Ben Cohen is the co-owner of the Happy Badger cafe. (Photos: Shane Hughes/Sentinel-Tribune)

Don’t try to go cheap with this week’s Cook’s Corner."One of
the guiding philosophies here at the restaurant is to use best ingredients, prepare them simply and with
love," says Ben Cohen, chef and co-owner of the Happy Badger Cafe at 331 N. Main in Bowling
Green."So when I am writing this recipe, the emphasis falls as heavily if not more so on the
ingredients chosen to prepare the dish compared to the recipe," he added, describing the process of
capturing on paper the cafe’s until-now-secret steps for producing its popular grilled honey cornbread with
herb sausage, white cheddar and eggs.The dish is among the most popular offerings at the restaurant’s Sunday
brunch, served weekly from 10 to 3."We change the menu every week, so it’s always fresh and fun for us.
But one of the dishes that we keep bringing back is our Grilled Honey Cornbread with Fresh Herb Sausage,
Sharp White Cheddar, Over Medium Eggs and 100 percent Michigan Maple Syrup," he said, listing the dish
by its full title.Their customers demand it.Cohen, 28, grew up in Toledo but when he and his sister Sarah
took over management of the Badger from their parents two years ago, he brought a New York state of mind
into the venture.Cohen was fresh from spending several eye-opening years living in the Big Apple."I
really engaged in the food culture there, the amazing groceries" and small ethnic restaurants. "I
experimented and learned about all the culinary cultures that are going on around the world."He brought
back with him a new appreciation for quality, flavor and freshness, as evidenced by his cooking hints for
this recipe.The preparation of the sausage-cornbread-egg dish is "extremely simple," said Cohen,
who estimated 15 to 20 minutes’ preparation time.First, he uses Belleville Brothers sausage from right here
in Bowling Green. "They raise and slaughter their own pigs and have been doing it for over 100
years."Don’t stint on the syrup; it must be real maple.As for the cornbread, you have a
choice.

Jason Vahle, a chef at the Happy Badger, holds a plate of grilled honey cornbread and sausage.

"We don’t have an oven here at the Badger
so we use Zingerman’s Northern Cornbread. It is sweet, moist and amazing. It’s almost like a cake, really
spongy. You could actually use it as a dessert."Whatever cornbread you use, it must be moist. Dry
cornbread simply won’t do."As for the herbs, Cohen is relaxed about which to choose, but
"definitely not shy with the amount."If you’re going to use drier herbs, put it in a food
processor or a coffee grinder first; rosemary and sage, especially, since they have sticks."He does
have strong feelings about the choice of cheddar."I think it’s important that it’s white, and we use an
intense sharp white cheddar," an organic cheese from Rosewood in Ann Arbor, also available for sale at
the Badger.If one doesn’t want to try such a sharp cheddar, that’s fine, but "it just wouldn’t work
with that really oily Kraft-type cheddar, is the main thing."And finally, the eggs: "We use local
eggs sourced from a few farmer friends with whom we trade eggs for compost." Local free-range eggs are
also for sale in the grocery attached to the restaurant.Cohen and his confederates at Badger, including chef
Jason Vahle, dreamed up the recipe themselves."I travel a lot; we all do. When it comes to brunch, I
feel a lot of the really wonderful inspiration comes from the South, a lot of that with the sweet and savory
mix. It’s definitely like a new revivalist Southern Cuisine. We’re going to be seeing a lot more of that
soon. It’s catching on."Cohen was just down in North Carolina a week ago, and confirmed his impression
of the coming Southern emphasis.The Happy Badger’s reputation is spreading, as more people note its
transition from clothing to cuisine. "Our parents opened a natural clothing store called Badger in
Toledo in 2000, with a really small tea shop connected with it," said Cohen, offering the back story.
"There’s been a Happy Badger in BG since 2008 but it was really a fair-trade clothing store. Two years
ago we changed it to fair-trade food," in homage to their parents. "We went from
clothing-restaurant to solely restaurant-local grocery store.""It’s over a year now we’ve been
doing the Sunday brunches," he added. "It’s one of the first things I implemented once I moved
back here."People call the restaurant "and assume it’s a buffet. It’s not. This is a menu. We make
everything per order."Badger has two dining rooms which seat about 60 people total, not counting
outside seating.They’ve also been serving Friday evening special-menu dinners for about two years, which are
centered around food that’s in season – for example, an all-tomato dinner or last Friday’s five-course,
all-vegetarian dinner. "They usually sell out pretty quick."

Grilled Honey
Cornbread with Fresh Herb Sausage, Sharp White Cheddar and Over-Medium Eggs1 lb. bulk ground Pork Sausage
(unseasoned)Handful of mixed Fresh Herbs (Basil, Sage, Rosemary, Parsley) – whatever ison hand, minced2 tsp.
Salt1/4 cup 100% Michigan Maple SyrupCornbread – Zingerman’s Northern or any moist cornbreadOrganic Sharp
White CheddarEggsCut the cornbread into slices about an inch thick and grill with a little bit of
butter.Make the sausage into patties and grill.Flip the cornbread and cover with a handful of shredded sharp
Cheddar.Grill eggs in good butter. Serve with sausage on top of the cheese and cornbread, and the eggs on
top of that. Top with a little bit of real maple syrup.Serve with a side salad of:Mixed GreensChopped
BasilApples with a dressing of Honey and Balsamic