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Sep 18, 2023

Heaven’s Nectar in Petersburg is now open

Heaven’s Nectar owner Carol Lee and her daughter-in-law stand at the registry

Heaven's Nectar owner Carol Lee and her daughter-in-law stand at the registry after the ribbon cutting. Many of those who joined in the ribbon cutting were eager to try items from the menu.

Carol Lee loves coffee, but not just any coffee. She readily admits to being picky. Jokingly, she said if she had fled Egypt with the Hebrews, coffee would have spewed from the rock Moses tapped.

"I love strong coffee, but not bitter coffee," Lee said. "Many people think it's the same thing, but it's not."

Before moving to Petersburg more than three years ago, Lee was an operations manager for 25 years. For fun, she said she would cater events and have gatherings in her home "because I love to feed people." The one thing she said she dearly missed after the family settled in Petersburg "was being able to get a good cup of coffee close by."

When the idea first formed to open a coffee shop, she said there were only two retail shops on the Petersburg square. None of the current renovations had begun. "We originally wanted to lease one of the buildings on the square; however, before that happened, an idea for a community garden that started years before was presented to me. I was asked if I wanted to pick up the gauntlet," Lee said. She did.

While going over her design plans for what is now the Hal R Sanders Memorial Garden, Lee had the idea of building a greenhouse that could be used for picnics and other gatherings. When she was asked, "why not build your coffeehouse and make it look like a greenhouse," she began designing the coffee shop.

Heaven's Nectar was designed as a greenhouse. The eat-in area is surrounded on three sides by walls of windows an arched glass roof.

"My husband (Joey) and I have worked together every step of the way," Lee said. "He took my designs and brought them to life."

All the materials in the memorial garden and the coffee shop were selected to mimic and complement the natural stone and colors of the area. Lee said the design was to create a peaceful spot to relax and enjoy nature.

Diners can enjoy views of the memorial garden when sitting at the counter. All the materials in the memorial garden and the coffee shop were selected to mimic and complement the natural stone and colors of the area

When entering the coffee shop, the arched glass roof and windows on three sides complement the plank flooring, green walls, and three seating areas. A countertop is attached to the wall directly facing the garden for diners to enjoy the view. Hanging plants add the definitive touch of a greenhouse.

Lee said she loves down home cooking as much as anyone, "but I also love artisanal food as well. We have many great restaurants in the area, but I don't want to drive 45 minutes to get soup in a bread bowl or some of my other favorite foods. So, our menu has some traditional favorites as well as artisanal foods."

Not forgetting the star of the coffee shop, Lee began researching which coffee would be on the menu based on "all the things I love in a coffee. I crafted my coffee from beans that have a bold, but not bitter flavor, and low acidity," Lee said. "We use beans from some of the finest coffee growing regions in the world." The coffee is packaged as Heaven's Nectar — heaven in a cup.

She said the overwhelming response from people who have sampled the coffee has been "this is really good, really smooth." A variety of coffees and teas are offered at Heaven's Nectar, many of which can be customized to taste.

In addition to soups and salads, the menu offers a variety of sandwiches served with a pickle spear, choice of pasta salad or mixed fruit. Parmesan potato wedges or a side salad can be added for an upcharge. Look for the daily lunch special. A variety of bakery items, including cookies, brownies, muffins, croissants, bagels, pound cake, sweet bread, cupcakes and pie and cake by the slice are offered. The hard part is deciding which to choose. Whole cakes and pies are available with a 48-hour advance order. And if that's not enough to tempt that sweet tooth, desserts include cheesecake, dessert taco and The Temptation, which is a warm sourdough brownie served with vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge, crushed almonds and their signature brown sugar sauce.

Coming soon is Heaven's Nectar wood fired pizza from the adjacent outdoor kitchen.

Now that Heaven's Nectar is open, Lee said work in the garden will resume with plans to add a water feature and amphitheater.

Heaven's Nectar, located at 106 Northside Square in Petersburg, is open from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For information, call 931-655-4280.

A ribbon cutting for Heaven's Nectar, located on the north side of the Petersburg square, was held Thursday, June 1. The Fayetteville-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, Petersburg's mayor and vice mayor, family and friends were on hand when owners Carol and Joey Lee cut the ribbon. Heaven's Nectar offers crafted coffee, bakery items, soups and salads and sandwiches.