The kind of dedication it takes to turn coffee into a love potion or leave politics to bake pies is what makes downtown Kennett Square taste so good. And you can thank the folks at Philter Coffee and Nomadic Pies for the labor of love, but they’ll just redirect the praise to the people around them.

“I fell in love with the people here, and the more I met, the more I realized it was where I wanted to be. I wanted to raise a family here,” Kennett Square coffee entrepreneur Chris Thompson said in a Cecil Whig feature by Denise Marotta Lopes.

His handcrafted coffee literally wrings the best out of every batch.

“We bring out the flavors inside the beans while paying respect to the coffee and the growers,” he said in the article. “Coffee is more than just a way to wake up.”

The intent focus on quality coffee is both a science and art form in Kennett Square. “Water temperature, weight, water-to-coffee ratio and bean density all matter,” the article explained. “So does the atmosphere, aesthetic and presentation of the shop.”

It’s a similar story just across the street at Nomadic Pies, Kennett Square’s food truck-turned-pie shop. There, the quality comes fresh with every season, baked with love by Molly Johnston.

“In spring, sour cherries are plentiful – she and her team pitted 360 pounds last year,” the article stated. “Peaches have a short season; when available, she makes peach raspberry pies. Apples winter well; by spring, she is ready to stop peeling apples.”

There’s even quality chicken pot pie, curry and quiche too.

Read all about Kennett Square’s top-quality connoisseurs and their inventive offerings in the Cecil Whig here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Kennett Square happenings here.