According to the Mayan ethnologist,Dr.Alfredo Barrera Vasquez,the name for this dish is sikil (pumpkin or squash seed) and p'ak (tomato).

As an employee of Café Gratitude, I have a variety of feelings and thoughts on the closing of the company. Most of all, I am deeply saddened by the actions that brought it to this point. Yes, I grieve the loss of my job, but more importantly, I am grieving the loss of the company which has been so life-giving throughout the five years I have been an employee.

The staff meeting we had right after we found out about the company going out of business was full of emotions and questions. In the history of my time at Café Gratitude, staff meetings have always inspired me, and this day was no different. As I left the café that morning, I walked past the fire station. The fire fighters must have been doing some training or testing of the water because I saw a huge fountain of water spurting up in the air, the forceful fountain that can only come from a powerful hydrant. The kind of water that puts out fires. And I realize that's exactly what this feels like – a forest fire, burning everything in its path to the ground. In that moment, seeing the fountain of water in the early morning sun, I realized that anyone standing on the opposite side of it must have seen the biggest, brightest rainbow ever. I was sure of it. The wall of spray was so thick, and the sun was so bright, I was sure that the rainbow must have been glorious. I decided to go out of my way to simply catch a glimpse of that magnificent rainbow. Before I got there,

 though, the water spray stopped. I had missed my chance. But even just thinking about that rainbow and how beautiful it must have been put a smile on my face that lasted for several minutes. That's how powerful imagination is. The rainbow that day gave me hope.

As we close our cafes, we no longer have the space to manage a weekly newsletter or daily blog as we once did.  I invite you to check this blog for up to date information as it comes through us.  There we will keep connected with you through this incredible shift in our community.  

Sign up to be on our listserve on our homepage here.  If you sign up on our newsletter then we will keep that database of contacts for any future reincarnations of Cafe Gratitudesque, Eternal Presence or projects by Matthew & Terces Engelhart.  If you want to ensure that you are in the loop after our closure, make sure to sign up.

Time of renewal in all areas of life. Pruning fruit trees for stronger Spring growth and better fruit. Honey from a hive is my other picture today, taken as we clean out a hive. While we are very short on rain, the ground is hard and dry, so keep your thoughts on much needed rain for all of California. Egg production has increased with lengthening days. Birds are abundant and baby calf is growing beautifully. I milk each morning and love the meditation of resting my head on the side of Leche and listen to the squirts of milk hit the pail. the smell of fresh milk, hay and calf is delirious! Getting ready for our fist planting of Kale in our moveable greenhous! new life for sure.

Enjoyed our time with family in New York ( Brrrrr) as well as Los Angeles (unbelievably warm) over the holidays. Family is so precious.

Tomorrow is our mediation and I pray for new life there as well, keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you all who continue to support Cafe Gratitudes mission, and to all our employees who keep serving up the love.