Urban Blend Coffee Shoppe

In my daily interactions with people here, if the subject of my blog comes up, a PE resident will inevitably suggest a coffee shop that I may not have visited yet.  Locals are always a great resource.  Michelle, a trainer at the gym, not only recommended a few coffee shops, but she also introduced me to her friend, Shaun Aupiais, a barista trainer and distributer of Sumatran Brand coffees here in PE.  After a few phone conversations, in which we "talked coffee," Shaun agreed to attend The Crawl as a resident coffee expert.  He chose Urban Blend Coffee Shoppe on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Hurd St. in Newton Park as the venue for an info session and coffee tasting for this week's crawlers. 

Fifteen of us, Fr. Dominic Griego, June Nash, Gail Taverner, Les Baldwin, Nomusa Nkomo, Gail Darne, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Beth Vieira, Fran and Keith de Beer, Leanne Waller, my husband, Lou, and my daughter, Liz, met at Urban Blend on Tuesday morning instead of our usual Thursday to accomodate Shaun's schedule. Initially, it appeared that parking would be an issue, but available spaces across the street and more in the back of the shop provided plenty of room for all of us along with numerous other patrons.  Shaun welcomed us all, led us to a reserved table, introduced himself, and took orders for our first round, which featured a "Single Origin Ethiopian" coffee.  Excellent choice, Shaun!  Everyone loved this round (even Nomusa, a loyal tea drinker) and I think, rather I'm sure, you just got yourself some new customers. 

Before round two, Shaun fielded coffee questions from the group.  He gave a brief explanation of different espresso beverages and brought a machiata for me to try.  Well, I've never had a machiata before, and now I'm sold...my new favorite (non-alcoholic) drink of all time...a machiata made with Single Origin Ethiopian Sodomo coffee!  So, for round two, about half the crawlers changed their original order to a machiata.  For this round, Shaun used Caffe Molinari brand and offered the crawlers the Urban Blend coffee/cake special, which a few of us couldn't resist,  Yes, I'm guilty of breaking my own No-Food-On-The-Crawl rule.  But the muffin was awesome with my Americano.  Shaun and Urban Blend's barista, Luthando, prepared both rounds of lattes, cappuccinos, machiatas, and Americanos for the group and served them in heated cups so as not to lose the 15 to 20 degree C that is lost when using cold cups. 

As round three was served by our waitress, Pinki, I had an opportunity to talk to Urban Blend's owner, Lisa Herman.  Lisa and her husband renovated a house and turned half of it into the Urban Blend Coffee Shoppe about a year ago.  They are looking to expand into the other half of the house soon.  I am a real fan of the subtle African decor of the shop with bold but tasteful colors on the walls.  There are tables and comfortable lounge areas on two levels of the shop and seating outside as well.  I love the laid back atmosphere and am sure to visit the shop again for a traditional breakfast or a gourmet sandwich for lunch.  Lisa told me that she had never been in the industry prior to opening the shop...you certainly had me fooled, Lisa...you're a natural! 

The PE Coffee Crawl is about coffee and conversation.  Well, this week, coffee was the conversation...at least for a good portion of our visit.  With my daughter, Liz, being a barista at a Starbucks in Washington, D.C., she and Shaun had much to discuss and share with the group.  At Nomusa's end of the table, a tea versus coffee debate ensued.  I was speaking to Lisa when the debate finally ended, but I'm guessing the coffee-lovers won, hands down...sorry, Nomusa.  Once the hot beverage topic was exhausted, the table talk turned to speeding fines with Lou and Liz vying for top honors.  Liz, I think your dad has you beat, but only because he is so much older.  At some point, discussion at the table split, with one end regaling the wonders of the Serengeti while the other end talked soap opera trash.  I won't tell which end I was on! 

Overall, this coffee crawl with Shaun, our special guest/barista/coffee connoisseur, was a hit with all present.  I'll be sure to keep on the lookout for more interesting "coffee people" in PE to introduce on the blog. 

A note on my son Jeff's comment on Cafe Ro-Ann: Jeff says Liz may be the favorite child since Lou came to two crawls (and counting) with her and zero with him.  He wants a vote on who is the coffee crawlers' favorite.  I think they'll all claim the Fifth, Jeff!  (For my non-American readers, the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives you the right to keep your mouth shut so as not to incriminate yourself).  Jeff, I'll see what I can do...I hear Keith takes bribes. 

Thank yous to:
~ Shaun, for the samples and for organizing this special crawl for us
~ Lisa and staff, keep up the awesome work!
~ This week's crawlers, who came out fot this special Tuesday crawl
~ My readers, for being patient with my late postings...I would have posted Saturday but the Surf was up at J-Bay for the Billabong competition.  Lou, Liz and I couldn't miss out on the sick barrels.  Congrats to South African surfer, Jordy Smith, who took the top prize.

One last note:  This week's coffee tasting reminded Liz of her barista colleagues working hard at the Van Ness Starbucks in Washington, D.C., while she vacations here in South Africa.  Liz sends a big HELLO! to Jack, Sam, and Stevi. 

Until next week (or whenever I get to it),

Ellen

Meet the Owner
Lisa Herman






This Week's Crawlers
Lou, Leanne, Keith, Beth, Stella, Beryl, Gail D., Nomusa, Les, Gail T., June, Liz, Fr. Dominic

 

Meet the Baristas
Luthando and Shaun

Cafe Ro-Ann

Back in high school I had a friend who made me crazy with her habit of being late for everything.  I, on the other hand, drove her nuts with my obsessive punctuality.  Well, that punctuality went down the tubes once I had my three children.  For some reason, regardless of how early I got started, I never seemed to be able to get anywhere on time.  Now, as an empty-nester, I'm back to the old "if you're not early, you're late" mindset......until this week.  My daughter, Liz, arrived in PE this past Wednesday evening and will be here visiting us for about five weeks.  I love having her here, however, Thursday morning, despite getting up earlier than usual for the coffee crawl, Liz and I ended up leaving for the crawl very late.  Heading down Main Road in Walmer I received a call from a group of crawlers who had already assembled at Cafe Ro-Ann wondering where I was.  I reassured them that I was on my way and silently resigned myself to the fact that I probably won't be on time for anything (including this posting) for the next five weeks......thank you, Liz!!!

I was very excited for this week's crawl because I'd heard so many great things about Cafe Ro-Ann ever since we moved here about a year ago.  I decided that it would be the perfect choice for Liz's first crawl.  Cafe Ro-Ann is located at 144 Villiers Road in Walmer and is open every day for breakfast and lunch.  Upon passing through the gate at Cafe Ro-Ann, patrons enter an outside garden area with numerous picnic tables along with a small play area for children.  Indoors, the shop includes three rooms, the green room, the orange room, and the smoking room, all of which have plenty of available seating.  The cafe offers free wireless internet for all patrons!!!

Our Waitress and the Owner
Alicia and Lynda Davies

Lynda Davies has owned Cafe Ro-Ann for three years.  She chatted with Liz and me after this week's crawlers departed, and introduced us to her staff.  Lynda's top priority is that she and her staff are all "doing it right" to ensure satisfied customers.  Well, Lynda, you all certainly "did it right" on Thursday morning as all of this week's crawlers, Fran and Keith de Beer, Les Baldwin, Nomusa Nkomo, Beryl and Stella Dawson, Gail Darne, June Nash, Beth Vieira, Margaret Zoetmulder, my husband, Lou, and my daughter, Liz will definitely be return customers.  As for the Ciro brand coffee, all the crawlers enjoyed their beverages prepared by barista, Melonisha Arends, and served by Alicia, but Liz especially liked her latte.  Nice job, Melonisha and Alicia!!!

This week's thirteen crawlers met in the orange room around a large table with three smaller tables pushed together to accommodate all of us.  After introducing Liz to everyone our initial conversation revolved around accents, and with South Africa having 11 official languages, there was much to discuss!  Everyone then took turns teaching my baby girl inappropriate, rated PG words and phrases in Afrikaans.  The geography of Africa then had everyone stumped but Liz came to the rescue and impressed all present by hand drawing a map of the African continent and labeling all the countries.  I cross checked it with the world map when I got home....she nailed it!  We discussed our plans for Liz's five week visit here....she's certainly looking forward to exploring South Africa.  Lastly, all the crawlers agreed that Liz must be the favorite child since Lou joined us for her first crawl but was nowhere to be found for Jeff's!  OUCH!

Thank you to Lynda and staff...I did make the perfect choice for this week's crawl...and thank you for the biscuits!!!  (sorry so late with the post)
Happy Birthday to Prudie Brown who shares her big day with Nelson Mandela on Monday, July 18.

Finally, to my high school friend, Karen.....I'm still waiting for my Christmas card!!!

Until next week (actually, later this week),

Ellen

This Week's Crawlers
Lou, Liz, Keith, Margaret, Beth, June, Stella, Fran, Gail, Beryl, Les, Nomusa

Meet the Barista
Melonisha Arends

My Husband and Daughter
Lou and Liz

live EAT. love

Happy 21st Birthday, Lizzy!!!

Not to worry, readers, I'm not planning to start every posting with a birthday wish (see June 24 post) but recently I've had a few "big ones" that I wanted to acknowledge.  In this case, my daughter (and youngest of my three children) just turned 21 on Wed., July 6.  To celebrate this momentous occasion (the fact that Liz is now legal to drink and gamble in the U.S.), my sister, Elaine, took Liz and her friends, Becca and Jenna, to Atlantic City, NJ for a few days.  The last I heard, they were on a winning streak at the blackjack tables.  That's my girl!!!  But, remember my last text msg, "know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."  Hope you bought something nice for yourself at the outlets.

I wish I could have been there to celebrate with Liz (though I usually get owned at the casino) but I did the next best thing....and that was to meet my friends (this week's crawlers) Beth Vieira, Fran de Beer, June Nash, and Stella and Beryl Dawson at "live  EAT.  love"  for cappucinos and conversation.

I drive past  "live  EAT.  love" every day on my way home from the gym, which is just around the corner.  The shop, located on the corner of Centenary and Circular Drive in Lorraine has been open since February of this year.  Using sights, sounds, and tastes from her international travels as inspiration, owner and chef, Inge Nel renovated and redecorated this already existing coffee shop.  The fun logo, clean lines, and red-and-white decor make for a fresh atmosphere that every coffee lover in PE should experience.  Inge studied at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Cape Town for three years.  The display of cakes shows off her talent as a pastry chef... just check out the pic!  I also hear that her wedding cakes are amazing!!!  Pastry is not her 
only forte, though, as she offers a full breakfast and lunch menu, and also caters small functions both on and off site.  (I think I may organize a dinner party soon!!)  

"live  EAT.  love" is open Monday-Friday, 8-4, and Saturday 8-2 with a pensioner's coffee/cake special on Wednesdays.  Kind of makes me wish I was retired (well, I sort of am retired...unofficially...which doesn't count).  So, Inge takes care of the cake part while barista, Jocelle, is the coffee expert.  Jocelle uses Ciro brand for the filter coffees and LavAzza for the specialty beverages.  My cappuccinos were tremendous, though after drinking two of them I ended up with caffeine jitters that I had to work off at the gym later.
"live  EAT.  love" is in a small plaza on a busy intersection, and shares limited parking space with two adjacent businesses.  A visit to the shop is well worth the effort it may take to find a spot, though.  Right, Fran? 

So, in honor of Liz's birthday, this week's crawlers started off the talk at the table with our take on "Lady Luck."  Who does she smile upon?  Though no one at the table admitted to being very lucky (perhaps for fear of getting stuck with the bill!), we could all name numerous people who are... and they all seem to be related to us!  Somehow this turned into a discussion about tattoos and body piercings..... this must have been quite entertaining to Jocelle who couldn't quite hide her amusement.  Next, I posed a question that would stump even Ken Jennings.  What is the capital of South Africa?  I'd heard various answers to this question and wasn't quite sure (should have googled it).  Anyway, a debate ensued, a final decision made, and an explanation followed.  The answer in a nutshell.... South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria is the administrative capital , Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.  I must have looked somewhat bewildered because later in the day I received a phone call from Fran clarifying the answer for me......I googled it anyway......they were right.

And finally, I've had many talks with the crawlers over the past few months regarding South African culture.  It being such a complex topic I've just scratched the surface and have probably only learned enough to pass a "100 level" course on the subject.  We started on the "200 level" today.  Thank you, ladies, for your insight and very candid answers to all the questions I threw at you.

More thank you's:
*Thank you to Inge and Jocelle....very cool coffee shop
*Thank you to Elaine for making sure Liz had a memorable 21st birthday
*Thank you to Fran and Keith for being my "go to" source for all things South African

All these thank you's......and who said I'm not lucky?  (Right, that would be me)

Happy Birthday (July 8) to Marko, the ever-happy front desk guy at the gym...nothing beats getting thrown in a pool on a cold winter day!!!!!!

Until next week,

Ellen

This Week's Crawlers
Beth, Stella, June, Beryl, Fran

Meet the Barista
Jocelle

Meet the Owner
Inge Nel

Bocadillos Cafe

Deja vu... we've all experienced it... and when we do there's inevitably a need to make sure everyone around us knows it.  For some reason, I experienced deja vu more often when I was younger.  That seems odd since we have more experiences to "repeat"  as we age... whatever.  Anyway, Thursday morning, as I entered Bocadillos Cafe, a brief moment of deja vu swept over  me.  It quickly passed when Tristan, Bocadillos' manager, came over to greet me.  I certainly couldn't let him in on my deja vu (after all we'd just met!) so, instead, I gave him a quick rundown on the blog and he, in turn, gave me a tour of the shop.

Bocadillos has just recently relocated from 181 Main Rd. in Walmer to a much larger building and its present address at 54 6th Ave in Walmer.  This new shop has a large main dining room and a small side room leading out to a courtyard.  More seating is also available on the patio.  Now, most owners don't give much thought to the passageway that leads patrons to the rest rooms.  However, Bocadillos' owner, Kerry Repton-Smith, has stylishly decorated this area of the shop.  Along with a cute furnished space she has incorporated a curved wall covered in old sheet music.  It's a unique conversation piece.  As a matter of fact, Tristan and I "talked music " a bit when we got to this part of the tour.  It's very cool... check it out even it if you don't need to use the facilities while you're there!

Meet the Owners
Matt Repton and Kerry Repton-Smith

Now, if you're a regular reader of this blog you may recognize Kerry's surname, Repton, as also being that of VovoTelo's owner (Crawl #10, April 15 posting).  Well, it just so happens that Vovo Telo's owner, Matt Repton (who was not on site on crawl day at his shop) was at Bocadillos on Thursday visiting none other than his sister, and owner of Bocadillos!  Wow...what a great photo op!!!  Matt finally gets his pic on the blog!  So, there was something very familiar about the atmosphere of Bocadillos that I just couldn't identify... not a "deja vu familiar," but something......   Then it hit me...Bocadillos and Vovo Telo both have an energy that is palpable.  The staff at both shops is enthusiastic, fun, and all appear to totally love their jobs.  Matt and Kerry must have a family secret for how to run a successful business.  Kudos to both of you!!!

Bocadillos has an amazing bakery (I bought some croissants to take home!) and a taste-tempting menu.  Illy brand is used for all their coffee beverages.  The cappuccinos, prepared by baristas Kukie and Taba, were excellent, as were the designs in the froth!  Our waiter, Siya, and manager, Tristan, visited the table a few times to chat with this week's crawlers, Beth Vieira, Stella and Beryl Dawson, June Nash, and Fran and Keith de Beer, and to make sure we were all happy with our coffees and the service.  No complaints here!

Knowing we were meeting this week at Bocadillos, June didn't eat breakfast because she planned to break the "No Food On The Crawl" rule.  She opted for the oats with some stir-ins.... and looked like she had died and gone to heaven as she ate it!  Well, that kept her quiet as the rest of us discussed last weekend's  International Food Fest for which I made Sloppy Joes and Apple Pie.  Another topic at the table was the Grahamstown Arts Festival (June 30-July 10).  In the spirit of the festival, June, though unable to speak, busted out a ballet move that would put Barishnikov to shame!!!  June, you missed your calling!  So, after 21 "Crawls" you'd think we'd have run out of things to talk about... guess not, because recycling and how opposites attract were also discussion topics this week.  We then brainstormed names of more coffee shops to visit in the coming months.  Settle in, folks, ... believe me, we'll be doing this for a while!!!

Thank you's and special occasions:
*Thank you to Kerry Repton-Smith and Matt Repton for providing PE with two great coffee shops... BRAVO!
*Thank you to Tristan and the rest of Bocadillos' fun staff
*Happy Anniversary to Fran and Keith de Beer (July 1)
*Happy 4th of July to all my American readers...hope you have good weather for your celebrations, and enjoy the fireworks!

When I asked my daughter, Liz, what "deja vu" actually means in French she said, "already seen."  Lou, you were pretty close when you said it meant, "been there, done that."   Both work for me!

Until next week,

Ellen

This Week's Crawlers
Stella, Fran, Beth, June, Beryl, Keith

Meet the Baristas
Kukie and Taba

The Bocadillos' Staff

Elyon's Coffee Shop

Happy 50th Birthday, Jackie!!!

This past Thursday (June 23) began like every coffee crawl day.  But as I was prepping for this week's crawl I decided to send my BFF, Jackie, in Horseheads, NY a quick text msg to wish her a happy birthday.  It was 8:00am here in PE and 2:00am in Horseheads.  No matter, I thought, I knew she'd be awake.  I sent the text and, what do you know, within a minute I received a response from Jackie!  Well, after a brief text conversation we decided to Skype.  An hour later it was time for me to go and for Jackie to try to get some sleep.  So, I sang "Happy Birthday" to her and we signed off.

I sang "Happy Birthday" yet again Thursday morning shortly after this week's crawlers met at Elyon's Coffee Shop.  As promised on last week's post I, along with Beth Vieira, Leanne Waller, Nomusa Nkomo, Les Baldwin, Stella and Beryl Dawson, and Fran and Keith de Beer, sang "Happy Birthday" to June Nash whose big day was Monday (June 20.... you just made the Gemini cutoff, June!).

Elyon's Coffee Shop, located at 8 High Street in Mount Pleasant, is a renovated-for-business house situated in a residential area.  This two-year-old business shares space with V and A Garden Centre and Indigenous Nursery.  After congregating at the nursery and checking out the plants and pots for sale, this week's crawlers moved into the coffee shop to get the crawl underway. 



Meet the Owner
Salome Rees



Elyon's is a small shop with six black-and-white clothed tables and a comfortable lounge area.  The shop is open on weekdays for breakfast or a light lunch, closed on weekends and public holidays.  Owner, Salome' Rees, also provides a "venue and menu" for business meetings, children's parties, and other small gatherings.  She does all the baking of pies and cakes as well.  As you may remember from previous postings I have a weakness for lemon meringue pie.  Well, I broke down and bought a piece to eat later after my trip to the gym.  The pie didn't last that long.... I ate it as soon as I got home.... providing even more incentive to go work out!

I'm finding that many coffee shops in town serve two different brands of coffee.  Elyon's is following suit by using both Miko and Puro FairTrade brands for their coffee beverages.  But for the fact that some of the cappuccinos were served initially without froth and had to be sent back, the coffees were very good.  A second round on the crawl has become a habit, with this week being no exception.  Barista Sibu ("Pinky") served up round two and, with this past Thursday being the second crawl in a row with sunshine, our group sat back and enjoyed the beautiful day and Elyon's relaxed setting.

So, June is not the only Gemini in the group with Keith having just celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago.  As Keith was giving me my weekly Afrikaans lesson, I spied on the wall directly behind him, his astrological "Twin."  Seriously, just look at the resemblance!!! (see pic)  After sharing our respective "signs" the crawlers went on to the subject of puzzles, the most addictive being Sodoku and all newspaper word games.  The "puzzle fiends" in the group all admitted to, at some time, having put off a more urgent task in lieu of completeing a Black Belt Sodoku!  I know many of you readers have done the same...you know who you are!   Motorcyles and pre-paid electricity were topics that also found their way into Thursday's
conversation.   Nomusa got her motorcycle learner's permit; when she gets her license she says she'll come to the Crawl on her "bike."  I'll have to get a pic of that...let's hope it's not raining!  As for pre-paid electricity, I think it's a good idea...keeps you honest.  I can tell that my blood has thinned out since moving here... Lou and I have upped our daily electricity usage to 45 kwh using the electric heater (and the winter has just begun here!)  Winter here is like a cool summer day in NY.  Wow, I'm going to have some problems when we move back!!!

And, Crawl # 20 comes to a close... I have an outrageously busy Thurs-Sat ahead of me (that's why this posting is soooooo late!)  I ended Thursday as I started it... on Skype... this time for two hours with my sister, Elaine, in Erie, PA.  Good talking to you, "schwes."

This week's thanks go out to:
Salome' and staff- I love your shop!
Skype, for providing me with the opportunity to see my family and friends while I'm living away from home.

And, one last note to Jackie...Here's to another 50 yrs!  When you turn 100 I'll probably be celebrating with you in the U.S.  If I'm out of the country I'll text you.... I know you'll be up!!!!

Until next week,

Ellen



This Week's Crawlers
Nomusa, Beth, Stella, Beryl, Leanne, June, Fran, Keith, Les




Gemini Twins!!!




Meet the Barista
Sibu  -  "Pinky"



The Grove Tea and Coffee Shop

A number of years back, on the occasion of my father's 80th birthday, my then 96-year-old piano teacher told him he was still a Spring chicken!  I guess youth is relative.

This past Thursday (June 16) was Youth Day, a National Holiday, in South Africa.  Now, a National Holiday usually means a day off...woohoo!!!  So, there's good news and bad news.  The good news is my husband, Lou, had the day off.  The bad news ...... so did most of the coffee shops in the area!  Fortunately, The Grove Tea and Coffee Shop, which is usually open only on weekends, happened to be open on Thursday!  This week's crawlers cruised a few miles out of town, and met at The Grove, a renovated dairy farm situated on Lakeside Road in Theescombe.  Along with Lou (who brought the sunshine for his first crawl) I was joined this week by Stella and Beryl Dawson, Fran and Keith de Beer, June and Howard Nash, Marie and David Nash, Nomusa Nkomo and Les Baldwin.  We were greeted by Sean Page, cook, barista, and brother of owner, Deirdre Kohler.  Sean quickly moved some tables together for our group and settled the twelve of us in for this week's holiday crawl.

The first round of LavAzza coffees included seven cappuccinos and four black coffees, along with a pot of tea for Nomusa.  Few places in PE serve LavAzza coffee but maybe more should consider it.... the coffee was excellent....certainly good enough for the crawlers to order 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds!!!  Sean was a very personable host and kept up with the onslaught of coffee orders with a smile and a sense of humor.

The Grove, which only 18 months ago was a dairy farm's cattle barn and storage room, is now a tastefully decorated coffee shop in a beautiful rural area.  It is a large, one-room shop that serves not only as a coffee shop but also as a venue for corporate events, parties and receptions.  The weekend menu is hand-written on a chalkboard.  Sean says that when they run out of something on the menu, it just gets erased!  Sean's specialties include oat waffles, lemon meringue pie and, his piece de resistance.....ice cream cake.  We sampled some as we were leaving...WOW!  This coming Sunday being Father's Day, The Grove is having a special luncheon including South African lamb, chicken, and prawn potjies.  Lou and I will definitely be there.

So, what do marriage, a lunar eclipse, politics, and television have in common?  Answer...absolutely nothing, but those were hot topics around the table this week.  Right out of the blocks, Lou and I led a toast to Lou's parents, Lillian and Sabie in Binghamton, NY as they celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary!  Needless to say, the talk of weddings led to some interesting conversation.  My vote (and the only one that counts since this is my blog) for the best comment on the subject of marriage is Howard's....."The first 25 years is all downhill, then it levels off and gets better after that!"  I don't even know what to say about that.  Anyway, Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

As for topic #2, skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere witnessed an impressive total lunar eclipse Wednesday evening.  Lou and I were on the phone with Jeff (in NY) at the time and asked if he was watching it....oops....it was 3 pm in NY, so I guess not.  Clear skies here made for excellent viewing.  Sadly, my photography skills are not honed enough to do the eclipse justice.  So, on to politics.  At the table were 8 South Africans, 1 Brit, 1 Zimbabwean, and 2 Americans.  Enough said?!?  And finally, something that came as quite a surprise to me... the South Africans at the table informed me that SA has only had television broadcasts since 1976, and at that time for limited hours.  "The Bob Newhart Show"and "Dallas" topped the list of early favorites.  I'm still stunned at this........both TV in '76 and their top choices!!! :)

During our visit to The Grove I had an interesting conversation with owner, Deirdre Kohler.  She gave me some background on how she came to start up the coffee shop.  It was the result of checking off things on her "Bucket List" after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor four years ago.  The shop, traveling to Egypt, starting a brain cancer foundation, writing a book, rediscovering her inner artist, working on her Master's Degree in Philosophy at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.... all these things she has accomplished since her diagnosis.  I bought a copy of her book, Brutal Honesty, which she signed for me.  What an inspirational woman.  Check out her website/blog at  <deirdrekohler.com>

Celebrations to note:
*Happy Father's Day to all fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers this Sunday.
*Happy Birthday to our friend, David, in Horseheads, NY, who celebrated on coffee crawl day (June 16)
*Happy Birthday to my brother, Chuck, in Erie, PA, whose big day is today (June 17)
*Happy Birthday to coffee crawler, June Nash, who will celebrate on June 20...we will sing to you next week!

Thank you to Deirdre and Sean....we all had a great time visiting The Grove!
Thank you to my husband, Lou, for being so supportive of me with this blog and for bringing the sunshine with you on Thursday.  And, Lou, contrary to what Howard says, our first 25 yrs (and the 6 yrs since) were awesome!

Until next week,

Ellen



This Week's Crawlers
Nomusa, Les, Lou, Howard, Stella, Beryl, David, June, Marie, Fran, Keith 




Meet the Owner
Deirdre Kohler

Meet the Barista
Sean Page

Blue Orange Cafe

My brother, Chuck, is the artist in the family.  As for my other five siblings, any one of them would be a decent Pictionary partner.  I, on the other hand, must have been at recess when they were passing out artistic ability.  I struggle with stick figures, and the whole depth perception thing...well, forget about it.  The only thing I remember from the Saturday morning art lessons my sisters and I took as kids is the color wheel.  Primary, secondary, and complementary colors struck me as something I just might use someday.  So, here I am in Africa years later, and when I heard about the Blue Orange Cafe, the first thing that came to my mind was the color wheel.  Blue-primary, orange-secondary, blue and orange-complementary....the extent of my artistic knowledge would finally be put to the test!  Well, it turns out that the Blue Orange Cafe has nothing to do with the color wheel or art in general (unless you count the really cool "distressed" picture frames for sale at the shop...I especially liked the framed mirrors).  Actually, no one I spoke with on Thursday knows where the shop got its name...and so it remains a mystery.  (Keith de Beer said he would investigate it... when you email me your findings, Keith, please put it in Afrikaans so I can practice!)

The Blue Orange Cafe is located at 92 Heugh Rd. in Walmer and is open daily from 8-3 serving breakfast and lunch.  It is also known as PE's Secret Garden Cafe, or so it says on the business card.  Unfortunately, we didn't spend any time in what appeared to be a beautiful garden because, yes, you guessed it, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!!!  (June's husband, Howard, says that the mayor of PE should bestow on me, and my blog, the Rain Maker Award, and for bringing an end to the drought.)  I imagine that on a nice, sunny day having tea or coffee out in the shop's garden would be a little bit of paradise.

June Nash and I arrived a bit early, ordered cappuccinos, and wisely chose a table near the wood burning stove and away from the leaking ceiling tiles.  We were soon joined by Beth Vieira, Fran and Keith de Beer, Leanne Waller and her two sons, Daniel and Luke (who brought the average age way down this week!), Les Baldwin (no, not one of the famed Baldwin bros.) and Nomusa Nkomo.  Everyone settled in and was quickly served coffees/teas prepared by barista, Phumza.  The Blue Orange serves both Illy and Masterton's blends depending on the beverage ordered.  My cappuccino with whipped cream (which was more whipped cream than coffee) was Illy brand while my second cup, black coffee - no cream, no sugar, was a Masterton's blend.  All agreed that the coffees were good and hot.  I was tempted to have one of Blue Orange's famous carrot-nut muffins to go along with my caffeine but held off.  I'm sure to stop by and try one another time.  The cafe's owner, Jennifer Buchler, was not on site Thursday, but manager Jan`e Bosman, and our barista and a trainee made sure we were comfortable, happy, (and dry!).

The rain was the main topic of discussion since a torrential downpour had been ongoing at that point for three straight days.  I believe the drought must be over by now!  The crawlers then played a quick game of "Name That Celebrity" by trying to identify the headshots of famous personalities displayed in the aforementioned frames adorning the walls.  The faces of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Judy Garland (and a few others we were unsuccessful in recognizing) stared down at us as the conversation turned to the upcoming winter (July, August) festivals in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces.  We will definitely try to get to some of them when Liz comes to visit next month.  We then went on to discuss the rash of "Elephants Gone Wild" stories that have hit the news recently....those crazy elephants!!!  My favorite topic this week, though, was Nomusa's description of Mopani worms, a Zimbabwean delicacy.  The harvesting, boiling, drying, and final prepping of the worms for consumption is quite a process.  Lou tried some when we visited Zim in November.  He got a certificate declaring that he ate the worms.  I don't know about you but I always hesitate to eat something that you receive recognition for afterwards.  I'm certain I'll try Mopani worms sometime before I leave Africa....and I'll be sure to get the certificate to prove it!!!

As this week's crawl came to an end no one was in any rush to leave... perhaps it was the comfortable atmosphere, the pleasant staff and the good coffee, or maybe it was just that no one wanted to go back outside and get soaked.  In either case, we stayed for a few hours enjoying PE's Secrret Garden Coffee Shop.

Thank you to manager Jan`e and staff for keeping us warm and dry.
Thank you to the crawlers who braved the flooded PE streets to join me!
Thank you to all the art teachers out there...keep the faith, and you are appreciated!

"They" say everything you learn you use sometime in your life...well, that color wheel came in handy when I needed fodder for the penning of this week's blog post.  Now, I can check that off the list!

Until next week,

Ellen




Meet the Barista
Phumza






Meet the Manager
Jane Bosman

  





This Week's Crawlers
Beth, June, Fran, Keith, Leanne, Daniel, Les, Nomusa



Proof!!!