Café is as much about breaking down that wall as it is about serving fresh, locally raised food. @dragonflycafeatrv
