Endings and Beginnings

The year 2007, it seems very recent but it really isn't. A baby born on that year is already 2 years old, probably his/her parents have gone a long way since then. Two years ago, an iPod Touch was not yet a site to see and so was the PSP. And two years ago we have just graduated from college and was welcomed to the beginning of "bum-hood." The point is a lot of things have changed over the past two years.

Last October 2007 (it's not exactly two years ago but its still in 2007) we were in Dumaguete training for Cafe Antonio. And during that time, Nica, Joyce, and I met someone who would become our mother for the two months we were there. Her name was Rene Pinero, wife of Atty. Rolly Pinero and mother of our Cafe Antonio bosses, Edison, Rayvin, Rochris, and their little sister, Reicha. She was a bundle of joy, always game, always cracking jokes, and very cool to be with. She was very optimistic about life and was an inspiration to the three of us while we were out there trying discover ourselves.

I was browsing our photos in Dumaguete before writing this and I came across the folder named Tita Rene's Bday. It was the day we held a surprise birthday party for her at Cafe Antonio - Dumaguete. My favorite part was when Tito Rolly prayed before dinner together with family and close friends, and the the three of us were there. After dinner there was some dancing while a jazz band played. Then I shamed myself with some freestyle rap. Those were the good ol' days indeed.

Tita Rene passed away last week, April 18, four days after our 1st year anniversary. She has struggled with ovarian cancer. People come and go, that's what we say, but it's hard to say it especially if it involves people we love. But we should not worry because she's with the Lord now and He knows what's best for her and for us. And as for us back here, all we need to do is to remain strong and move on with life. The memories will always remain and sometimes it might hurt, but if Tita Rene was still here, she wouldn't want us to wallow in pain. May you rest in peace and we thank you for everything you've done. It's been an honor to have known you in this life. As for the Pinero family, the LB family would like to say our condolences. Be strong in the Lord and praise Him always, no matter what.

On a lighter note, we would like to say congratulations to our very talented baker, Marisse Bonita for finally graduating from BS Civil Engineering at UPLB! May this achievement open new opportunities for you. We are all very proud of you! And thanks for the amazing grad party at your house!

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ONLINE STORE

The online store will officially open on May 2009, so for all you Cafe Antonio fans out there, start visiting our site at http://cafeantoniostore.multiply.com/. Some customers have already bought merchandise at the cafe last week, you could also purchase stuff this week, just ask for a reservation by texting me (Jabez - 09173406945).

CONGRATS TO THE GRADS

To all our customers who have graduated, congratulations to all of you! To our loyal Ruralite customers, we will still see you, welcome to college! Although some of you won't be studying in UPLB, just make sure you'd still visit us. Our cafe mainstays, Kalegs and Ria, we will miss you very much! Late nights will be different without you guys!

G-W-A-P-O NIGHTS

For next month, the Canton gang just had this crazy idea of hosting a sort-of-Bingo night, but instead of Bingo, we will use the word Gwapo (in honor of our famous barista, Neil). Details will follow. Exciting to, ayoko muna i-spoil!

Cafe Antonio Store is Now Accepting Reservations

Reserve Cafe Antonio shirts and mugs now! Visit http://cafeantoniostore.multiply.com.

Online store officially opens on May 2009

Special thanks to: Azzul Grapika Graphic Studio (http://azzulgrapika.blogspot.com)

The Blue Crush is Finally Here!!!

After waiting for almost a year, the very popular Blue Crush from Cafe Antonio - Dumaguete, is finally here! It's not a Canton urban legend anymore, it's true, you can order it now for only 50 pesos.

The heat was very intense yesterday, I got so irritated and fed up and told myself that it's time. It's time for the Blue Crush to rescue us from the summer sun. So Kuya Ramhil and I went to the cafe early and started experimenting like crazy. After several tries, the Blue Crush, the ever elusive Blue Crush can now be served.

Find out what it's about and order it TODAY!



The CHOCO TOFFEE NUT Frothiccino is still available for the month of April for only 150 pesos. Complete your toffee high






Also Available: Choco Toffee ala Mode (Php 35) - a choco toffee brownie bar with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce! Goes great with April's FoM (Php 150).

For bulk orders visit: http://yummings.multiply.com

Cafe Antonio ELBI - Season 1 Finale

April 7, 2009, 3:30 pm – Our barista, Neil, and I finished early preparing the café for the day’s operations. Summer has just begun and the Holy Week is fast approaching; we didn’t expect much people that day. But the Canton faithful is a different bunch—two groups of people have already lined up outside the closed café. This was funny because we thought only movie theaters and malls get lines minutes before they open.

April 9, 2009, 12:00 am – The café was quiet and dimly lit. It was emo day—the roll-up on one side couldn’t be opened leaving the café looking like a half open-half closed establishment. Things were slow at the final hour of the week. Neil, Bessy, and Retz were all asleep; I watched Little Miss Sunshine, the laptop mounted on the counter, from the lounge area; while Canton Knights of the Tiny Black Round Table led by Sir Sherwin talked about gadgets and gizmos in the couch area. Everybody had their own space in a small place. And then almost instantly, even though people have their own spaces, one utterance can be heard in the entire café leading to discussion and interaction.

These two moments last week really caught my attention. The first one is unusual because we didn’t text these kids to come minutes before the opening so they won’t be late. And its summer, shouldn’t you be home? That kind of support is what a friend gives to a friend. The second one is striking because the café flashed a moment of a family living room. We’ve been to cozy places before but that moment was way beyond cozy. It’s the feeling of safety and support only a family can give.

Café Antonio is a public place but it gives the feeling that the Los Banos community is a family. Lives interconnected and stories intertwined. I think that’s ELBI defined.

We opened the café a year ago believing that we’ll survive the year with a little help from our friends. And it’s true, it was very true. Our friends also had friends and they had friends, and so on. We’ve met a lot of new people during the course of the year. And a lot of them became our friends. To show support they even give us food for supper. We can always count on these people even in our “darkest” of hours.

In return for their kindness and support, we give them the best service and the best products that we can possibly offer. Right now our baristas are undergoing a rigorous two-month training program so they too will share the same passion that Café Antonio has for coffee. Unseen to the public eye, we have changed a lot of our methods of preparing coffee, and maintaining good quality espresso. The “Every Drink That’s From the Heart is a Work of Art” mantra has kept our baristas keen on every detail on the process of coffee-making. And Café Antonio merchandise will be available at the Café Antonio Store (http://cafeantoniostore.multiply.com) on May 2009 to the Luzon and Visayas markets. These are the two things that we’re focusing on right now. We know we have a limited budget and limited personnel but we need to make something happen to cater to the needs of those who believe in what we do.

Our first year anniversary is on Tuesday, April 14. And I am overwhelmed. A year has passed and so many things have happened. It’s like Season 1 of a TV series. People have come and gone, cast members changed, new characters introduced, the set rearranged, and the pace very fast, each day/episode independent but somehow threads the whole season, etc. It’s all amazing. Maybe this is what sets Café Antonio apart, everybody takes part in the story-telling and story-making, not just the staff.

Café Antonio – Los Banos, it’s definitely an ELBI success story, where people who love ELBI support the people who grew up in ELBI and made it their home.


THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE (in no particular order; stream of consciousness typing):


Flores Family * Tita Roucelle and the Bonita Household * UPLB DevCom Faculty * Sherwin, Aldo, and Candy * DevComSoc * UP Entrepreneurs’ Club * Kyle Noel * Eric & Ise * BLD-YM * UPRHS Batch ’97 * UPRHS Batch ’99 (our batchmates!) * UPRHS Batch ’05 * Friendster Friends * Multiply Contacts * Facebook People * Cindy Escobin and Entrepreneur Magazine * Nina Calleja and the Philippine Daily Inquirer * Myke Celis and Code Red Magazine * The Ruralite * Mark, Millie, and Melo * Ruralites * UPRHS Alumni * Gelo and his Merry Men * Caramel Cream Girl and her friends * Elbi Pie * El Laberinto * Overhaul * Espaleklek * Meloria * UP Jammers Club * Budik of Ethereal * Sta. Romana Family * Kuya Erol * Boy Requiron * Noel Carigma * Tita Cora, Ate Mila, and Ning’s Thai * Pats and Friends * Kuya Rodel, Drew, and Ely of Koinonia.com * ChemSoc * Joyce, Jodi, and Humphrey * BS Nutrition Students * UPLB Navigators * UPLB SocioSoc * Dr. Eusebio and Family * Azzul Grapika * Starbucks – SLEX * Burger King – Halang * Jerico’s Bakery * Panaderia Pantoja * Agua Vida * Bert Tagalog and Papu’s Siomai * Jimmy Botengan and Friends * Baldo, Cel, Keisha, and Mishka * Chris Belison * Kimy and Friends * Nica and Pia * Choral Ensemble * Yummings * Bank of the Philippine Islands * Dana’s * Noria * Ferds’ Isaw * UP ADS * Gene and Glo Veruasa * Tonio and Ella * Marc and Cathee * University of Perpetual Help – Calamba * Sir Fercival and STI-Calamba * PhySci Faculty * BioSci Faculty * Humanities Faculty * SocSci Faculty * Mon Bayani * Jed Stubborn * Eusebio Family * MSMSI Class ’99 * Osio Family and Brent-IRRI Faculty * Fellizar Family * Choco-Macadamia Frothiccino-loving Korean Students * Mocha Froth Girl—Eve * Sir Eppie * Kuya Soc and Friends * CEM Faculty * UPJES * Eric and Kalegs * Al Labadan III * UP Thespian Circle * The Parliament * All the groups and individuals who interviewed us for their classes and requirements * UP Circle of Entrepreneurs (Diliman) * UBE * CEAT Faculty * Churchmates at COCD * Navs Alumni * Ate Hazel Gahum* Jomar Rabajante * Butch Bataller and Friends* Lian * Watts, Brandon, and Friends * Jeg delos Reyes and Friends * Padeys Cajano * Tracy Quila * Dan Sta. Romana * Ate Vivian * Nica Arganosa and Family * Loyalty Mug Holders * Donnah and Circle K International * Noel Sta. Maria * Mark, Oochie, and Astra Zeneca * Zadl and Can * GeneSoc * Majals and Ate Bay * Ate Jing * Kuya Al and Ate Ina * Ate Mila and Ate Melody * Eldon Mananghaya and Friends * Annogrove * Lugaw AV * Karl and Faye * Edu and Marisse * Jay and Manell * JD and Yane * Jek * Jeck Vargas * Mickey * Joy and Daphne * Kapatid ni Gunyar and her friend * Nicdao * Ronilo Flores * Ria Opulencia and Friends * Rev and Emcy * Cesar Paita and girlfriend * our investors * Pastor Chito and Friends * the Café Antonio – Dumaguete family * if I forgot to include your name I’m sorry, it’s either I don’t know your name or I completely forgot, so just put your name here _____________ * and of course, our Lord Jesus Christ—without Him none of this would be possible! The grace of God has kept us alive!

Cafe Antonio - LB Featured in Code Red Magazine

Code Red Magazine
Excerpt from the article Travel Brews: In Search of the Perfect Pinoy Cup of Coffee
by Myke Celis

Cafe Antonio in Los Banos, Laguna
"If you like walking around the academic oval of UP Diliman, then you'd love the peaceful surroundings of UP Los Banos. Once, I chanced upon Cafe Antonio, a cute little coffee shop near UPLB. Believe me when I tell you that they serve really good coffee. I personally liked the Red Velvet Frothiccino, which reminds me of a better version of Starbucks' Raspberry Mocha. Plus what I like about Cafe Antonio is the crowd--makes me feel like a college student all over again. When you're into people-watching like me, this is definitely the place for you to hang out. Oh, and the lush greenery of Los Banos is also something you wouldn't want to miss."



Flavor of the Month for April: Choco Toffee Nut Frothiccino

Finally, a toffee-flavored drink from Cafe Antonio! I created this drink yesterday together with trainee barista, Ramhil. We tried many recipes and after about 5 tries we finally made one that suited our taste. The FoM reminded us a lot of double dutch ice cream. Like all FoMs, this one has something special in it. For the toppings we put crushed nuts soaked in English Toffee on top of the whipped cream then drizzled it with chocolate and caramel sauce. Yummings (http://yummings.multiply.com) will make a pastry inspired by this FoM and we will make a drink-pastry combo that you can order.

First Year Anniversary

Our first year anniversary is on April 14, Tuesday, 11 am to 2 am. Come on designated times to avail of our free items (see posters for details, available at http://cafeantonioelbi.multiply.com/).

Cafe Antonio Online Store

The Cafe Antonio Online Store (http://cafeantoniostore.multiply.com/) is now under construction and will formally open on May 2009. We are still designing and producing shirts, mugs, and other merchandise. As of today, the online store is selling House Blend coffee beans (250 pesos/250 grams) available for Los Banos residents only. You can now place your orders at the site.

We will be closed on April 9 to 11.

1st Year Anniversary Teaser

We're open from 11 am to 2 am on April 14!

11 am - Free Mocha Frothiccino (75 pesos) and any pasta (50 pesos) for the first 10 (ten) groups to arrive (ang group ay 2 people and above, so kahit ilan man kayo isang meal at drink lang ang libre. Kilala namin kayo kaya walang dayaan ha!)

3 pm - Free Bowl of Chips for the first 5 (five) customers to arrive at this time.

7 pm - Free Iced Tea (regular) for the first 5 (five) customers to arrive at this time.

10 pm - Free Blueberry Cheesecake for the first 3 (three) customers to arrive at this time.

1 am - Free Flavor of the Month for the FIRST customer to arrive!!!

Summer Lag

The school year is almost over and that means we won't be seeing a lot of people this week. Last week wasn't really THAT exciting. I'm still getting used to my job as manager, it's a bit boring right now though since it's not the same work as being a barista. A barista is always on the move, staying active making drinks the whole day. A manager sits down the whole day and thinks of stuff to do. Then I'll get fat.

Starting this week, Neil will be working Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Kuya Ramhil will be taking over the rest of the week. I will be your cashier on Thursdays and your cook on Fridays. But what I enjoy most since hiring Kuya Ramhil are our "coffee sessions". It's part of the day where I will blabber about all things coffee, teaching Kuya Ramhil my tricks and techniques, plus stuff that I read from the Barista Techniques Guide I got from Phil Ho and Highlander Coffee. Bessy also joins our sessions because she enjoys the free drinks we're trying. Hehe. And now that I have more time than ever before, I can now obsessively clean the espresso machine every now and then. Since coming back from Singapore I've become paranoid about bitter coffee. You can't mask bitterness with milk or water. So I test the espresso every once in a while to check. A clean machine is one of the factors for a great-tasting cup of coffee. It's not the sole factor, ok? Only one of the important factors, only one.

I've been online all day. This Globe Tattoo contraption is doing wonders for me. It's not that fast but it has a strong signal at our apartment. And I'm from the "dial-up" generation, who am I to say what's fast and what's not? I survived with PLDT Vibe for years, I'm used to a slow connection. I made web pages on Geocities using a Vibe card, so this Globe Tattoo thing is a huge upgrade. I've finished the Anniversary AVP but I haven't uploaded it yet. Yes, it is because of the slow connection. But at least I can blog and check my e-mail at this speed. I've tried some stuff on Facebook too. I haven't really explored the features of Facebook so I spent time on it today.

This summer Cafe Antonio and Azzul Grapika will be teaming up to put up the Cafe Antonio Online Store on Multiply.com (we're not yet sure what to call it yet, you're welcome to offer suggestions). Through that store, we'll be selling Cafe Antonio merchandise like shirts, mugs, tumblers, coasters, and other stuff. We'll also be selling our Houseblend Beans through that store. We'll be posting our designs on Multiply as soon as we can.

Please suggest what other merchandise you would like us to sell. We'll appreciate your ideas, thanks!

Hey blog readers, I hope you could hangout at the cafe this week, if you haven't been there for a while, this week is perfect. Not much traffic. But that's what I think. Again, we can never predict stuff in business.

New Look Crew (once again)

Our new menu board



Store Supervisor, Manong Retz (center), leading the new crew: (L-R)Bessy, Marc (OJT), Neil (guwapo), and Kuya Ramhil



Our newest barista, Ramhil Malabanan

Almost a year has passed. Let’s see how many crew lineup changes we’ve made during our first eleven months (for the sake of nostalgia):

1.) Cashier – Nica; Barista – Jabez; Cook – Joyce
2.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Jabez/Julius; Cook – Dan
3.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Jabez/Neil; Cook – Dan
4.) Cashier – Retz/Majals; Barista – Jabez/Neil; Cook – Tracy/Padeys
5.) Cashier – Retz/Padeys; Barista – Jabez/Neil/Tracy; Cook – Tracy/Dan
6.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Jabez/Neil; Cook – Bessy/Marc
7.) Cashier – Retz; Barista – Neil/Ramhil; Cook – Bessy


Honorable mentions include Yell, our volunteer barista last summer, and Tonio, our first OJT busboy.

A lot has changed; most have moved on and pursued different careers apart from the café. And some have gone back to school to focus on their studies. It’s refreshing for us to remember and give props to those who have helped us get through it all during the course of this amazing year. We always thank our customers on our blogs but we seldom give kudos to those people on the “inside”. These people, no matter how long they’ve worked at the café and whatever position they’ve held, have made history by being one of those who have brought the café to where it stands today.

We’re turning 1 next month, and we couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you very much, Nica, Dan, Tonio, Majals, Tracy, Padeys, and Julius. Saka ka na Marc, isang linggo ka pa magtatarabaho dito, hehe.

Cafe Tour and Coffee Class
Last Thursday, the cafe conducted its very first coffee class. There were 16 HRM students from STI College-Calamba who attended. Special thanks to Sir Fercival for giving us an opportunity to share our knowledge and conduct the class at our cafe. The students learned about the basic fundamentals of coffee brewing and some of them experienced extracting espresso, steaming milk, and free-pouring.

If your school is interested in having a cafe tour and/or conducting a basic coffee appreciation class, our cafe is available upon your request. For more questions and further inquiries, contact Jabez Flores (0917-3406945). We will try to arrange something for you.

Upgrading, Rebuilding, Improvising - Welcome to Our World

I was still in Singapore the last time I wrote a blog entry. That was early in the morning in our room at the YMCA. Since then a lot has happened.

I went to Singapore for the sole purpose of upgrading my skills as a barista. I knew that it would be beneficial for both our cafe and myself. When I came back last, last Saturday I went straight to the cafe and immediately taught Neil (our barista) the things I learned. Coming back to Highlander after 2 years got me inspired to work again at our cafe with renewed excitement and a revived passion for what I do and what I like. When things get dull and routine takes over your life, it's good to take a step back and get a bird's eye view of your whole life. Then you will tell yourself, "So this is what I'm living for, I haven't seen it this way for a long time."







I would like to thank my instructors at Highlander, Phil and Cedric Ho, and their very talented barista, Li. Thanks guys, hope we could come up with something here soon.

We've been working at the cafe for almost a year now, next month will be our 1st year anniversary (April 14). And it's really an achievement that we've been able to maintain an establishment for that long. We're kids with big dreams, and getting stuck in a hole doing the same thing everyday is really quite challenging. But what's good is that we're learning to persevere believing that everthing we have sacrificed will be all worth it in the end.

NEWS
The cafe's been doing very well this March. We had back-to-back 11k Fridays for the past two weeks (117 and 113 customers respectively). That's something new to us and we're very thankful for the support of our customers despite the "hell month".

Neil and I are training a new barista to replace me full-time in the near future. You might have seen him last week helping us out, his name is Kuya Ramhil. I decided to hire him and really concentrate on developing him as a barista so that I could focus fully on managing the cafe.

The MOCHACCINO DIABLO is becoming very popular thanks to its exotic spicy flavor. It's still available until the end of March.

Yummings (http://yummings.multiply.com) has new creations for sale at the cafe: blueberry cheesecake and chocolate mousse, both only 35 pesos each.

DISCLAIMER
If you've noticed we had smaller cups last week, and our frothiccinos tasted a little different. That's because we ran out of supplies last week, we had to improvise a little. But don't worry, our supplies came yesterday so everything's back to normal. We apologize for the inconvenience. I apologize to my friend, Kim, he didn't get to order his white mocha frothiccino.

Cafe Antonio Crew bonding at Starbucks, Petron, SLEX

Early Morning Updates from Singapore

Yesterday I attended my workshop at the Highlander Academy of Coffee here in Singapore. I arrived there at 9 in the morning then went home at eleven in the evening. It was really fun and I learned a lot of cool stuff. But I had too much coffee to drink, the espresso was so good I think I downed about 8 shots. I'm really quite ready and excited to go back home now and teach the techniques I learned here to our staff. It would really help the cafe a lot. Plus I'm really excited about the Red Jumpsuit mall tour. Hehe. Jason Mraz is here, he performed last night but I didn't get to watch.

Dan and I are staying at the YMCA. It's really quite nice, we've got cable, flat screen TV, and WiFi. Very convenient. We'll be having our buffet breakfast after I take a bath then we'll head back to my school to get my certificate and practice a little. I'm planning to stay at our room for most of the day just to rest and watch TV.

For Joyce and the cafe staff, I didn't get you guys anything, anything personal at least. Dan and I ended up spending a fortune on our first day here, long story. We paid a lot of additional fees that was not in our budget. But I will get a JBL speaker for the cafe to replace Dan's speakers. It's a small round iPod speaker and it has excellent sound. It's amazing. It's so small but the sound beats the quality of the larger Sony speakers we tested. JBL's a good brand. I think I'll put the speaker in the bookshelf so that people won't figure out where the music is coming from. Really cool.

Ok see you guys on Saturday, it's very cool here, especially if you like toys, gadgets, and stuff, but I really miss our hill billy lifestyle back in ELBI. God bless!