Green, healthy and friendly

Owner’s values show through at the Ladybug Organic Cafe and Bakery

By Kathleen Gabriel
The Portland Upside
December 2009

Photo by Gregg Morris

Angel O’Brien, owner of Ladybug Organic Cafe and Bakery in St. Johns, takes pride in serving an all-organic menu and producing the least amount of waste possible.

St. Johns, annexed to Portland in 1915, feels like a small town. Because of its geography, on the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, it feels more like a destination than a neighborhood.

Angel O’Brien had classmates who lived in St. Johns when she attended St. Mary’s Academy as a girl. Four years ago when she decided to start the restaurant she’d wanted to own all her life, she remembered St. Johns. The just-right space with all windows on two walls happened to be for lease. Even gutted it had a good feeling to it. Since then Ladybug Organic Cafe has become a cornerstone in the revitalization of St. Johns.

Angel didn’t set out to have an all-organic restaurant with environmentally-sound practices. She simply brought her personal philosophy to her business. She eats organic food at home, and she hasn’t had garbage service in years. She couldn’t see giving customers food that isn’t raised organically, or generating garbage in her restaurant.

In April, Ladybug won the Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow award. While the average American produces over four pounds of garbage a day, Ladybug Cafe, full of happy eaters eleven hours a day, generates only about eight pounds per week. You won’t find a trash receptacle in the dining room, because they reuse, recycle and compost everything possible. Menus are made of organic paper and left at the counter. They offer nice, soft handmade cotton napkins. All of their to-go cups and straws are made of compostable plastic.

Ladybug Organic Cafe and Bakery is on Lombard Street at the intersection with Leavitt, just a few blocks from the famous St. Johns Bridge. The sign reads Ladybug Organic Coffee Company. Angel plans to change it, however, so that people know to expect more than coffee.

Ladybug bakes all of their breads and pastries, using recipes from many sources. Some are Angel’s family recipes, some are from cookbooks, and every employee has contributed something. Every recipe has been tweaked in one way or another to make it unique. Each day they offer at least two kinds of handmade pie (Angel’s take on a turnover), one filled with a savory vegetable and cheese combination, one filled with fruit. There are little peanut butter cookies for a quarter, and fruit-filled bar cookies.

Ladybug is a community gathering place. Knitters meet in front of the big fireplace. Writers and students sit with their computers and free wi-fi, laughing, typing, and frowning at the screen. Young families play and talk. Roosevelt Campus had a Writers in the Schools reading at Ladybug two years in a row.

Local art adorns the walls and windows, with Angel, an accomplished photographer herself, contributing. A special art event in September and October showcased local artists in other St. Johns businesses, but Ladybug has art all year long. Exhibits have included colorful art by the children of Serendipity School, Blue Moon Camera and Machine’s annual customers’ show, and Chris Clem’s photography.

Sure Ladybug is about food, coffee and tea. It’s also about people in their community.

Ladybug’s people are hardworking, friendly and articulate. Would-be employees must complete a job application five pages long, with ten essay questions written by Angel, such as “what is something you do on a regular basis to make the world a better place?” and “what is the most important thing you have ever learned, and how has it changed your life?” The New York Times ran an article last December about this unusually long application for a barista position.

It’s easy to qualify as a customer, however. All you have to do is show up and let this fine little corner establishment take care of you.

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Ladybug Organic Cafe and Bakery is at 8438 N Lombard St., Portland. Find them online at http://ladybugcoffee.com or call 503-715-1006.

Kathleen Gabriel, a library clerk and novelist, is married to Gregg Morris, the photographer. They live with their two ferrets, their dog and granddog. They visit Ladybug frequently. Contact her at KathyGab@gmail.com