Yesterday, we planned what proved to be an exceedingly successful Saturday morning outing at Palmetto Bay Sun Rise Café, located at the northern end of the island on Helmsman Way, adjacent to the Yacht Club of Hilton Head and Broad Creek Marina. We’ve been there many times before.

Coincidentally, early this morning, I received my usual Sunday clipping from The London Times—sent, as always, by my erstwhile physician, who is wintering in Australia (they’re a day ahead of us). The article reflected what, to me, is a longstanding breakfast tradition.

The central theme of the piece was the governance of the menú del día, emphasizing affordability above all, followed by considerations of nutrition, popularity, and accessibility. It also touched on the inescapable social convention of dining out regularly, primarily for convenience and companionship—what the Spanish call casas de comidas (literally, “houses of meals”). Sun Rise Café is precisely such a place.

This morning, we were promptly seated inside, not far from the counter where we’ve sat before. The place was packed—inside and out on the adjoining veranda—alive with the commotion of a busy weekend morning. Amid the bustle, I spotted someone whose presence and energy distinguished her as a linchpin of the establishment. Her name is Paula. By her repeated affable attention to the clientele and her darting exchanges with the servers and kitchen staff, she exuded an unmistakable command of the place.

Paula has been attending to business at Sun Rise Café for over 23 years. In our brief chat, we recalled having seen her in past years behind the counter, overseeing the kitchen as a chef. She explained that she is now focused on training new staff. Stepping away from immediate culinary duties has allowed her to exercise an equally vibrant gift—her social warmth, which rises to the level of endearing, almost maternal, affection.

By further coincidence, The London Times article also considered the possibility of employing AI to determine an acceptable menú del día—a reference that mirrored, quite unintentionally, my ongoing exchanges with my physician on the subject of AI and its encroachment upon human roles. Yet, whatever debate may surround AI, there is one point on which I am certain: no technology, however sophisticated, can ever replace the singular charm and desirability of human expression—of people like Paula. Hers is a presence that defies replication, a bearing that is, by any measure, nonpareil.

I unequivocally extol the freshness and flavour of this morning’s breakfast. And as readily I concede that Paula’s presence may have added the je ne sais quoi.