Chef Stephen Coe and the Early Bird

Years ago, I remember having breakfast at the Early Bird in Kingston with colleagues in my networking group, which met right down the street. It was always a solid breakfast, but nothing to write home about. The staff was very nice, the décor dated but clean.

Housed in a 19th-century building, this breakfast/lunch spot has been around for at least 45 years, with only two different families owning the establishment for the majority of those years. The last six years have seen more turnover, including a period when three of the staff bought the restaurant. Then, almost two years ago, Chef Stephen Coe was looking for a small restaurant that could also be a home to his food trucks and a base for his other culinary adventures. He walked into the Early Bird and was immediately reminded of Pomeroy’s Donuts in West Bridgewater, where he worked when he was eight years old, filling donuts.

Modern Approach with a Farmhouse Feel

Coe’s vision for this small restaurant is a place where diners enjoy eating, with a comfortable atmosphere that harkens back to the old days, but updated and elevated. He wanted to focus on locally grown products, even referring to foraging. He gets locally grown potatoes from Sampson Farm; mushrooms from Whidden Organics; eggs from Sanchez Farm; honey from Hollow Tree Farm; herbs from Sweet Fordys Farm; oysters from Plymouth Rock Oyster Company and Plimoth 102s; fish and lobster from Woods Seafood; and tomatoes from Gdoubles Farm. In addition to updating his vendor list, Coe has been gradually updating the tables, chairs, booths, and décor as well.

Chef Coe and Beth dish it up on YouTube…

As for the menu, you can find the usual bacon and eggs, omelets, French toast, pancakes, and waffles, but many with a twist. For example, the Green Eggs and Ham Benedict—two poached eggs on a ciabatta roll with prosciutto, arugula, pesto, and a basil hollandaise sauce. And the Smoked Salmon and Avocado Benedict. Or, my personal favorite, the Lobster Benedict. Then there’s the Barbecued Short Ribs Benedict, served on corn bread. Breakfast sandwiches include When Pigs Fly, which is an egg with cheddar cheese, pork belly, and chipotle aioli on a croissant. “We try and bring our flavor profiles to the limit,” Coe explains. “Salty, sweet, acid… in a breakfast joint you usually don’t get that.” Chef Coe hates wasting food. For example, he has a machine that makes fresh-squeezed orange juice, then he makes orange marmalade from the rinds.

The lunch menu features a Lobster BLT, Short Rib Parmesan Sandwich, Steak Bowl, and a to-die-for Portuguese Chowder. Available from the “Brunch all Day” menu are options such as a Healthy Bowl with chicken sausage, egg whites, spinach, and quinoa; and Duck and Sweet Potato Hash, with a crispy egg. Coe recently added milkshakes to the menu, which can be ordered for breakfast.

Not one to back down from interesting flavor combinations, Coe explains, “I’ve been experimenting with different flavor combinations for a long time.”

Long-Time Breakfast Spot Gets a Lift from a Well-Known Chef

Future Plans

Coe wants to start serving dinner one night a week, and he promises a “playful” menu. “Because,” he explains, “I want people to be able to come in and just enjoy themselves.

It’ll be a multi-course small plates tasting menu.” Coming along with that will be a liquor license. He also plans to start making his own donuts. Soon, Early Bird will be adding a delivery service. The restaurant is also available to rent for functions. Finally, Coe is planning on holding seasonal cooking classes at the Early Bird starting this fall. He will be featuring recipes from Edible Southeastern MA magazine. He hopes that he can help people replicate restaurant-quality dishes at home by teaching a few techniques and keeping it simple.

Coe said his teaching style is to use “straightforward, simple flavor profiles, and then talk through modifications. But then when you look at the plating, it looks complicated.” I asked Coe what the biggest challenge to running a restaurant is, and he had a long list: making sure his culture is carried through, consistency, seasoning, making sure everyone’s having a good time, cleanliness. Even the silverware matters. “We use heavy-duty and try to keep it polished as much as possible.”

On the other hand, what does he like most? “People coming in and seeing familiar faces, and they’re happy to be here.”

Chef Coe has two cookbooks in the works. The first, scheduled to be out this fall, will features recipes from his Lobsta Love food truck. Since 2004, he has built a great reputation for his lobster dishes. The Early Bird cookbook will follow, featuring his modern take on brunch. Some examples will be the Smoked Salmon Benedict and homemade donuts.

Not being one to let moss grow under his feet, Chef Coe is involved in many aspects of the food industry. He owns three other restaurants: Rum Hut in St. Thomas, and two restaurants in St. Croix, 1756 Grotta and Ciba Matta. His business partner and chefs run the day-to-day operations on the islands, while he takes frequent trips to keep things on track. Coe and his business partner also work as consultants, helping other restaurants. Coe is collaborating with Second Wind Brewery to open a tap room with food on Court Street in Plymouth. Then there are Coe’s two food trucks: Lobsta Love and Culinary S.W.A.T.

Chef Coe loves teaching and mentoring. He helps judge competitions at the high school level. “It’s impressive to see what they’re teaching these students,” he marvels. But he also mentors adult chefs, encouraging them to get out of their comfort zone and take risks. Following the South Shore Food Fight this past summer, he will be accompanying the winner, Dave Casey, owner of the Perfectly Flavah’D Café in Bridgewater, to a national competition. “I took some local people out of their element, they collaborated, and now they’re excited to do the next one,” Coe explained.

It’s clear that for Chef Coe, variety is the spice of life. He loves a challenge, thrives on change, and wants to continuously improve. His first competition was his freshman year at South Shore Vocational Technical High School. Since then, he has competed in numerous competitions, including several on the Food Network. Coe has famously beaten celebrity chef Bobby Flay, not once, but twice! He recently went up against him for the third time, so stay tuned for the results.

“I get bored fast,” Coe acknowledges. “So, I figure if I challenge myself aggressively, I won’t be bored.” And that makes his customers very grateful.

Thai-Inspired Lobster Bisque