Dutch treats for the Ann Arbor streets

You may think you’ve tasted a Belgian waffle at, say, IHOP or someplace.

But unless you’ve been to Belgium or the Netherlands, you haven’t — at least, not according to Community High graduate Noah Goldsmith. After a post-senior year jaunt through Europe, he took one bite of the real thing and decided to recre- ate the experience in his hometown.

With his business partner Tia Hoffman, Noah developed The Wafel Shop, opening on Liberty Street this month. The star of the show: the Liège waffle, crisp, dense, and dusted with powdered sugar. “In the Netherlands, it’s the ultimate street food,” says Tia. “You buy one rolled up in a paper cone, and then add fresh fruit and whipped cream.” The pair will be duplicating the experience, and are dedi- cated to fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. “We’re working with local farmers and Calder Dairy,” says Tia, “but we do have to import the Belgian pearl sugar for the Liege waffle. That’s got to be authentic!”

Tia and Noah both love a clean, pop art look, so the décor will be simple, with art from a combination of local and Belgian artists. “We just want to serve great food and have fun doing it,” says Tia. “Everything will be cooked out front. We want things to be transparent, casual, super fun, so that anyone will be at home here and have as much of a blast eating great food as we do making it.”

The Wafel Shop is open from 7am-10pm, seven days a week. 133 E. Liberty St. www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wafel-Shop.

Recent Articles