Some people may dream of giant fluffy sheep jumping over white picket fences, but Gerard Meurer's dreams are a lot more delicious.
When he lays his head on his pillow, he thinks of large, buttery pancakes covered in cinnamon sprinkles and a cream cheese glaze or maybe slices of French toast with swirls of gooey cinnamon filling spread throughout the fluffy brioche.
Flavors from Oreos to birthday cake dance around in his head, causing him to awaken from his slumber in the middle of the night to write these tasty ideas down. Then, those dreams come to life in the Baja Café kitchen.
Geoff Walker cooks up hashbrowns at Baja Cafe on Dec. 11.
Meurer and Kim Scanlan are the owners of Baja Café, the beloved breakfast spot that has gained a loyal following thanks to their unique pancake flavors and savory Benedict specials. Baja Café has two different locations in town: 7002 E. Broadway and 2970 N. Campbell Ave.
Back when Meurer was in fourth grade, he remembers being asked who he would like to see at career day. Instead of picking a firefighter or a doctor, Meurer wanted to learn about being a chef.
That passion for cooking continued to grow as he got older, as he eventually landed his first restaurant job when he was 16 years old. He was tasked with washing dishes, but over time, he moved up the ranks.
Though he was trained by a French chef, Meurer was always drawn to the bold flavors used in Southwestern food. So, he made the switch and began cooking that style instead.
On top of his devotion for cooking good food, what Meurer really loves is bringing people together. He knows that a delicious breakfast has the power to unite people, ensuring that they start their day with a smile and a full stomach.
“Food is a part of building relationships with people,” Meurer said. “If you start someone off with great food, a great experience and a friendly atmosphere with friendly people, it can really influence people's start of their day. My passion more is that people walk away happy and making people happy through food and services. That’s what makes my day.”
The dining room at Baja Cafe, 7002 E. Broadway, on Dec. 11.
Meurer wanted to create a place where anyone could walk in, feel comfortable and eat a big, mouthwatering breakfast. In 2014, Meurer and Scanlan did just that.
Baja Café was officially open for business, but things started off a bit shaky. Scanlan was still working as a social worker and came in on the weekends, and the two struggled with getting the Baja Café name out there. After the first two years, things started to change.
All by word of mouth, more and more people began hearing about a new café serving all the breakfast essentials. Before you knew it, the café was packed and people were waiting outside for a coveted table.
“At one point we were just really struggling, so we decided that we would try opening for dinner as well,” Meurer said. “We tried that, and then every single person that did come in wanted breakfast. They didn't want our dinner menu. They wanted our breakfast menu.”
At Baja Café, you can expect to see all the breakfast dishes you can dream of. Breakfast burritos and tacos, brioche cinnamon roll French toast, omelets, Liege waffles, huevos rancheros and avocado toast are just a few of the options seen on their menu at both locations.
Customers enjoy their breakfast at Baja Cafe on Dec. 11.
While everything at Baja Café tastes great, things get crazy when it comes to their Benedict and pancake flavors. Meurer doesn’t like eating the same things every day — he likes to switch things up, so he adds new and bold flavors to the classic breakfast dishes.
“I actually dream of these things a lot, so I might go to bed with an idea of maybe what I want to do or I'm thinking about trying to come up with an idea,” Meurer said. “I might wake up halfway through the night and then have to jot some things down, because I'm like, wow, that would be a cool idea.”
These flavors are truly what dreams are made of. Aside from the normal menu of Benedicts that feature ingredients like brisket, green chile and chipotle mac and cheese, Baja Café also features Benedict specials.
Their most recent creation was the carne guisada benedict. This dish started out with their grilled green chile and cheese tamale pie topped with the most tender meat in the carne guisada, plus poached eggs and a smoked gouda cheese sauce. If things couldn’t get better, it also came with pico de gallo, salsa verde cruda and a sprinkle of cotija cheese.
With these Benedict specials, Meurer is able to combine his love for Southwest flavors with the classic breakfast dishes that Baja Café is known and loved for.
The cinnamon roll pancake is a customer favorite at Baja Cafe.
If you think their Benedict specials are out of this world, just wait till you try their pancakes. Meurer takes his pancakes to a whole new level — these are not your average buttermilk or chocolate chip pancakes you might see at other breakfast spots.
Birthday cake, cinnamon roll, lemon blueberry topped with homemade lemon curd and pineapple with orange brown sugar butter are the pancake flavors you can expect to see at Baja Café.
While all their pancakes are exceptional, it’s the snickerdoodle pancake that gets the most buzz. Meurer’s mother had always made snickerdoodle pancakes for him, so he knew he had to create one for his menu.
When crafting his batter, Meurer makes sure to never over-mix, that way we're guaranteed to have a fluffy, airy pancake. Right before he flips over the pancake, he sprinkles it with cinnamon and sugar so the two caramelize on the flat top grill, giving it a nice, crispy top layer.
Once the pancake is off the grill, he sprinkles more cinnamon and sugar on top and finally finishes it off with a cream cheese vanilla bean glaze.
Once you take a bite of a snickerdoodle pancake, you’ll never want to go back to plain pancakes. The pancake itself is crispy on top, so you get a nice crunch followed by the fluffy, buttery inside that melts in your mouth. Mix that with the pops of cinnamon and tanginess of the glaze and you’ll understand why Baja Café is rated so high on Yelp. It truly is the perfect pancake.
Like his Benedict flavors, Meurer also likes to play around with pancake specials. When the new "Star Wars" movies were coming out, he made pancakes based on the characters and what he thought they would eat. Of course, Princess Leia was a cinnamon roll pancake due to her signature bun hairstyle. He’s also created an "Angry Birds" special after one of his younger customers asked him to make something based on the movie.
Once you step into Baja Café, you instantly become family. Meurer is there to create tasty dishes that will leave you ready to take on the day. If you’re not a morning person, the food at Baja Café will turn you into one.
“I love the people,” Meurer said. “I love making people happy.”
