Homegrown Happy Valley

Does downtown really need another Dunkin’ Donuts?

Here are 5 local alternatives for breakfast food:

The Cheese Shoppe and Webster’s: I dare you to find better beans. If you can’t afford coffee out, just walk by the Cheese Shoppe and inhale–you’re guaranteed to feel better. At Webster’s, pair a cup of the Three Eyed Buddha with a vanilla scone and prepare for culinary zen.

The Diner: If you really want to OD on empty carbs rolled in sugar, pick up a package of Stickies. Bonus points if you grill them in butter.

I’m a careful food shopper. I scrutinize labels and stickers, hunting for clues about where a product comes from and how it was made. I once stood in front of a pile of avocados for ten minutes, trying to choose between the conventional fruit from Mexico and the bruised organic version from California–and wishing my husband’s grandmother would just send more from her tree in Santa Maria. I probably put more thought into those avocados than the car my husband and I purchased a few years ago.