Serving Up Coffee, All Day Breakfast Sandwiches, & Awesome Baked Goods In Pepperhill Community

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer / Food & Beverage Review

Most businesses thrive on 'location, location, & location'. And while that may apply to the food & beverage industry, it's not the most essential component. For a new establishment to be successful, three ingredients (pun intended) need to be in place.

First and foremost the food has to be good. If it's not then patrons won't be returning. Secondly, the place has to provide good customer service. Last, but not least, it has to be clean. No one wants to dine in, or carry out food from an eatery that doesn't maintain an expected level of cleanliness.

All three of those elements exist at the Chatty Magpie Cafe, with an extra dash of passion and a pinch of love. Owned and operated by Elena Werkheiser, with help from her son Mikhail, the Chatty Magpie is equal parts coffee shop, bakery, and all day breakfast sandwich cafe. 

Located at 3316 Ashley Phosphate Rd., the Chatty Magpie Cafe is tucked in the Pepperhill Square Shopping Center near the intersection of Cross County Rd. From her intimate cafe Elena serves up ample sized breakfast sandwiches on fresh made breads (rye & brioche), biscuits, and baguettes, with bagel options as well.

You can start your day with 'The Billy', a sumptuous sausage, egg, and cheese on your choice of bread, with your choice of cheese. Imagine a fast food breakfast sandwich and double it, with twice the F's (freshness & flavor). That's how hearty 'The Billy' is. Of course you can do the poultry dance and order the 'Chicken Tango', Elena's homemade egg salad spread on whatever bread you fancy with lettuce and sliced tomato. Heavenly!

If your palate leans toward seafood, you may want to kickstart your morning or midday with a bit more zest, by ordering The Laks, aka seasoned salmon topped with pickled red onion, tomato, and capers (tangy Mediterranean fruit) on your favorite bread with a slather of cream cheese. Looking for something off the wall, perhaps the Jaffle (toasted & sealed sandwich) will satisfy. In layman's terms it's Australian grilled cheese.

While you can get breakfast sandwiches all day long, Elena is known for her confections, serving up a half dozen or more on a daily basis. Among her sweet treats are a variety of muffins, cookies, and scones. She makes mean cinnamon buns, raspberry tarts, almond turnovers,  teacakes, and key lime pie. Her pies are so delectable they are offered up at several Ye Olde Fashioned Ice Cream & Sandwich Cafes in greater Charleston.

You know what goes well with an awesome breakfast sandwich or an incredible homemade pastry? Of course you do. It's a great cup of coffee. The Chatty Magpie Cafe pours cups of joe with international flair including macchiatos, cappuccinos, and a very soothing salted caramel latte. 

However, where Chatty Magpie really excels is making continental coffee with their LaSpaziale espresso machine. This Italian style coffee curator is so unique, Elena had to train on it for a full week to properly educate herself on how to prepare the particular espressos she has on the menu. Maybe savor a robust Americano, or the unabashed Cafe Cubano. We're talking slightly syrupy brews with captivating aromas.

To add a little extra panache to her java concoctions, Elena uses Malongo, a popular all natural fair trade coffee bean roasted in the south of France. Ooh la-la! The organic coffee really goes in line with Elena's overall concept. She bakes and creates sandwiches as additive-free as possible, avoiding eggs and granulated sugar where she can, opting for brown sugar as needed, offering gluten free options as well. 

Through Chatty Magpie Cafe, Elena can provide catering, whether it's sandwiches for a lunch gathering or morning pastries for that business meeting. According to her website Elena has one singular goal in mind when she's in the kitchen. “Baking with love and a passion for helping others, that's the heart of my story."

If you're wondering where Chatty Magpie Cafe got its name, the answer is simple. Although she's been living in the United States for over 25 years, Elena is a native of Vladivostok, the second-largest city in the Far South-eastern Federal District of Russia, where the Oriental magpie (Pica serica) just happens to be one of the most prominent birds in the region. As to her love for baking, Elena admits it was passed down through family, with her grandmother and mother both being incredibly gifted in the kitchen.

The Chatty Magpie is a quaint cafe, with four seats at the counter and a couple of bistro tables outside. Elena is personable and extremely innovative. From breads to pastries, and from pies to cakes she has mastered her craft. Need baked goods for a special event, than give her a call.

Good food, good customer service, and excellent coffee, the Chatty Magpie Cafe has a recipe for success. You can find them at at 3316 Ashley Phosphate Rd. in the Pepperhill Square Shopping Center near the entrance to Pepperhill at the intersection of Cross County Rd. Open 8-4pm Tues thru Saturday. For quicker access check them out online at https://www.chattymagpie.cafe/