The first encounter occurred early in the morning. I was in auto-pilot mode making a pot of coffee and some toast for Lou. In my bleary-eyed, half awake state I spotted one, then two, then an army of ants..."THE MARABUNTA!!!"... attacking the toaster! It could well have been the opening scene of a very "B" horror movie we saw years ago where killer ants ravaged a city in Alaska. I saw the ending and it wasn't pretty, so armed again (see March 3 posting!) with my trusty can of insect spray, I set about the task of saving PE from the "Killer Ants!" Later, when I saw June she told me very matter-of-factly, "That's typical of PE this time of year." So much for my self-proclaimed super-hero status.
The second encounter, on the other hand, was at the site of this week's coffee crawl. The mere mention of Vovo Telo Bakery and Cafe brings a smile and a contented sigh from PE residents. Vovo Telo, located at 16 Raleigh St. in the Richmond Hill area, is "the place where the locals go," so you know it's gotta be good. The shop has quickly become a PE institution and a favorite of PE dwellers since its opening in 2007. The building is unremarkable and unassuming but the wonderful aroma of freshly baked artisan breads and other goodies emanating from it waft in the breezes to be sensed blocks away. Upon entering the shop the display of baked goods looks as good as it smells. I've eaten lunch at Vovo Telo a few times and the food is amazing...no need to ask what's good on the menu... order anything and you won't be disappointed. Unfortunately, the "No Food On The Crawl" rule was to be strictly enforced this week. Otherwise, I would have had one of each!
We did get a pleasant surprise when barista, Wandile Vuba, knowing our crawl group was there, sent two lattes (on the house!) to the table in order to show his mad skills. Wandile is an artist... check out the pics I took! He has coached competition winning baristas! I vote that he should be competing... what do you think? My son, Jeff (retired) and my daughter, Liz, are my two favorite baristas, though neither one has made a cappuccino for me (nepotism at its best!). They will be dethroned by Wandile, though, if they don't step up their game!
Our crawl group this week included June Nash, Fran deBeer and her sister, Prudie Brown, Stella and Beryl Dawson, and Colleen LeRoux. June ordered a double shot cappuccino because she's taking care of her two grandsons this week and she needs all the help she can get! June's order, coupled with Vovo Telo's unique atmosphere and Wandile's amazing lattes, convinced us all to jump on the double shot bandwagon. Everyone, that is except Fran, who ordered black coffee...c'mon Fran, get with the program :) !
So, they say there are only two certainties in life... death and taxes. Well, I have a third to add to that list...bad driver's license photos. Somehow, our conversation about the Illy brand coffee we were enjoying changed to passport and driver's license pics. Before you could say, "Cheese," we were circulating our driver's licenses and commenting on bad hair and goofy glasses, while wondering where those years went since the pic was taken. All that "fun" was broken up when waiter/photographer extraordinaire, Zimbabwean, Wade Armstrong JD. came over and showed us the PE coffee crawl blog he had brought up on his phone. Wade then took some great shots of our group. Wade, if Will and Kate are still looking for a good photographer for their upcoming nuptuals, you'd be a shoe-in!
Unfortunately, Vovo Telo's owner, Matt Repton, was not in the shop during our visit. He was probably at the Vovo Telo Newton Park shop or at Vovo Telo Pizza a few blocks away. In either case, thank you, Matt, for providing PE with a super bakery/cafe! With an accommodating, skilled, good-humored, and upbeat staff along with great food and coffee, there is no wonder Vovo Telo is a local favorite! Thanks to all!
The jury is still out on whether to divulge the identity of the next week's coffee shop visit. I've received mixed comments on this issue. In light of this, I will not reveal next week's shop at this time. If you have a thought on this, please let me know.
As for the brigade of appliance attacking ants, I stopped on the way home to buy more ant spray and some traps. That may be a little over the top, but if left to their own devices, who knows?...this week, the toaster, next week, the coffee pot?!?
Until next week,
Ellen
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| Meet the Awesome Barista Wandile Vuba |
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| This Week's Crawlers Stella, Beryl, Fran, our waiter Wade, June, Prudie, Colleen |
I wouldnt be offended if I got dethroned, that guy is pretty good. I never got much further than the standard heart hahaha
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