Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Shellie Leger
I rolled up to Kristi’s Cafe on Minot Avenue in Auburn just shy of Court Street. Located in an unassuming, square building set back slightly from the road, it’s easy to drive on by, but I hope you won’t. As soon as I pulled in, at 10 a.m. on a random Monday, the lot was nearly full. I was greeted by a friendly server who led me to a spacious booth filled with light from a generous bank of windows — the sills filled with vintage bottles customers bring in to Kristi. I noticed two things — the place was spotless and gleaming, and almost every table was full. The server immediately took my order for coffee and told me Kristi would be with me momentarily. As promised, Kristi Huard-Norcross appeared — a tall striking blonde exuding confidence.
Huard-Norcross was born and raised in the Winslow/Waterville area, the baby of three and daughter of John Huard, a former football player for the Broncos. John was a student at the University of Maine Orono, where he got his start as a player.; UMO still has a John Huard day. When Huard-Norcross was 11, her father moved his family to Nova Scotia where he had accepted a coaching position at Acadia University; the family returned to Waterville where Huard-Norcross graduated from high school in 1986. Upon graduating, she attended the University of Southern Maine, where she obtained a degree in Therapeutic Recreation, opening the doors to a career at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in its Adolescent Chemical Dependency Unit.
“My job was to help reintegrate them into the community. I was there for 10 years, and I loved it. From there, I went to Community Concepts, where I visited the homes of children whose parents had been reported for child abuse and neglect,” she said. “Eventually I stayed home with my three daughters for a while, but my dad owned Northeast Turf. He did the fields for Gillette Stadium, University of Michigan, Bates (College) and so many more places, so I started working for him in the office. I learned my business chops there. It was great working for him. I got to see him every day, but he retired. That’s when I got my residential real estate license.”
Her mother-in-law, Mary Anne Norcross, was the driving force behind her decision to venture into real estate. Four years later, Huard-Norcross was still in the real estate business and had no intention of owning and running a restaurant. Not one to turn down a challenge, when a chain of events placed a restaurant in her path she didn’t flinch.
“I’d been a waitress in high school, so I had some front-of-house experience, and of course I understood the business end of things from working with my dad. When someone I knew bought the building, and I saw that it had all the equipment necessary to run a restaurant, I thought it might be a good fit for my skill set,” she recalled. “I knew it would still be a steep learning curve, and I couldn’t have done all this without the very good people in my life — especially David Tassinari. He owns Electrical Systems of Maine. He was one of the people who purchased the building and renovated it. The support from his knowledge as a business man was just incredible. He walked me through so much and set me up with all the fantastic people I needed to make this venture a success. You know, I’m not a morning person, and I don’t cook, but I’ve learned to trust my staff. They’re wonderful, and I’m very lucky.”
Kristi’s Café opened in October 2017 and serves breakfast (all day) and lunch between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. “My staff encouraged me to stay open seven days a week. They wanted to work more. One of my favorite things about the business is doing anything they need,” she said. “Whatever they need help with, I’ll do it — vacuuming, prepping food, serving, cleaning, whatever. And I love to hear people laughing and talking at their tables — having a good time. That’s what makes me happy — all the regulars are just amazing people. Some of them basically become our family. We really get attached. It’s been a wonderful venture, and I truly enjoy it. I do my own thing, and it’s working.”
I finish up my breakfast — a delicate corned-beef hash eggs benedict that I will absolutely return for — as a young woman at a nearby table moved from one vintage bottle to the next, examining each one as the sunlight shone through.
