Chef Dave Ellis

I’ve been silent lately as my life has shifted gears and transitioned into its next phase. If you know me personally then you’re aware of what I’ve been up to, for those that don’t, I have returned to my families restaurant with the opportunity to fully focus on creating specials. SunnySide Cafe has been apart of the Williamston community for almost 18 years and has always been family owned and operated. It’s a continuation of my grandmother’s restaurant that she ran for 13 years in Milford starting in the 70s.
On the bright side I have plenty of interesting content to share and to start here’s a taste of what I’ve been working on.

House-Smoked Pork Breakfast Tacos with sweet potato, onion bacon jam, pickled onions, scallions, cojita cheese, and a crema made from a reduction of the pork jus.

Sweet Potato Waffle with fried pears, Rumchata whip cream, apple syrup, and candied bacon.

Pumpkin Pie Stuffed French Toast with a pumpkin cream cheese filling and topped with a pumpkin frosting and glaze.

Seasonal Root Hash with beetroot, rutabaga, sweet potato, onions, peppers, and a spinach/beet green mixture.

Butter Pecan Cinnamon Roll with a maple bourbon brown butter cream sauce, butter pecan syrup, and topped with candied pecans.

Elvis Pancake topped with fresh bananas, peanut buttercream, and candied bacon.

It was love at first sight when I first saw the stuffed donut creation. My favorite was fruity pebbles themed. It used a fresh locally made donut filled with a strawberry sauce, fruity pebbles, and ice cream that is pressed in a special contraption that makes to donut warm while the ice creams stays soft. I knew I had to recreate it!

I started off with one of my freshly baked cinnamon rolls and cut it in half, topping it with a cinnamon honey butter and a new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls cereal. I then topped that with my own apple butter glaze & frosting followed by a milk dud powder. After the stage was set I added my large scoop of cookies & cream ice cream and headed to the hot press. I used what I had and pressed it using a mini pie maker. (Not quite the same as is used on the original recipe but that explains the odd shape at the end) After a quick press the sandwich came out exactly as they described, hot on the outside and cold on the inside. Topping it with more glaze, frosting, and powder this little recreation is my new favorite!

Sadly is west coast based and hasn’t spread to the east coast or Midwest yet but I highly recommend following them and enjoying everything they offer.

There’s a fungus among us! Back by popular demand from my market crowd at the here’s my seasonal mushroom gravy. I went back to and decided on a diverse selection of color and texture this time. The gravy included 8 different mushrooms containing: shiitake, cremini, portobello, lobster, royal trumpet, yellow oyster, and chanterelle. I also used dried porcini mushrooms that were rehydrated and allowed for full flavor base.
Fun fact about lobster “mushrooms” is that they aren’t a mushroom at all. They are a parasitic fungus that grows on specific species of mushrooms known as Lactatius and Russula. It turns it’s host into the beautiful reddish orange color and when cooked it looks, feels, and taste similar to lobster.
I was beyond excited to obtain such a diverse selection of fresh fungi to bring intriguing textures and flavors to this dish.

Bread pudding is one of my favorite go-to recipes when I’m running heavy on seasonal fruit. In my mind it’s a great way to allow ingredients to come together and create magical flavors and textures.
Here’s a recipe that features peaches, blackberries, and blueberry. I also used some extra leftover cinnamon rolls that were repurposed and allowed for amazing flavor. Typically I’d use croissants, but when in Rome use what you have.
It’s important that once all the ingredients are combined that they are allowed to sit, chill out, mingle and mix before it’s baked off. This will enable a more delicious and gooey dish in the end.