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The Wildflower Cafe is a place where food, people, art, music and nature all meet to let the worries of the day waste away.

This quaint destination on Lookout Mountain in the small, historic town of Mentone opened in 2007, but the story of the Wildflower is so intertwined with the life story of its eccentric owner, Laura Catherine Moon (who goes by “Moon�), that it’s impossible to tell where one’s story ends and the other begins.

A self-proclaimed “bougie hippie,� Moon was born and raised in the Magic City, but soon after finishing school she decided she wanted more, so she packed up and moved to the City of Angels, chasing stardom. She recalls that she wanted to be a big presence, to be known for something, but after several years, she began to see through Hollywood’s superficiality.

“After I was there for a while, I wanted to know what was really real, what did God really have for my life, what do you really want me to know, what do you really want me to see about my life?� Moon said.

She first moved to Mentone in 1998. For nearly four years, she lived in the woods without power or running water, studying herbs and medicinal plants that are native to the area. She opened a shop where she sold herbal products and organic produce, but after a few years in business, she wanted to put these ingredients together to connect people through food, so she bought a local restaurant and turned it into Wildflower Cafe, opening in 2007. Her love for plants inspired the name.

“Wildflowers do their thing. I do my thing. I resonate with that,� she said. “That’s the way I want people to feel when they come into the Wildflower, is like I want them to feel at home. I want them to feel their roots can travel anywhere, their seeds can travel anywhere, they can bloom anywhere, and that’s kind of what wildflowers do.�

When people come to her restaurant, Moon wants them to feel the same sense of calm and contentment that she feels in the woods, among the wildflowers. She prides herself on creating a good environment for not only her employees, but the suppliers who grow and provide the all-natural food served and the 25 local artists who sell their work there, a tradition she started at her first shop.

�When people walk in the Wildflower, I see awe. I see a sense of magic in their eyes. I see that they’re drawn in by the whimsical aspect of what’s going on,� Moon said. “When people come here, they don’t have to be anything. They don’t have to be anything to anybody. They just get to be with themselves and have a moment where they get to enjoy the music, the art, the food, the atmosphere and just that connection.�

She feels the food is what originally drew people in, from their signature tomato pie to their shrimp grits, but now, people come not only for the food, but for the sense of connection they feel when they walk in the door. The decor is a scrapbook-like hodgepodge of things that are comforting, southern, authentic and beautiful, but nothing about the restaurant is random. It’s evident from the moment you step inside that every thread is stitched with deep consideration. Moon says it’s easy to find a piece of yourself within the Wildflower, which is why she believes so many people feel safe there.

She dreams of opening a restorative retreat. She says she wants to create a place – not for people to escape – but to return to who they are. She’s currently working to cultivate walking trails on her property where visitors can learn about identifying medicinal plants in the wild, and she has much more in store.

“That’s who I am as a human. I just want to constantly remember and help people learn to return to themselves,� Moon said.

Her love for Mentone runs so deep that she’s made a hobby of traveling to the Mentones of the world. So far, she’s visited Mentone, California, Mentone, France and Mentone, Australia. She’s making plans now to go to Mentone, Indiana, and Mentone, Texas. She says the one thing all the Mentones have in common is their restorative nature. People used to come to Mentone, Alabama to get away from railways in Chattanooga and Mobile. Similarly, in Mentone, France, people visited from the air pollution in Paris.

“I said I’d never live in Alabama. My dad said, ‘If you love nature and beauty, you should go to Alabama,’ so here I am, in Mentone,� Moon said. “There's this spirit, there’s this nature, there’s this essence, there’s this beauty that just called me in and said, ‘You’re staying.’�

The Wildflower Cafe is located at 6007 AL-117, Mentone, AL 35984.

When you visit, make sure to snap a picture and post it to your socials using #AmbersAlabama.

For a web exclusive clip of Amber's visit to the Wildflower Cafe, click HERE.Ìý

You can also learn more about the new Amber's Alabama series by clicking HERE.