The coziest café on the web.
We love a good café. One where the smell of baking pastries and brewing coffee envelops you like the swirls of a cinnamon roll; where juicy roast chicken is prepared with as much care as a bright, crisp salad; where sturdy wooden tables are spruced up with fresh buds of flowers to make you feel quite at home.
Here at The Muffin and the Bird, we like to think of ourselves as this comfy sort of café—a place you will always be welcomed with the warmth of delicious, satisfying recipes, enjoyable reading, and good conversation. Sink into your comfiest chair and dig into our café-style recipes, which have been perfected in our own kitchen for you to try at home. Or join us for a visit to some of our favorite cafés for their their stand-out recipes that we’ll recreate with their help.
So grab a cup of coffee and stay a while!
Carey Neuman
Founder of The Muffin and The Bird
Carey has been lounging around cafés ever since she was old enough to say “cream and sugar.” She has been following her stomach all the while, working as a recipe tester, developer and food editor for magazines like Saveur and First for Women and in the test kitchen of Goya Foods. She is the star of her own kitchen, cooking for her easily-pleased husband, very demanding baby and food-loving family.
Here is a short but important list of Carey’s culinary must-haves:
A sharp knife – Carey is notorious among her small inner circle for bringing her own knife to the homes of family and friends notorious for dull blades—a habit that irritates family members, but was nonetheless drilled into her ethos during her training at The International Culinary Center (formerly, French Culinary Institute) in NYC.
A warm beverage – An up-and-coming tea drinker herself, Carey believes there is no better way to warm up to the day than with a steamy mug of something tasty and sweet. (Early Grey Tea with extra honey, please. Oh, do you by chance have raw honey? Thankssomuch.)
Salt – Carey is, for the most part, a nice person. But if you under-salt the pasta water, you should get out of her way. Quickly.
A few snacks – A voracious eater of chocolate, Carey rarely leaves home without a little something dark and sweet tucked into her purse. Nuts and dried fruit are second and third best, respectively.