An old cafe took on a new owner in May when Pauline Shuman opened the White Lotus Cafe in Eastsound Square.

Shuman serves up simple, casual, affordable, “peasant” food. Currently open for breakfast and lunch, she offers selections ranging from egg dishes and French toast to soups, quiches, sandwiches, strawberry shortcake and other items.

This building has housed many different cafes, and Shuman is anxious to make her own mark. Most recently it has been Chez Chloe, and before that, Olga’s, Cafe Jama, and the Sunny Side Cafe. “When it was the Sunny Side,” says Shuman, “it had a real community feel. I want to recreate that community feel, create a place for the locals, and one that tourists will enjoy, too.”

“We make everything from scratch,” says Shuman tossing an eggshell into a wastebasket behind her. “We make all of our own breads, pastries, salad dressings, even the mayonnaise that we use in the sandwiches.”

Shuman has been working in Orcas Island kitchens for 25 years. She has gleaned many things from her years working at Christina’s, the Orcas Hotel, the Olga Cafe, Calaloo, and private catering, and is now anxious to put it all together in her own cafe.

Now open for breakfast and lunch, patrons will soon be able to enjoy beer, wine, and light fare in the evening. “I want [the cafe] to evolve into an evening spot,” she says, “a place where people could hang out after a movie or going to the Orcas Center.”

How Pauline opened the White Lotus Cafe was somewhat serendipitous, much like her very first trip to Orcas Island. When she was living in Ohio, a friend of hers wanted to go to Orcas and wanted to have her car there, but didn’t want to make the long journey from Ohio to Orcas in the car. Pauline offered to drive it here and didn’t stop until she reached Doe Bay.

As is typical for many islanders, she had been holding down several jobs, two of which were care-taking for Allen and Janet Stanford and waitressing at Chez Chloe. After the first season, Chez Chloe owner Wendy Thomas closed the cafe in January and planned to reopen in March. But when March rolled around, Thomas looked at Shuman and said, “I don’t really want to do the cafe.” Shuman replied that she’d be interested in buying the business. Two weeks later. she signed the papers and the cafe was hers. About 45 days after that, the building began its newest reincarnation as the White Lotus Cafe.

“When I drove the car out here,” says Shuman, “I lived in Doe Bay out in the woods and was looking for the pioneer experience. The community was smaller, and everybody knew each other and each other’s kids. My kids used to play on this floor when it was the Sunny Side Cafe. It’s kind of nostalgic for me to work here. I want to create that old community feel.”