It's hard to name a place whose closing was (and still is) more lamented than downtown Lawrence's Paradise Café and Bakery, the beloved hangout that closed in 2004 after more than 20 years in business on Mass Street. "It was inevitable that you would run into someone you knew while dining or waiting in line," remembers former manager Curt Enos. "Some days it felt like we were hosting a big dinner party." Now, thanks to former co-owner Missy McCoy, you can re-create such Paradise classics as breakfast enchiladas and Douglas County pie with the release of the
Paradise Café and Bakery Cookbook. You can't have the former staff with you at home, but you might meet some at the Raven Bookstore (6 East Seventh Street, 785-749-3300) at the book release and signing from 5 to 7 p.m. or afterward at Free State Brewery (636 Massachusetts, 785-846-4555). Call the Raven for more information or to order a copy of the cookbook.
— April Fleming
