Rodney and Marilyn Robbins, former owners of Ollie’s Coffee and Donuts in Murrayville, have opened Brooklyn Café at 706 N. Fourth St. in the Brooklyn Arts District.
 
Formerly Folks Café, the building was purchased by the new owners from Tammy and Juan Pacini and the Robbins spent the past year or so working with the Small Business Administration to remodel and upfit the café for their purposes.
 
“We had a wonderful following some years back in Murrayville,” said Rodney Robbins. “But it was not a great location. Ever since that time, we have hoped to find another location and we’re very pleased to be located in an area of such exciting growth.”
 
Doors opened Aug. 18, and the family-run café is now serving doughnuts and beignets from the traditional recipes of Rodney’s mother, Ollie.
 
“These are very wholesome, old-fashioned doughnuts and beignets, made from scratch and served hot,” said Rodney Robbins. “They are a true labor of love.”
 
He explained that the doughnut recipe contains mashed potatoes and because it yields a heartier cake-like doughnut, it absorbs less oil than many of the lighter yeast-based doughnuts.
 
One thing you won’t find at Brooklyn Café are toppings like Froot Loops cereal or bacon. The toppings there are simple: cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar. And plenty are served plain.
 
In addition to doughnuts and beignets, Marilyn Robbins also serves up breakfast cookies, mini-quiche and a variety of bread puddings. The Robbinses’ grandson Aaron, who also works at the café, is vegan and has created vegan beignet and donut recipes using coconut milk and an egg substitute. The Robbinses are hopeful that they will gain a following among the vegan community.
 
Brooklyn Café serves Java Estate coffee, espresso drinks and smoothies. It also carries half a dozen craft beers and more than a dozen wines by the glass.
 
“We hope to reach a morning as well as an evening crowd,” Robbins said. “When you think of places like Café Du Monde in New Orleans, these are very social places where people gather to enjoy fresh beignets but also to spend time together in conversation.”
 
Hours may vary somewhat based upon customer feedback, but as for now, Brooklyn Café is open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
 
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