-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
The three students in the culinary arts class at Southeast Valley High School work together to cook, plate and serve the Jag Cafe meal on Friday. From left are sophomore John Klingson, junior Mackenzie Coleman and sophomore Nina Dalley. See next week's Life section for more on the Jag Cafe.
GOWRIE — It’s lunch time on Sept. 23, which means it’s showtime for the students in Sherry Vogel’s culinary arts class at Southeast Valley High School.
SVHS sophomores John Klingson and Nina Dalley and junior Mackenzie Coleman have been working hard all week to prepare for Friday’s lunch, and spent all morning cooking and giving their meal the finishing touches before their first customers arrived at the Jag Cafe. On the menu was teriyaki chicken on a bed of white rice with an Asian salad and dessert — choice of a strawberry cheesecake or a strawberry creme dessert.
The Jag Cafe is the restaurant hosted by the SVHS culinary arts class periodically throughout the semester. Students learn about different cooking techniques, food safety, meal planning, how to read and modify recipes and how to cook a nutritious and delicious meal.
The morning of the Sept. 23 Jag Cafe lunch, the kitchen-classroom at SVHS was filled with organized chaos — Klingson standing over a stove with several skillets of cooking chicken, Dalley at another stove cooking the teriyaki sauce that would be ladled over the dish and Coleman at yet another stove preparing several pots of rice. The timing of the elements of the dish had to be precise — the students needed to plan on when to cook each part so that it all came together at the same time for serving.
As the first guests arrived, they were greeted and seated and the three culinary arts students took turns serving the plates of food.
-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Southeast Valley High School students, teachers and community members enjoy a lunch made at the Jag Cafe on Sept. 23.
Once the lunch rush was over and their 40 guests — students, teachers and some community members — had left with happy, full stomachs, it was time for the student chefs to enjoy the fruits of their labor and take a seat for the first time all day.
Each student has their own reasons for taking the class. For Dalley, it’s a step toward her future career.
“I plan on having a cafe someday,” she said.
Last school year, Coleman was in Vogel’s bakery class and enjoyed it, so she wanted to continue learning from Vogel. Klingson said he thought the culinary arts would be a fun challenge.
The Jag Cafe has been a student tradition for many years, Vogel said. She said the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on the restaurant days, but the student still offered carry-out meals. She’s hoping that it’ll pick up more this year.
In addition to culinary skills, Vogel said her goal is to teach the students decision-making skills, communication skills and nutrition — skills they’ll need for the rest of their lives.
When a cheesecake wouldn’t set right on Sept. 23 and the students decided they couldn’t serve it, they worked to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it when there wasn’t time to make a new one. They had to make in-the-moment decisions on adjusting serving sizes to stretch what they had and what to make as an alternative when they eventually ran out of cheesecake and creme desserts.
The Jag Cafe lunch wasn’t just some food plopped on a plate — the students put in the care and effort to make their food look good and appetizing. From the sprinkle of sesame seeds on the entree to the delicate piping of whipped cream on the cheese cake, the student chefs paid attention to every detail.
Friday, May 27, 2016, was a big day for Jihan Bayyari’s family.
While her youngest daughter celebrated her third birthday, Bayyari celebrated the launch of a dream long in the making: a little bike-themed eatery called Cyclismo Cafe.
Though Bayyari’s family has lived in Redwood City since 1993, it was her time abroad in Scandinavia that ultimately inspired the new venture.
Moving to Sweden with her husband, she faced the challenges of “being an expat, being in a new environment, feeling that loneliness of language barrier, culture barrier” and became attuned to others going through similar experiences.
“Then when I moved back to California [in 2013], I realized that a lot of people here are also expats,” she said. “They’re here because they've come here for work or school or a loved one. And some people aren't from California; a lot of them aren't even from the United States.
“So I found that they were in the same boat that I was,” she added.
Remembering her own struggle to find community abroad, she envisioned connecting people from all walks of life in Redwood City.
“So I created this kind of meeting place,” she said.
A fresh-brewed mocha. courtesy Cyclismo Cafe
That meeting place was Cyclismo Cafe, a beloved downtown eatery tucked into the pedestrian path between Broadway and Middlefield. Offering large, communal tables, Bayyari hoped to nourish and bring together a diverse patronage. The food, too, was a celebration of cultural exchange.
“A lot of it comes from the things that I wanted my family to eat,” she said. From the Haifa toast with fresh labneh and a sprinkling of za'atar to the sweet potato and avocado hash, Bayyari’s menu featured fresh, local ingredients and recipes inspired by her Mexican and Arab heritage.
Since her cafe’s grand opening, Bayyari has strived to keep that original spirit alive. Over the years, she has served a wide range of loyal and new customers, hosted political meet-and-greets and even brought in live music and dancing.
“It was a community space where the old Redwood City and the new Redwood City could meet,” she said. “The tech people who came for work, the people who have lived here forever, the families—everybody could feel welcome.”
Now, just over six years and a pandemic later, Bayyari is preparing to close her doors for good.
“We really tried to make it work,” she said. “I’ve been self-funding this going on three years now…but the math does not work—it’s not sustainable.”
Cyclismo, like many other local businesses, suffered enormous losses when the pandemic hit. Increased demand for workers made finding and retaining employees more difficult than ever. At the same time, remote work drove many of her regular patrons out of the office indefinitely, and many others relocated from Redwood City entirely. Without a reliable customer base, Bayyari said she ended up paying “100% of the bills with 20% of the density.”
Through San Mateo County Strong’s small business fund, she received a one-time grant of $10,000, roughly the equivalent of one month’s rent. And with workers’ salaries to pay and rising supply costs—some food was up nearly 200%—she called the grant a “bandaid on a sinking ship.”
“Rent is over $10,000 with taxes,” she said. “That’s a lot of coffee. That’s a lot of people I need to feed to meet that.”
A salmon and avocado bagel sandwich. courtesy Cyclismo Cafe
On top of which, Cyclismo was one of a handful of Redwood City businesses—and hundreds throughout the state—that was hit by lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act in May 2021. The plaintiff alleged that outdoor dining tables were inaccessible to someone in a wheelchair because they lacked “sufficient knee or toe clearance under outside dining surfaces.”
Nearly a year later, though many of the complaints were ultimately deemed “fraudulent, boilerplate lawsuits against small businesses,” Bayyari was still finishing the process of settling. It’s unclear whether she’ll ever recoup the lost funds.
“Everyone tried to get together and fight it. And as the bill started climbing up, everyone started fragmenting and getting rightfully scared and settling,” she said.
Ultimately, she said, the recovery from COVID just never happened.
“I really thought the bounce back would be a bit faster,” she said. “But every time that people stay home and not come to work, it affects businesses.”
In mid-July she announced that Cyclismo would be closing until September to give employees a much-needed summer holiday. But rather than reinvigorate her to reopen, the break reminded her of how much she’d been missing the last few years.
“Once I was home and closed for that month, my daughters were like, ‘Don’t open again, we really like having you home,’” she said.
Her time freed from the constant demands of cafe operations, Bayyari could suddenly spend quality time with her family, attending sports and other extracurricular events. But it wasn’t just the special activities; she realized that her daughters, ages 9 and 11, had reached a critical point in their lives—one she wanted to be a part of.
“It’s almost more important to be there now when they have emotional and psychological needs,” she said. “If I just have them come and sit [at the cafe] on their iPads after school, I’m really doing them a disservice.
“How much longer can I ask them to ‘give mommy two more years’? When do I say I need to put my kids’ needs first?”
In the end, Bayyari said, her decision to close was somewhat inevitable. Navigating a maze of failed recovery attempts and compounding costs, she said she finally hit a point where there was “no way out, no way through.”
She’s not alone in her struggle. Bayyari faults the pandemic and new live-work habits for changing the demands of the service industry.
“It’s just this new life that we have to navigate,” she said. Whether temporarily or permanently, many of her regular customers moved out of the city or simply stopped commuting to their downtown offices. “The old days of doing business and the old business models no longer work.”
Long communal tables are built for work or socializing. Leah Worthington
Someday down the line, Bayyari said she’d like to “see this idea of Cyclismo reimagined,” perhaps as a multi-purpose, nonprofit space that could support everything from adult evening events to coding academies and other after-school programs.
But for now, with Cyclismo’s last day on Friday, she’s focused on packing up and clearing out the cafe. Her mother came out to help, and Bayyari announced a garage sale, where her merchandise would be available to purchase at a reduced price. The work has been a distraction from the emotional toll of it all, she said.
“You almost have to detach yourself from what’s going on and you can deal with it when it’s all closed,” she said. “I’m probably going to feel a lot of feelings. Right now it doesn’t feel real.”
But the inevitable grief has also been tempered by an outpouring of gratitude from the community, reminding Bayyari of the connections she helped create—ones that will outlive the cafe itself.
Asked about some of her favorite memories throughout the years, Bayyari recalled organizing paint ’n sip parties, homeless outreach fundraisers and the Latin Democrats, who brought dancers from Ballet Folklórico to perform in front of the cafe. Another time, she hosted an afterparty for an entrepreneur conference that became so rowdy that “every time the phone rang, we thought it was the fire chief telling us to shut down,” she said laughing.
“There’s been lots of shared stories. A lot of people come and tell me how they’re going to miss this place,” she said.
One couple, who stopped by for breakfast, shared their story of meeting at Cyclismo on a blind date. They’d since moved in together and had returned to the cafe to celebrate their anniversary.
“You’ve had that moment with them and they’ll have that forever,” she said. “And I’ll have that forever.”
"cafe" - Google News
September 30, 2022 at 10:47PM
https://ift.tt/zgmIyRr
'It's definitely bittersweet': Cyclismo Cafe closes its doors after six years of operations - Redwood City Pulse
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/alyN1I6
https://ift.tt/i4c3O9o
Last call to get your tickets to Taste of Knowledge this Sunday, Oct. 2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Pig + Fig Cafe in White Rock. An incredible menu will be offered with five dining stations including soft fresh-baked pretzels with beer cheese sauce; German potato salad, cucumber salad in dill crème fraiche, fresh sauerkraut; crispy fried cutlets of pork loin, potato dumpling pasta, brown mushroom gravy; summer sausage, bratwurst, butterkase, sweet brown German farmer’s bread and fresh fruit; and finally traditional apple strudel slices and chocolate hazelnut petit fours for dessert. A selection of wines and beer from Germany and Austria will also be served. Enjoy Oktoberfest and participate in our wine pull, live auction and paddle raise to benefit all Los Alamos Public Schools! Go to https://TOK22.givesmart.com or visit lapsfoundation.com to buy your tickets now.
"cafe" - Google News
September 30, 2022 at 09:09PM
https://ift.tt/nMVAsc3
Tickets Still Available For Taste Of Knowledge Sunday At Pig + Fig Cafe - Los Alamos Reporter
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/alyN1I6
https://ift.tt/i4c3O9o
You may never feel as free as in the moments before you ask for chilaquiles. The fried corn tortilla dish, commonly eaten at breakfast in Mexico, can be ordered with runny eggs, dried and stewed meats, an array of salsas, raw and pickled garnishes, crema, and crumbly cheese. In theory, it’s a meal of abundant choice.
In practice, the options have been more limited in Manhattan. Chilaquiles usually appear on the menus of Mexican restaurants in one or two preparations. At La Chilaquería, the small Mexican cafe that Alfonso Amador and Susana Labrada opened earlier this month at 139 W. 28th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, there are around two dozen. More are on the way.
“There isn’t anything like this in Manhattan,” according to Amador, and he’s right. It’s been two weeks, but the cafe already has a small following of office workers and homesick Mexicanos, who shout orders across the counter in a mix of Spanish and English. “This is for Mexicans who miss these places back home and people who are trying them for the first time,” he says.
Chilaquiles divorciados with avocado and chicharron.Luke Fortney/Eater NY
The small cafe loads its fried tortillas into deep compostable bowls, then heaps on refried beans, cheese, and crema. An array of meats and other proteins come next, including fried eggs, chorizo, carne cecina (beef that’s salted and then dried), chicharron prensado (pressed pork rind), and avocado sliced thin and perched on top like a little crown ($18). Additional meats can be added on for a few dollars more.
The plot thickens with the restaurant’s salsas, which come in shades of red, green, and brown. There’s the more common salsa roja, which needs no introduction, and the sweeter salsa verde, watery and green from its blend of tomatillo and serrano, jalapeno, and poblano peppers. The salsa de almendras, a brown sauce made by toasting sesame seeds and almonds in butter, almost resembles a good chili: It’s thickened with a combination of fried arbol, cascabel, morita, and costeño amarillo chiles.
The torta de chilaquiles with salsa de almendras.Luke Fortney/Eater NY
Meats and salsas considered, there are at least 20 different ways to order these bowls of fried corn tortillas. That’s not counting the cafe’s torta de chilaquiles, a sandwich that’s popular in Tijuana and Mexico City, or its chilaquiles burrito, an off-menu special stuffed with chips, salsa, and beans. The carb-on-carb gut busters are best shared among friends, Amador says, or otherwise used to induce a siesta.
The focus is on chilaquiles for now, but Amador and Labrada have bigger plans that include moles, tlayudas, and more. If even half of what they say comes true, La Chilaquería would become one of the neighborhood’s best spokespeople for regional Mexican cuisine. For now, round out a meal with cafe de olla, seasoned with cinnamon and piloncillo (a type of unrefined cane sugar), and lattes sweetened with condensed milk.
There are around a dozen indoor seats, half of which are found at a railing with bar stools, and two tables on the sidewalk out front. La Chilaquería is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Customers sit outside of La Chilaquería.Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
A cafe owner who was preparing to close her business as she could not afford to stay open has said she is "over the moon" after a donor stepped in to help.
Gráinne Carson runs the Patisserie G dessert shop in west Belfast but recently she had to let all her staff go because of rising electricity bills.
However, the family of a Belfast-born businessman has now offered to pay her electricity bills until January 2023.
"It's been an absolute rollercoaster," Ms Carson told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.
She said the last-minute reprieve felt like the plot of a film, but she felt very lucky that her business was rescued from closure.
"Someone had posted the other day that it was like one of those Christmas movies... someone comes in and saves the day," Ms Carson said.
"I love those movies but it means much more because it's real life.
"It's not a movie - we are living in a crisis here and I got lucky because I've got help, but there are so many small businesses that are just drowning at the minute."
The generous gesture came from the McGowan family, whose father is a senior figure in a London-based manufacturing firm and has links to west Belfast.
"He was born in Amcomri Street in Beechmount, where I have the patisserie across the street," Ms Carson explained.
She said Mr McGowan's rise in business had been "phenomenal".
"He's a CEO of a major company, the Amcomri Group. His son reached out and says: 'We want to help, just give back to the area'.
"To be fair I thought it was too good to be true, but it's very true."
'There was cheering'
Ms Carson's cafe, which opened in August 2021, had very much become part of her local community, hosting a regular breakfast club, a book club, and an entrepreneurs' club for local children.
She had already organised a "goodbye party" for her customers on Saturday night, but the McGowan family told her to go ahead with the event, and instead it became a surprise "staying open" party.
"A lot of people showed up, the place was packed and I just came out and told everyone. There was cheering, the emotions were crazy," Ms Carson said.
"At the start of the entrepreneurs' club I said: 'Look, it doesn't matter where you live, you can be anything you want to be, but now there's proof."
She said her benefactor had proved it and the children "have someone really, really good to look up to now".
Ms Carson added that while she is not "out of the woods yet" in terms of her financial concerns, the McGowans' offer would give her breathing space to restart her business.
Hotel Aka with new black color scheme, photo via EAGH Alexandria
The Electra America Hospitality Group (EAHG) has filed an application to open a new cafe with outdoor seating at Hotel AKA — an Old Town North Holiday Inn replacement at 625 First Street with a dark exterior.
The amendment to allow a cafe is bundled in with an official change of ownership special use permit headed through the city review process.
The hotel is currently under construction and is scheduled to open sometime this winter. One of the most notable parts of the application process was the proposal to paint the exterior of the building fully black, though concept renderings on the Hotel AKA website show the exterior as a lighter grey.
“The Applicant is requesting a minor amendment to the existing SUP to add 40 outdoor dining seats,” the application said. “The Applicant is in the process of completing interior and exterior renovations to the existing hotel and plans to re-open as the Hotel AKA Alexandria.”
The new hotel will have 180 guest rooms with various amenities, including the new cafe if the permit is granted.
“The cafe will offer coffee, pastries, and similar beverages and light fare typically offered in coffee shops,” the application said. “The cafe will include a total of 40 outdoor dining seats in an outdoor seating area on First Street.”
The hotel will also include a lounge area and bar on the ground floor near the lobby. There are 148 parking spaces on-site, and the application said that’s expected to remain the same.
So much is unknown when the owner of a bar and a brewer collaborate on a unique blend of beers to stash inside an old wine barrel to age for several years. Will the different parts eventually come together as one beam of liquid harmony, or fray into a disjointed undrinkable mess? How will the wild yeasts behave? Will the world fall apart? Will that bar even be around when that barrel is eventually uncorked?
The odds got pretty hairy for many bars over the past couple years. That includes Monk’s Cafe, the world-renowned Belgian beer bistro that struggled to endure the early shutdowns of the pandemic by selling growlers of rare Russian River and Hill Farmstead beers (unheard of) and serving its delicate mussels to go — a move Monk’s had previously sworn off.
“Adapt or die,” concedes owner Tom Peters.
A pot of mussels in Thai curry broth at Monk's Cafe.. ... Read moreCRAIG LABAN / Staff
Not only did Monk’s survive, Peters invested in serious soundproofing and better lighting for his dining rooms. The wood-paneled rooms are even more cozy now as Monk’s celebrates its 25th anniversary and is once again alive with steamy mussel pots (get the Thai curry), excellent burgers, crispy thin frites and an unparalleled draft list, from multiple Cantillon lambics to Westmalle Dubbel and Pliny the Elder.
Peters, who has long history of working with brewers around the world on unique beer creations, is finally reaping the rewards of one of his favorite projects: Works of Love, a collaboration with Shaun Hill of Vermont’s Hill Farmstead Brewery, which has just been released to mark Monk’s quarter century in business.
Felicia D'Ambrosio, event planner, pours Pliny the Younger beer as Tom Peters, owner of Monk's, stands nearby during "Pliny the Younger Day" at Monk's Cafe in February 2020. Pliny the Younger is the Russian River Brewing Company's Triple IPA, that's rarely found on the east coast. . ... Read moreMONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer
Peters and Monk’s Felicia d’Ambrosio spent three days with Hill in 2017 tasting dozens of barrels to select several blond ales to blend into a base beer for aging in wine barrels to emulate some aspects of their favorite white Burgundies — minerality, peach notes and balance. “The beer follows its own path,” Hill would tell them every time they curiously checked back over the years. The patience has paid off. When it was finally released this month, Work of Love certainly tasted more like beer than wine, fizzy, tart and with a hint of earthiness from its yeasty transformations. But what complexity and lengthy! There’s an incredibly juiciness that does, in fact, recall aromatic white grapes or apples, a festive sparkle of white pepper, and an enduring balance that’s full of grace.
At $55 for a large bottle that must be drunk on site, it’s definitely a bit splurgey — but also a bargain considering it’s a one-of-a-kind, and what that price gets you for wine in a restaurant.
ADVERTISEMENT
Works of Love is yet another reminder of a world-class Philly institution that I’m grateful has weathered the recent storm. Monk’s devotion to the art of beer has once again delivered a predictable result: a very special bottle that’s been worth the wait.
— Craig LaBan
Works of Love, $55 for 750ml bottle, Monk’s Cafe, 264 S. 16th St., 215-545-7005;monkscafe.com
A burger with blue cheese and caramelized leeks at Monk's Cafe.. ... Read moreCRAIG LABAN / Staff
Tripadvisor's best-hidden gem restaurant of 2022 is Joe's at the Jepson in Savannah, Georgia. Joe's is a café housed inside the Telfair Museums' Jepson Center, which is a modern museum located in the heart of downtown Savannah that educates visitors about the city's art, history, and architecture. The restaurant opened in 2019 and is helmed by famed chef Theodore Paskevich and partner Donald Holland.
The café offers daily lunch, weekly afternoon tea, and Sunday brunch, per their official website. The menu includes elevated café food with familiar items like tomato basil soup, Cobb salad, and ham and tuna sandwiches. The menu is constantly evolving and new menu items often draw inspiration from the museum's exhibits (per the restaurant's page on Tripadvisor).
It's no surprise that this Southern hidden gem won this coveted award because Tripadvisor reviewers gave Joe's 892 "excellent" reviews. "If you like fresh ingredients and consider yourself a foodie, you need to stop in for lunch," one fan wrote in their review. Unfortunately, according to Joe's Facebook page, the restaurant will be closing in mid-October for Paskevich and Holland to focus their full attention on their product line, The Southern Conserve. The good news is the restaurant will continue to accept reservations through October.
"cafe" - Google News
September 29, 2022 at 01:30AM
https://ift.tt/rkIwaVQ
The Café Tripadvisor Users Named The Best 'Hidden Gem' In The US For 2022 - Tasting Table
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/trx8Pbp
https://ift.tt/lzBoHk6
North Jersey, more specifically the Fort Lee and Palisades Park area, is the prime destination for Korean barbecue. And now it is home to the best bingsoo in the state, according to Yelp reviewers.
Cafe Leah in Palisades Park has been serving the community with its specialty coffee drinks, bubble tea and handcrafted bingsoo for over 10 years.
"cafe" - Google News
September 27, 2022 at 10:00PM
https://ift.tt/LZCpQER
This N.J. cafe is the No. 1 place to eat bingsoo, according to Yelp reviewers - NJ.com
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3homiw5
https://ift.tt/8OJdBLC
West Hollywood is about to get another all-day cafe courtesy of an Orange County legend: John Secretan opened the first Zinc Cafe and Market with his mother Rosemarie in Laguna Beach in 1988. Now, the second Los Angeles location — the cafe also has an outpost in the Arts District, as well as one in Corona Del Mar — is set to open this Wednesday, September 28 on the corner of Melrose Avenue and Westbourne Drive. Secretan had been eyeing this specific location, which housed a Le Pain Quotidien for 20 years, and is elated that he can finally call the space his own.
“I’ve been doing this for 35 years now, and I’ve expanded slowly and carefully at the pace that worked for me,” Secretan says. “Like one [new Zinc Cafe] every 10 years.”
Zinc Cafe’s menu offers new dishes alongside fan favorites. Unique items available at the Melrose location include a Sugar Kiss melon salad with fennel and Parmesan, and a fried egg sandwich with herbed cream cheese, pickled onions, and Persian cucumber. Zinc standbys include asparagus and cauliflower toast, chilaquiles bowl, Belgian waffle, and the ever-ubiquitous-in-LA avocado toast. Intelligentsia coffee and Art of Tea selections are on offer, as are mimosas and bloody marys. The space will offer to-go items, too.
To-go options are aplenty at Zinc.Jenn Emerling
Secretan is a third-generation vegetarian and deeply inspired by the aesthetic, mood, and menu at Alice Waters’s Cafe Fanny. He first discovered Waters’s outdoor design work while studying landscape architecture at UC Berkeley. The vines growing along Zinc’s terraces and its ever-expanding garden are all inspired by Waters.
When this dream corner lot, just a block away from Urth Cafe and sandwiched by furniture and design stores, became available a few years ago, it was priced affordably enough for Secretan and his team. Along with his partner, architect Tim Secretan, John carefully designed the newest Zinc location to feel like walking into an old home in North Berkeley where a huge courtyard appears seemingly out of nowhere. The pair brought in Evan Raabe Architecture Studio and Greg Solmeri of Rolling Greens to revamp the location and capture the “secret garden” energy. Sparse paintings of vegetables and flowers hang on the walls, while live plants will continue to grow inside and around the restaurant through the years — a fact Secretan is giddy about.
The competition on Melrose is fierce, especially when it comes to all-day cafes. Vegan restaurant Avant Garden Bistro opened in May and vegetarian restaurant the Butcher’s Daughter opened a second location on Melrose Avenue just last week. Secretan feels good about Zinc’s offerings nonetheless. “We were the first to bring a casual and fast gourmet restaurant to Laguna Beach,” Secretan says. “I feel confident our concept holds up very well.”
Zinc on Melrose will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with dinner hours to follow.
The outdoor dining at Zinc is flanked with all kinds of greenery.Jenn Emerling
Walking through Zinc’s new space is its own unique delight.Jenn Emerling
"cafe" - Google News
September 28, 2022 at 01:38AM
https://ift.tt/pu8Zz3o
West Hollywood Is Getting Yet Another All-Day Cafe, This Time From an OC Import - Eater LA
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3homiw5
https://ift.tt/8OJdBLC
Owner Carlos Marrero opened Ms. Velvet’s Café, at 239 N. Fourth St., late last month in the former site of Bacon Bagels. Bacon Bagels closed last May following thedeath of owner Leo Martin, and Marrero served the past year as the site’s manager.
Marrero’s mother, Iris Gonzalez, sometimes helps serve up dishes. He opened cafe in memory of his late sister, Ruby Marrero. She was 32 when she died.
So much of Ms. Velvet’s Café reflects what his sister would have wanted for the family, Carlos Marrero said.
It’s two blocks from where Ruby Marrero worked, lived and, ultimately, died. Photos of her are scattered around the cafe. Her favorite foods are on the menu, such as buttered soft rolls paired with “morir soñando,” an orange-and-cream flavored beverage. “Ms. Velvet” was Carlos Marrero’s nickname for his red-haired sister.
“Ruby’s life was invested in Allentown and this location is a perfect fit to honor her memory,” Carlos Marrero told lehighvalleylive.com. “And when it came time to select a name for the new business, the choice was easy.”
Ms. Velvet’s Café, 239 N. 4th St., opened late last month in space that previously occupied Bacon Bagels in Allentown. It's in tribute of the late owner's sister, Ruby Marrero.Photo via GoFundMe.com |For lehighvalleylive.com
Carlos Marrero has a lifelong passion for cooking and the community.
He’s spent more than two decades working in the culinary industry, starting at age 15 working for McDonald’s. He moved up to manager at restaurants like New York Gyro in Allentown and the former Bacon Bagels, and was a multi-store manager for Dunkin’.
He always wanted to run his own cafe and his sister’s untimely death convinced him to follow his dream. He got financial backing from Bethlehem’s Rising Tide Community Loan Fund. The fund is a nonprofit subsidiary of Community Action Lehigh Valley, which helps business owners with start-up endeavors and development.
His sister loved to have a good time. He wants that for his patrons, he said.
“Ruby was a vessel of fun, life and love,” Carlos Marrero said. “The hope of Ms. Velvet’s Café is to spread that fun, life, and love through serving the community.”
On the menu are breakfast sandwiches, eggs and omelets. For lunch, the cafe serves up tuna and chicken salad sandwiches, BLT clubs and cheesesteaks on rolls and wraps. On the side you can eat soft pretzels, home fries, side salads and homemade soups.
Prices range $4 to $8; with combos, including a hot beverage at breakfast or can of soda and chips for lunch, costing around $10. The cafe has some outdoor patio seating with heaters for cold months.
Carlos Marrero places a memorial just blocks away from Ms. Velvet’s Café, at 239 N. 4th St., at the section of the roadway where Ruby Marrero was fatally struck. The accident happened in February 2017 as she crossed the street near her Allentown home in the 400 block of North Sixth Street.
Ms. Velvet’s is less than a block from Central Catholic High School and St. Luke’s Hospital-Sacred Heart. Carlos Marrero hopes students and medical workers stop in for a bite.
Carlos Marrero may open a second location. He also wants more help to staff the cafe, jobs targeted to folks with special needs or first-time job seekers.
The cafe is open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Saturday. However, Carlos Marrero is considering seeking zoning approval to stay open later.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
"cafe" - Google News
September 26, 2022 at 06:30PM
https://ift.tt/u1QTvYx
Allentown café opens in tribute of owner’s sister killed in crash just blocks away - lehighvalleylive.com
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/MjuTtPo
https://ift.tt/nLMiUJ1
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - In Roanoke, a new cafe opened. But this one has a twist, it’s a nonprofit donate-what-you-can style of food service.
Ursula’s Cafe held its grand opening Saturday, September 24th. The restaurant and non-profit aims to be a welcoming spot to enjoy a nice meal or sweet treats.
The owners say they were inspired to open the cafe after seeing a need to feed people in the Star City.
“Our Mission is to feed everybody with dignity. Be able to provide space for community. When we’re not serving food this is gonna function as a community art center. So, this is a space for everybody to hang out. Get something nutritious and delicious to eat. And to spend time in a place that is safe and welcoming.”
The cafe says their retail items and classes will keep them in business, saying everyone deserves good food and fulfilling lives.
Now, the business, which expanded to Trinidad, Colorado in October 2020, owes back taxes, and the city has shut it down until it pays up. Co-owner Jim Norris announced the closure on a GoFundMe page launched Thursday night.
David Sands
“Coming out of Covid has been hard on all small businesses and humans across the world,” Norris and Kyle Sutherland wrote on the fundraising page. “For us, with Matt’s unfortunate heart attack and miraculous but slow recovery, it has been a particularly hard time to recover from — as he is the brains behind the money while Jim has always been the heart behind the vibe.”
The shop has done more to support the poetry, podcasting and underground music scene than most Denver businesses. It has hosted free events and has been a safe-haven for all types of people looking for a cup of coffee and a chance to browse books, comics and records or just sit and chat with fellow misfits.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“We want to stay open and continue to serve our community to the best of our ability and always grow and improve to be a haven amidst the continual chaos of the modern world and all of its malaise,” the GoFundMe post stated. “It is time to dig deep as a community and support each other so that another Denver icon doesn’t disappear in the whirlwind of gentrification, new development, and big business. We have always tried our best to be a hub of information, an underground network of mutual aid and support – and right now we need the people of our changing city to help us continue to serve you as not just a cafe/venue/bookstore/huge garage sale, but as neighbors and fellow human beings.”
The store said it has 30 days to catch up on taxes or it will shut down for good.
"cafe" - Google News
September 23, 2022 at 05:05PM
https://ift.tt/UzQANCX
Mutiny Information Cafe, a South Broadway staple, forced to shut down over back taxes - Denverite
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/wyT5ULl
https://ift.tt/EBrxkag
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24058439/IMG_2279.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24058435/IMG_2288.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24062188/PXL_20220926_173431244.MP.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/FQGD3NAABZFFBPBADTIAL7TLAE.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/HVOD7RO43RGBVFB7PRHB7DUXOQ.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/7523TZX23JDZJFWFS6XYLQ42TQ.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24058551/Zinc_Melrose_retail_details_Jenn_Emerling.JPG)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24058545/Zinc_Melrose_back_patio_vertical_Jenn_Emerling.JPG)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24058559/Zinc_Melrose_exterior_Jenn_Emerling.JPG)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/MUU7JNCAMJEGTMTYDQPPISH45Q.png)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25244079/4.png)
