Burgaw Alimente: Keeping Burgaw Happy & Full
“Offering quick grab’n go and sit-down-cafe options, Burgaw Alimente offers a variety of Mexican dishes and dessert treats to satiate any sweet tooth or savory craving.”
Situated in the middle of downtown Burgaw’s busiest street, Burgaw Alimente’s key lime door and swaggy white brick exterior bring to life another piece of the puzzle on W. Fremont Street. Offering quick grab’n go and sit-down-cafe options, Burgaw Alimente offers a variety of Mexican dishes and dessert treats to satiate any sweet tooth or savory craving. “We’ve been needing a place like this” an eager customer tells me as he stops in for a burrito on his lunch break, and I quickly learn that when entrepreneur and owner Holly Liao can’t find a solution, she becomes the solution.
Liao’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2019 when she was pregnant with her first child and in search of holistic alternatives to help her allergies. She soon discovered elderberries as a helpful solution but wasn’t able to find a remedy that didn’t contain processed ingredients. In comes Elderberry Tribe; an alternative and holistic health service offering a variety of all-natural elderberry products.
Since launching in 2019, Elderberry Tribe’s products can be found in stores and businesses throughout New Hanover and Pender county. As they continued to grow, Holly kept her eye on the prize; the space at 118 W. Fremont Street that she had fallen in love with years earlier. When the building became available, Holly jumped on it with the original idea to open a brick and mortar elderberry shop and share the cost and kitchen with another food service provider.
With the launch date only 10 days away, coinciding with the Blueberry Festival, Burgaw Alimente faced a change in plans leaving the space to Holly to run alone. “My dad has always been a baker,” Liao explains, so naturally the two joined hands to get the kitchen ready and prepare a menu for opening day. Holly reminisces on birthdays spent having to choose between her dad’s signature desserts for her birthday cake. “Now I can have them anytime I want to!” she remarks, adding that he makes everything from scratch including his infamous cheesecake, carrot cake, baklava and deluxe chocolate cake- which can all be preordered from Burgaw Alimente for birthdays and events.
Their impressive menu offers everything from a “Deluxe Walking Taco” (a favorite of local kids on their way home from school) to made-to-order Charcuterie Grazing Trays and Mexican Fruit Cups. Locals can stop in for a quick smoothie or sit down to people-watch from the large bay windows and enjoy an authentic chicken & cheese burrito.
Having three girls of her own, family is undoubtedly important to Holly Liao and she wants to incorporate that into Burgaw Alimente. Besides great food, Elderberry Tribe products and desserts, Burgaw Alimente will soon offer a grassy, shaded outdoor space with tables and games for everyone to enjoy. Sporting a royal blue Burgaw PSYA Soccer jersey, Liao tells me that the mission at Burgaw Alimente is for everyone to leave full and happy. “We want to be the place where when you come in the door we recognize your face and know your name,” Holly expresses as her dad nods along. Nothing says home like a father-daughter duo on a mission.
Burgaw Alimente is open for business Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am- 8:00pm. Click here to check out their website (and don’t forget a slice of key lime pie for the road).