Suanne Martinsmith believes food should nourish the soul as well as the body, so it’s fitting that her Home Made Café is housed in a 120-year-old church overlooking downtown Port Orchard.

Situated at the corner of Dekalb Street and Cline Avenue, the restaurant is an easy walk from the marina and the Bremerton foot ferry. Martinsmith’s family lives upstairs and the cafe is in the basement, made cozy with thrift-store décor and salvaged wooden doors that create dining nooks. An outdoor courtyard beckons on sunny days.

The menu is pure comfort food – fluffy biscuits with sausage gravy, hearty breakfast scrambles, and sandwiches like the “Seahawk” made with meatloaf, bacon, two cheeses and all the fixings on grilled sourdough. Sandwiches run $9 to $12. And most breakfast entrees run $10 to $11.50.

“There’s nothing better than homemade food,” said Martinsmith, a former art teacher who grew up cooking with her dad. She got passionate about scratch-cooking after one of her daughters developed an allergy to fructose, a common additive in processed foods.

The café, which is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesdays through Sundays, is a family affair. Martinsmith’s two daughters work there, as does her partner of 10 years, chef Paul Robinson, and his son.

When you go, you can be assured of two things: Martinsmith will treat you like you’re part of the family and, like any good mom, she won’t let you leave hungry.

Address: 537 Dekalb St., Port Orchard, WA

Hours: 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays

Reservations: Recommended for parties of four or more on Saturdays & Sundays; accepted for parties of all sizes on weekdays

Contact: 360-908-5026