An easy way to spread a lot of love and give back to your community is by becoming involved at your local Meals On Wheels (MOW) organization in Austin, Dallas, Houston, or St. Louis.  Through my many positive volunteering experiences with Meals On Wheels in Austin, I thought it would be beneficial to introduce you to MOW and present volunteer opportunities in a few cities MOW operates.

Why Meals On Wheels is a great place to volunteer:

Flexible volunteer schedule

Rewarding way to give back to the community

 Introduces your child/family to giving community (volunteerism)

Immediate benefits seen by you and the Client

Why I Became a MOWAM volunteer

Meals on Wheels and More is my favorite charity and place I choose to volunteer my time because it is immediately rewarding for both the volunteer and the person who is receiving donations. For years, I only donated money until last year when I began volunteering my time. It was easy to becoming involved and to sign-up.  I attended MOW’s brief training class, submitted a basic background check and was ready to go.  I normally deliver meals on Fridays during lunch with my 5 year old daughter Amelie.

For many of the people we delivered to, Amelie and I are the only people they see that day.  It was great to see the clients faces brighten when they opened the door to receive the daily meal.  From my daughter’s perspective, it has made her more aware of her neighbor’s lives and not to assume everyone has the same privileges that she does. Surprisingly, this was a great bonding experience between Amelie and I as it brought up interesting questions and conversations. It is also an ideal way to introduce your children to volunteerism. From my personal perspective during the deliveries I often think about my grandparents or even parents a few years down the road and how they would be if they did not have the family support.

You, the volunteer are much more to the recipients than just a nice face delivering a meal. You are a warm heart, a helping hand, a smile, a hello, and a caring connection.

Benefits MOW Clients Receive

Benefits MOW provides to its recipients are nourishment, a daily visit, and a smile. Additionally, MOW allows recipients to remain healthy and living in their own homes with dignity.  This fact is paramount.  As a MOWAM volunteer, I have been personally thanked on many deliveries with specific mention of how grateful they are for the delivered food which allows them to stay home and out of the rest home.

What MOW does?

“Meals on Wheels and More seeks to nourish and enrich the lives of the homebound and other people in need through programs that promote dignity and independent living.”

Meals on Wheels is a home-delivered, meal community, in Texas and nationwide. The primary population segment Meals on Wheels’ organization serves is the elderly, disabled, homebound, and in some cases, children in communities who face hunger and other hardships.

In Austin, there are over 6000 volunteers reaching around 4000 Austin residents in need. Over 1 million meals were delivered in 2010 with 90% of the effort being taken care of by volunteers.

In Dallas there are approximately  4000 volunteers reaching about to 4000 Dallas residents in need receiving over  1 million meals with about 50% of the effort being taken care of by volunteers.

In Houston at Meals On Wheels there is about 2% volunteer participation delivering 4500 meals a day on 52 routes.  Houston operates a once a month AniMeals on Wheels program or pet program which has 100% volunteer participation. Houston MOW also recommends and prefers volunteering at their Central Kitchen or Packaging facility which prepares the meals.

In St. Louis, approximately 1200 volunteers reach out to 820 St Louis residents with 100% of the effort done by volunteers. Most of the support money comes from Federal Employees who deduct a set amount from their paycheck.

Who makes up MOW / Who does it help?

Meals On Wheels are independent and locally-run. Each city’s MOW program is managed and operates a bit differently from one another.  Locally run MOWs in each city are members of the Meals on Wheels Association of America.  Austin Meals on Wheels, whose official name is Meals On Wheels and More (MOWAM)  has over 100 full-time and part-time employees along with over 6000 registered volunteers (90% of the meals are delivered by volunteers).  In a nice bit of synergy, it was great to discover one of the clients I worked for , WellMed, partners with Meals On Wheels at their Senior Community Center in San Antonio.

Here are a few stats for MOWAM Austin (these numbers a similar to other MOW location stats):

Austin Volunteer Stats FY 2009-20010:

• Number of registered volunteers:  6,079
• MOW (includes drivers and meal managers):  100,869 volunteer hours
• Percentage of meals delivered by volunteers:  90%
• Value Volunteer Hours in TX = $21.47 (represents how much value you contribute per hour volunteered)

Service Stats and Daily Operations:

Program Deliverables

• Meals Distributed*:  1,066,405
• Clients Reached:  3,302
• Number of Routes per Day:  245

Clients (benefit recipients):

• Live alone:  50%
• Low income:  78%
• Over the age of 65: 87%
• Female:  68%
• Male:  32%

Major Sponsors:

• Applied Materials, AMD, 3M, Frost Bank, Allstate, Silicon Labs, One OK Inc, Samsung and many more.

How an average volunteer day goes:

• You call your local MOW office to see if there are any routes which can be taken over for the day
• You pick-up on average 6 to 8 meals consisting of a hot and cold meal for each home. Each meal will be color coded for each client’s specific nutritional need. Pick up time is generally from 11am to 11:30am. You will place the hot meals in a cooler or heat-safe bag and place the cold meals in a small cooler.
• You will also be given a list of confidential locations to deliver to along with a map to follow. Each location may have special circumstances for each individual (ex: knock loudly hard of hearing / be patient, slow to the door / two small dogs and so on).
• Delivery will generally take 1 to 2 hours depending on the number of clients. Routes are structured in order by client location for optimal driving route.
• After you have completed your route you are instructed to securely dispose of the delivery list as clients and their addresses are confidential.

If you have any questions about Meals On Wheels, want to become involved, or want to talk about how Meals On Wheels might fit into your schedule please feel free to visit the website or call the numbers to a Meals On Wheels in your city. Also, each coordinator in Austin, Dallas, and Houston said they can schedule an intro / training class specific to you or a group of employees that you work with if you are interested. This would obviously build employee camaraderie, allow people in the community to see what great employees your company hires, and lend a helping hand to people in need in your community.

How to become involved with Meals On Wheels by City:

Austin :

Denise Jimenez (Volunteer Coordinator) – 512-476-6325 x 143 djimenez@mealsonwheelsandmore.org

Denise stated training is located in the East Austin office. The training involves a video, brief walk-through of introduction packet, an application, and a background check.  There are 14 different pick-up sites all over Austin. PALS is also a program available to Meals On Wheels clients which provides food, wellness checks, and other care for the Seniors pets. PALS partners with various Pet related Non-profits around Austin to help supplement care. You, a volunteer are also welcome to drop off any kind of pet food at Meals On Wheels main office.

Pick-Up Sites:

http://www.mealsonwheelsandmore.org/volunteer/volunteer-resources/meal-pick-up-sites/

PALS (Pets Assisting the Lives of Seniors) Info:

pals@mealsonwheelsandmore.org or 512-476-6325 or PALS.doc

More Austin information:

http://www.mealsonwheelsandmore.org/programs/meal-delivery/

Dallas :

Jennifer Faught (Volunteer Coordinator) – 214-689-2464 faughtj@vnatexas.org

Jennifer can set up a short training specific to individuals or employee groups and MOW application on the morning of delivery at their central office at 1440 W Mocking Bird, Dallas TX 75247. After completing, there are 22 pickup locations throughout Dallas and the surrounding area which you can pick up from. On a normal day, Jennifer says pickup is around 10am, with around 10 deliveries which last about 1 to 2 hours.  Volunteers or employee groups would be on a flexible plan where they could call in a few days ahead to schedule their volunteer times and to pick up their route.

More Dallas Info:

http://www.vnatexas.org/services/mow.php

Houston:

Denise Atkerson (Director of Volunteer Services) – 713-533-4922 datkerson@imgh.org

The Houston office works a little different, only about 2% volunteers run the delivery routes and they are a little longer than the other cities. However, there are a few delivery opportunities, but mainly there are ‘ride alongs’ where you can either ride with the paid drivers and deliver or follow them and deliver. One exciting opportunity Houston Meals On Wheels does have which other cites do not is once a month AniMeals On Wheels or Pet Meals On Wheels. This is to deliver pet food and products to the Meals On Wheels Seniors.

The recommendation for volunteers of Houston’s Meals on Wheels organization is to help package meals at their warehouse. This is also where training is conducted. They have offered to provide  special group training at their packaging facility for individuals or employee groups. The training will consist of hour long training, an application with background check, and volunteering at the package facility. From there they can explain and work with each employee on volunteering opportunities which fit their life and schedule.

More Houston info:

http://www.imgh.org/meals-on-wheels

Also include ‘MOWs Volunteer Preferences 2011 kl.doc’

St Louis:

Betty (Volunteer Coordinator) -314-268-1523

Betty stated the best thing to do is call the number above and leave a message with your name, your zip code, and your phone number. This organization is run 100% on volunteers so they do not have anyone assigned to the phones but do check the message regularly. Betty stated after you leave a message someone will contact you to help assign you to one of 15 chapters around St. Louis. Each chapter has a Program Director who will be your contact going forward. St Louis does offer a flexible schedule where you can call around a day before to pick up a route.

Comic Con Austin 2010 – Who is Phil Ortiz? What is Simposonized?

Phil Ortiz, The Simpson’s Artist Simposonizes me and my daughter!

Have you ever thought about what you would look like in a Simpson’s cartoon? What you would do in Simpson land? What would your job be? Would you be cooler than Ned Flanders? Funnier than Krusty? Friends with Homer? Would Bart thing your cool? All of these things started to unexpectedly rush through my head during Phil Ortiz’s drawing. In the end, I now know what I would look like in the Simpson’s cartoon and the prognosis is not good. I look like a early stage homer unfortunately.(check out my picture here) Hey at least my daughter is as cute as Maggie!

Phil was also giving Austin & Round Rock Texas love at Comic Con. Him and partner comic artist Phil Ye each had a  Round Rock Donuts Texas Sized Donut at the comic convention. They even gave my daughter a piece!

Who is The Simpson’s Phil Ortiz?

Phil Ortiz, lead artist and five time Emmy Winner animator was a quiet, laid back, cool, and pretty darn funny guy. He even admitted to being a Ham around the camera, which he was. You could tell Phil loves people by his interaction with them, he was very personable. My daughter liked his Mickey Mouse watch. Phil gave personal attention to everyone he simpsonized at Comic Con Austin 2010.

Interestingly enough, Phil Ortiz was also layout artist for ‘He-Man Master of the Universe’ in 1983, ‘Smurfs’ & Pac-Man in 1981 and a lot more popular cartoons. Obviously he is best known as the Emmy winning character designer for The Simpson’s.

While waiting in line I took a few videos of Phil Ortiz Simpsonised a few people, so before I left his area I gave him my card with my website on it and told him I videoed him drawing a few characters and am planning on posting it to YouTube. In case he was interested in watching it. Phil tells me he does not have a computer and is thinking about getting an email address soon. He was not joking, which threw me back for a second and still kind of does.

Phil when you get on Facebook I want to be your friend for sure! Your a great guy!

The Simpson’s Artist Phil Ortiz at Comic Con Draws My Daughter and I:

The Simpson’s Artist Phil Ortiz at Comic Con Draws Man with Batman Hat:

The Simpson’s Artist Phil Ortiz at Comic Con Draws Family of Three:

The Simpson’s Artist Phil Ortiz at Comic Con Draws Man with Goatee:

Have you met Phil Ortiz? Would love to hear your experience!

Ideas on What I would do in The Simpson’s Cartoon based on my Simpsonised pic?

Has Phil Simpsonised you? Would love to see it!

waited 11:30am to about 1:30pm in line but well worth it.
round rock donuts
heard him ask if there was any good Mexican food in austin
he said he has seen the people trying to copy his drawings by simpsonised people but they all suck.

The Gypsy Picnic had over 30 Food Trailers ( Vendors ), live music and perfect weather in Austin, Texas on Nov 6th. The first annual Gypsy Picnic at Auditorium Shores was free to the public on Saturday. The goal of the vendor festival was to let Austinites try a variety of Austin’s popular food trailers.

The thought of going to a food festival and trying many food trailers in one spot on a perfect day is very appealing to many Austinites and foodies from all over. The reality was much different as soon as you walked through the gates. This was predicted by @SweetJohn even before the festival started by saying, “At the last minute my memories of food trailer nightmares stopped me from going. These vendors are not used to crowds.” He was dead on, the vendors could not keep up with the crowds.

Some friends who showed up to the Gypsy Picnic around 11am were ok, they had full reign over the food trailers. From noon until about 6:30pm, lines were crazy, you would wait in an average 1 hour line for on food vendor, some longer than that. I honestly believe if the weather and location were not so great many people would have bailed after walking one time around the packed vendors.

Just by walking around I heard many people say, “I won’t be coming back next year,” and I don’t blame them. Most people saved room in their bellys for this event, meaning most were more than hungry once they got there. Starving and walking into a food festival with 1 to 2 hours lines can inflict unpleasant feelings. Maybe if expectations were set ahead of time the event would not have been so bad to most. If you knew coming into the Gypsy Picnic that lines would be long you could prepare yourself.

Some of the food vendors could have been and need to be better prepared next year. I am sure this happened to hundreds of people, but two people I talked to were in a food line for an hour and then the vendor runs out of food. This was not late in the day, it was around 2pm. Not cool. You would see ‘Sold Out’ stickers on many of the vendors trailers. Offenders I knew about were Cutie Pies, Man Bites Dog, and Pick Up Stixx.

What I Loved: I loved the weather, the people, the dogs, spending time with friends, and the live music. Food wise, my favorite was Gourdough’s, the ‘Flying Pig’ which was a donut with maple syrup with syrup glazed bacon on top of it! I also loved the smile the lady working at the booth of  “Hat Creek Burger Co.” once I got to her…after waiting an hour in line. The food was really a pretty small part of my Gypsy Picnic experience. Still I would say the Austin First Annual Gypsy Picnic was a great addition to Austin’s many festivals.

What was your fav part of Gypsy Picnic?

Friends took 2hrs to park
Advice- charge, more vendors, make sue vendors are efficient, advise parking,
Am I glad I went? Yes good times w patient friends…. But fest failed to make
people happy.
Phone wireless booster for festivals so peole can use phones
“I want to try” is not an option
Any food vendor can gain great exposure & better be ready for fast service. If
ur not efficient don’t come.
Include Nan’s veggie post as a link
Mention I met @BlindedBite

This year I gambled and bought my ACL 3 Day Pass early.  There are so many bands on this years ACL 2010 line up, I will get well past what I invested in the ticket plus more. There are so many bands I either love or have wanted to see for a long time that I will probably not get to see them all because they will overlap. No fear, my ADD will come in handy. Just as a refresher I also made a post of 27 Austin City Limits Bands playlist along with their videos and top songs.

Here are Austin City Limits Bands I am very excited to see:

Band of Horses – My favorite band of SXSW 2010. “Band of Horses is always a pleasure to see live, with their winning blend of raw emotion, relentless waves of guitar and drums, and southern rock flavor.”, Kiri on Band of Horses at SXSW 2010 on TheOwlMag.com. Why would I post this article specifically? Well I was standing right next to Kiri, writer for The Owl Mag when she was writing her awesome detailed notes and taking shots at Stubb’s.

Listen to their entire new album: http://stream.bandofhorses.com/#

The Strokes – This is a band I have been a fan of for years and they have been on my Pandora.com for a long time. Songs I like are Is This It, New York City Cops, Last Night, and a few more. The songs i like from the Strokes are obviously a few years old, so I have not really listened to anything new by them. One of my friends is coming from Houston on Friday specifically to see them. I also know if you listen to The Strokes songs while driving it makes you feel a little bit cooler than you are. Try it & see u at the show.

The Strokes – Last Night – LIVE VIDEO

http://thestrokes.com

Sonic Youth – Damn you for canceling SXSW in 2010. Don’t do it again or I will ‘Incarcerate’ you! Joking, I know you are a punk band and need to be punkish, it is expected. You know we still love you. I actually did not like Sonic Youth in the 80′s but grew to love them in the late 90′s. Androgynous Mind is probably my favorite songs by Sonic Youth.

http://www.sonicyouth.com

LCD Soundsystem - POW POW! POW POW. I know little to nothing about LCD Soundsystem but what I do know I really like. I have heard their songs, POw POW, Drunk Girls, and ‘I Can Change’ on XM radio originally. They are coming to Austin, Texas in a few weeks to play at Stubb’s but I will be on a job in San Antoinio, otherwise I would be there. Yesterday I actually watched this video of them before they were announced to play at ACL:

http://www.lcdsoundsystem.com

Pacha Logo Austin Texas

Come to Pacha!!

In the heart of Austin, a local coffee post has stood to welcome all diners from all walks of life. On Burnet Rd, you will never get to enjoy Austin living without having a taste of the Pacha.

I walk into Pacha on a Saturday morning, actually the Saturday morning of Austin’s Hot Sauce Festival, a smoking day it was! In Pacha I see a extremely diverse bunch of folks. We had the older lady crocheting, young college student on his laptop, an old Jewish guy in the corner with his hat on, a Texas lawyer who was damn proud to let everyone know it, some guys who looked they just walked out of Emo’s, and two soccer moms. No joke, they were all at Pacha and the place isn’t that big. Oh yea, and a bald guy with his little girl.

Pacha Cafe Austin Coffee Shop

The inspiration and roots of identity…

Passing by this very homey and unique coffee shop, you will first notice the Pachamama logo. The lady in the signage is told in Andes’s history as the goddess of fertility. However, getting on more recent times, a painting from Potosi, the Virgen del Cerro gave inspiration to the now Pacha trademark. As interpreted, the symbol is a mountain woman, “a pillar to heaven”, then a globe was added at the bottom to define the translation of “earth” as it has also been associated with.

The foundation…

Pacha Coffee On Burnet Rd in Austin, Texas

Café Pacha’s building has been up for about 28 years now and it remains original-looking as it was before. The main shop has been known for its festive paints and very vibrant interiors which were kept warm and cozy by owner – Julie

Pacha Coffee Shop View

Schuroeder and her sister Suzanne. Julie’s stay in Bolivia played a big role in her interest on handicrafts and Andean arts, not to mention of course, the food! From there she got the salteñas and empanadas along with their home-brewed coffees and teas. This very optimistic lady crafted arts on the tables with her own hands and soon after with her French hubby, who makes the home-made specialties, Pacha became their first-born!

After some time, the real angel came in to the couple’s lives and they had to sell the business. In December 2008, Pacha was run by a new management, under Marjorie Boulden and A. P. David (‘David’), and it is now known as Mother Pacha Inc.

The Local Austin Owner

As the shop became more popular, so as its new runners. Marjorie Boulden’s passion for cooking has been well-exercised in her new business, yet the truth is, she is an electrical engineer who eventually got bored to just sitting in a cubicle cleaning up microchip designs, even if it pays her more. Her figure is a clear icon of what real passion is all about.

Pacha Quiche in Austin

The aroma of her enticing pies will surely entice your palates, same goes for her quiche and pancakes that are really something to look forward to and of course, get a taste of!

Marjorie and her hubby were both high school drop outs yet they made the best that they could to still get the ball rolling. However, David was able to publish a book thru Oxford and maintained a supporting site for the business. His writing prowess continued under a pen name and eventually came up with the novel Cliquez Ici! You’ll often find Marjorie at Pacha, managing and serving guests with her warmth and gentleness. On the other hand, David only spends afternoons at the café!

Organic Goodies on the menu

Pacha Menu Austin Coffee House

What is Pacha if coffee, pies, quiches and pancakes aren’t around? It’s as sad as your last day!!!
Pacha has been known widely for their delicious versions and home-cooked recipes that are sure to keep your tummy happy. All the more, they just do not offer sumptuous Pacha Latte, soups, pies and empanadas, you’ll be surprised to know that these very delicious dishes and beverages are healthy as well. Every item on the list is made with their signature secret recipe and all-organic ingredients. You’ll really taste the difference!

Starting off with your daily dose of coffee, Pacha offers the house regulars Drip, French pressed Coffee, Espresso and Café Con Leche, or more popularly known café au lait. However, you must never fail to miss trying out their Pacha Latte! The house’s special organic coffee that will really give you a lift! The coffee is cold-brewed-based, it’s non-dairy, so it’s good for those lactose-intolerant, it’s not too sweet either, plus you’ll have a choice of whether to have it hot, ice-blended, or with banana added and turn it into a smooth shake. As for the not so coffee-lovers, don’t worry, you can still choose from their Hot Chocolate, Milk, Tea, Juice and Smoothies, all tastes so good, you’ll even forget your name!

If you think this café will grab you for its coffee variations, well, don’t be mistaken, you’ll surely enjoy their food the same way as you enjoyed your drink! Pacha offers a wide range of choices, starting with short orders like the organic breakfast specials which consist of any or all of the following: oatmeal, tacos, bagel-egg-cheese, mini-omelette, tortilla-egg-cheese, canadian bacon, and grilled toast! If you come after breakfast time, there are all-day-available meals that are cooking in the kitchen.

So what are you waiting for?
Come on…and experience what people have been buzzing about Pacha and don’t over look the amble parking in the back!

Pacha Cafe & Coffee House
4618 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 420-8758
http://MotherPacha.com
motherpacha@gmail.com

Pull Your Card at Pacha

Pacha Table Art in Austin

Pacha TV Aquarium Art in Austin

Bennu Coffee Lounge an Austin Great

Bennu Coffee Shop is one of Austin’s Top places to enjoy a cup-a-joe. What’s cooler than hearing Bob Dylan in Austin’s coolest coffee shop Bennu. Bennu’s definitely has the ideal coffee shop feel. Bennu is located south east Austin on MLK Blvd close to the UT Campus but far enough away to not only have college student patrons. This coffeeshop in Austin won, Austin’s Coffee Shop Twitter Coolness Award and needed a independent review.

Bennu Coffee Shop Counter Logo

Visiting Bennu in the morning, you will find a good mix of people from all walks: professional, hip, tattooed, band members and just regular ole Austinites. It must be noted, the gene pool appears to be above par.

Bennu Mocha Drinks

Bennu’s Coffee: On to the coffee, I tested a Grande Iced Chai with two Shots of Espresso and it was damn tasty. Bennu Coffee Lounge has all of your regular coffee shop coffee options with dark, light coffee, espresso, french press, and a variety of loose leaf teas, including mango tea. Austin’s Bennu also has their specialty designer mocha coffee’s like the house favorite, “Pride & Prejudice” which consists of a blend of sweet chocolate powder and sauce topped with home-made whip cream and dusted with chocolate powder. Bennu also has, Don Quixote on the menu  Azteca D’Oro Spiced Chocolate Mocha topped with home-made whip cream and dusted with Mexican Spiced Powder. Wow typing all of that made me a bit thirsty for the ole’ Don and Bennu is open 24 hours.

Bennu Coffee Counter

Bennu’s Food: Bennu also has a wide variety of food options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night snacks. The morning I visited, they had already run out of breakfast tacos, so I had a pastry. An almond cinnamon crusted croissant which was outstanding! The Parmesan bagel seemed to be popular as everyone was ordering one. During lunch, I had a turkey and cheese which had a fancy name, but forget what they call it. Bennu’s Coffee House also serves pizza folks! Some of the food vendor’s Bennu works with and has avaliable are: Torchy’s Tacos, Russell’s Bakery, Fricano’s Deli, The Green Cart, & Hoboken Pies.

The staff is hip, professional and most importantly friendly. The music is picked by the staff and not your general radio station music. Obviously, this can be good or bad. If you don’t like the CD or station playing, it might be a little uncomfortable. Example, Bob Dylan’s first few songs was super cool, the entire CD was a little much. No big deal if you have your iPod. Not mentioned yet, but obviously Bennu has free Wifi.

Bennu Coffee Seating

Bennu Layout: There is a variety of seating options, cosy couch, extra high bar stools convent for laptop work and coffee shop observation or your regular table and chairs. Bennu is very spacious with a variety of different types of seating options, one has to work for you. I actually moved around three times while working to change up the scenery. I fell in love with their long coffee table and the red leather couch.

Summing Up Bennu: Overall Bennu Coffee Lounge is not only the Austin’s Coffee Shop Twitter Coolness Winner, but this coffeehouse may very well be the best coffee shop in Austin. It is almost exactly what you think of when you think of a real coffee shop. When I have friends or business associates come in town who enjoy coffee, when I want to drink coffee and relax with my wife, when I need to bang out a few hours of work I am going to Bennu’s Coffee Lounge. Bennu is not overly fancy, the colors are soothing, the people are Austin and the coffee is exceptional.

Bennu Coffe Lounge

Special Bonus Bennu’s Bathroom Review:
Bennu Coffee House bathroom was very unique. First things first, the most important thing about a bathroom is that is is clean and theirs was. When you walk in you see a HUGE Chalk board covering the entire back wall along with a chalk tray filled with many exciting colors. Even cooler, you can lock the door and just chalk up the blackboard at your hearts desire or until you hear a knock. The funniest thing in Bennu’s bathroom is the urinal is small and almost set on the floor, not sure why. The sink is filled with soothing rounded river rocks to keep with nature.

Bennu Twitter Logo

Bennu on Twitter:

Since Bennu is Austin’s Winner of Coolest Twitter Award it is only fitting to mention a few tweets going on about Bennu on Twitter.com. Here are a few Tweets relating to Bennu Coffee:

- @BennuCoffee suggests our cold brewed iced coffee or iced Bennu. It’s hot out there!Cool down while waking up. Perfect.
-@summersmichael Bennu coffee reading a great book.
-@juliosteen Coffee at Bennu while I work on my spec for what I plan to call “Web 1.9″.
-@hookem12387 @BennuCoffee just started #lawschool. Already need a cappaccino. I need to find $3 in the couch cushions and cone over
-@alifesheloves I’m @BennuCoffee my favorite way to start the week! Coffee + pizza = sounds strange but it totally works!
-@texeyes Haha I actually use Shazam to remember songs I hear and I just happen to hear Mr Dylan while @BennuCoffee

If you find this article useful, interesting, terrible, or if you have more insider info on Bennu, please leave comments or retweet or throw it to the social networks!

Update: Mama Roux closed on 2/22/11. The following Wednesday the owners, Michael and Yoli Amr were found dead in their homes due to a possible murder / suicide. On 2/1 Michael told long time chef, Hermino Martinez, who currently worked at Mama Roux and originally was hired at their Gumbo’s location, that restaurant was going out of business and he could take all of the food and wine he wanted, per Austin Statesman. The couple was dearly loved by neighbors, temporarily moved and ran a Soup Kitchen in Louisiana after Katrina in 2005, and strong animal advocates and donors through Humane Society of Williamson County.

From experience, I know how Yoli could light up a room and cared about all around her(read below). Yoli impacted many others like this as you will find in many articles about her. Her is one of her last quotes from last month, “When we leave this earth someday, we hope that we will have left our mark,” “And we hope that people will remember us for the kindness that we’ve shown animals.” March 2011 Austin Pets Directory magazine.

Read more about Yoli on page 16 of the Feb/March Edition of Austin Pets Directory magazine.

ORIGINAL POST Aug 2009:

Mama Roux has quickly become the buzz around Austin’s food topics especially relating to Cajun food! I was recommended to check out Mama Roux in North Austin by Eilenbug on Twitter.com. A few people after the recommendation informed me Mama Roux owners are the same folks who brought Austin Gumbo’s. Gumbo’s is one of the most well known and recognized Cajun food establishments in Austin, Texas. So knowing the history of Gumbo’s, I visited Mama Roux Cajun Cafe with in the week!

I must point out, I had seen Mama Roux a few times when I was in the area previously but did not really think of stopping because of the few recent food eatieries which were in its location were not to my liking. This assumption was a big mistake on my part because Mama Roux is a complete turn from previous restaurants in the location.

When I first walked into Mama Roux, I was honestly floored with the looks of the place and the customers eating there. The set up was very nice and does have the feel from both Gumbo’s in North Austin and South Austin. Black and White are the main colors with nice black beat boarding through out. The use of space and design works well including the chef window. You will also see customers of all kinds, when I first walked in I saw two gentlemen dressed up very nice and almost bolted because I was in my casual clothes.

Then I walk in further and see Yoli Amr, the owner of Mama Roux and creator of Austin’s Gumbo’s. She reminded me of an Austin Paula Abdul with out all of the crazyness. Yoli was all dressed up in her purple dress and purple high heels. Now I am really feeling uncomfortable but Yoli welcomes my family and I in and made us feel right at home. Once seated, I see there are all types of people eating some casual, some dinner dates, and a few family parties. At this point I am comfortable and excited about some Cajun food!

We are promptly greeted by one of Mama Roux’s professional waiters and given an explanation of the Cajun specials that day. For give me, I forgot all of the fancy names and words used, & Yoli, you forgot to write down all of the details for me! The Mama Roux specials that day consisted of Trout with a creamy crab meat sauce or Yellow Fin Tuna with a crawfish sauce. I had the yellow fin tuna and my wife ordered the trout, my daughter will share.

While waiting on our meal the waiting staff made sure we were doing ok. Mrs Amr did also. She would come by and entertain our daughter ever now and then. I can not say it enough how nice of a person Yoli Amr is, as I said I was dressed down and she treated us like a million dollars. I rarely see this in Austin restaurants. While waiting for the cajun fish entrees we has some tasty bread with butter from the table which looked like ice cream. Yoli motioned to my daughter to take a big scoop with her finger like ice cream..and she did of course.

Mama Roux Cajun Trout

Our dinner arrived with out much of a wait and ( my mouth is watering now) WOW again I was floored by what I saw at Mama Roux! My Yellow Fin Tuna with a crawfish sauce with Cajun rice and lima beans and corn looked and smelled delicious not to mention my wife’s Trout with a creamy crab meat sauce with mashed potatoes.

At this point, I already know I have found my new favorite Cajun food restaurant in Austin, Texas. Unbelievable! Everything on the plate was more than I could have imagined, honestly. The crawfish sauce had many full sized crawfish. The crab meat sauce had huge chunks of crab and no shells. Both fish portions were large and perfectly cooked. The sides were perfect. You have to try Mama Roux!

We end our meal and Yoli surprises our daughter with complementary ice cream! At Mama Roux we all had a great dinner and for what you get very affordable! The place is nice inside, the owner and waitstaff is professional. Austinites or anyone traveling to Austin must try Mama Roux if you are looking for the best Cajun Food in Austin!

Mama Roux Cajun Cafe
13000 N Interstate 35
Austin, TX 78753-1030
(512) 490-1304

Please leave comments, questions, and additional entry bests!

Piñones is located in Puerto Rico, 2 miles north of San Juan & the San Juan Airport. The popular tourist road, Isle Verde in San Juan which holds most of the top Hotels in Puerto Rico, like Ritz Carlton, El San Juan Hotel, and Intercontinental run right into Pinones going north bound.

Puerto Rico

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Pinones at Sunset

I enjoy visiting this town during sunset and for a relaxing dinner. Pinones is sort of a reserve in Puerto Rico where no development is allowed. This is why you see luxury hotels and then you run into small open outdoor non-commercial restaurants and a few local bars on the side of the road. I was told by a Puerto Rican, you get the real feel of Puerto Rico in Pinones. I must warn you it is not anything fancy, but is full of authenticity. Parking is difficult, traffic is sometimes bad, and I would not venture here past 8pm without a local accompanying you. This is just my observation.

Besides those three pieces of advice, I would say Piñones is a must see for new visitors to Puerto Rico.

Pinones Beach:

Pinones Beach

During the day there is a very impressive beach for kids to play. This is not a regular beach where the waves come in and you can walk into the ocean. There are many rock or reef barriers which allow a few small pools for kids to play in. Past the barriers, the waves are fairly rough and jagged rocks would prevent swimming. There is nice sand and it makes a good place to layout or enjoy family time.

Pinones Hike & Bike Trail:

Pinones Tall Coconut Tree- Be careful when walking through the trail because there are a few extremely tall coconut trees which produce huge coconuts. One falls on your head and it's over buddy!

One of my favorite things to do in Pinones is to show up around sunset, get a REAL Pina Colada and watch the sunset at the end of Pinoes Hike and Bike Trail. There are also a few authentic Puerto Rican places to eat at the dead end of the trail. These are all local hang-outs so you know you are getting the real deal. At the end of the trail, you can actually see El Moro in Old San Juan along with a beautiful sunset. In addition, there is a place where you can walk down to the water, play in the sand, or climb a rock ormations with cool little crabs in them.

Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Food on the Travel Channel also visits Pinones and has Mofongo. There is a great write up and actually my favorite Puerto Rico information website at  http://www.visit-the-coqui.com.