This Vibrant, Zippy Sauce Gives Eggs and Toast a Boost

At Haven’s Kitchen, we’ve been offering good-for-you versions of sweet breakfast staples since we opened: pastries made with whole grains, maple-sweetened granola, luscious whole milk Persian yogurts. But at our most recent menu planning meeting, we decided that we’d shift our focus to new savory options and employ flavors we usually reserve for lunch and dinner.

Why the change? Why have sales of classic, sugary cereals fallen by a couple of percentage points for the better part of a decade? Why are Americans more willing to eat grain bowls than Pop Tarts for breakfast? Why are our customers leaning more toward our tartines than our coffee cake? Is it the sugar? The quest for protein? Our globalized, Instagrammized economy?

If you’ve been on any form of social media over the past few years, you may have noticed there has been a definitive shift away from many of the breakfast foods we grew up eating. Where Raisin Bran and Eggo waffles used to be our quick and easy breakfasts, we’re now reaching for avocado toast and raw granola bars. And our palates have expanded, too: ingredients like kimchi and tahini have edged their way onto the morning menu. Sesame and caraway seeds are no longer relegated to the Sunday bagel, and jalapeños are standard breakfast fare, not just below the Mason Dixon line.

As we sat there thinking about the fall menu, we tried to balance our principles of supporting local farmers and connecting people to the joy of real food with the newest preferences of our customers. And while our corn muffins, made with fresh corn kernels and blackberries from the market, will always be on our summer menu, we’re thrilled to find exciting ways—like these egg tartines with romesco sauce—to adjust to new tastes. Above all else, everything we serve must be delicious, balanced, and satisfying.