..thoughts on coffee, business, art, and community...
About Cafe Evoke Catering
Café Evoke Catering's mission is more than coffee; it is a passionate interaction with the local and global communities. We use Fair Trade Certified products whenever we can.
When Café Evoke Catering is at your event, rest assured your coffee, tea, and espresso is Fair Trade Certified.
When you hire one of our Baristas, you are getting a trained professional who is passionate about coffee from the bean to the cup. We strive to give each and every one of our clients the personal attention that is deserved.
Please contact us today for booking and package information. You can email us through our website or call 405-517-0517.
Thank you for choosing a Fair Trade coffee catering company. We look forward to a long friendship.
Our friends at Double Shot Coffee in Tulsa are again at it to not only have a great time but also to raise a few bucks for Coffee Kids - the group I talked about a few days ago.
It is time again for what they call the DoubltShot Duathlon. Here are the details that you need:
Turkey Mountain - Tulsa, OK October 11, 2008 9a Race Start
100% Off-Road singletrack 5k Run - 15k Bike - 5k Run
Registration We appreciate it if you would PRE-REGISTER, so we can better plan for your race. Register online or pick up an entry form at DoubleShot Coffee Company (18th & Boston)
$35 entry fee Individuals $50 entry fee Teams ($25 each) $10 Late fees apply after 10/04/08
Packet pickup at DoubleShot October 9 from 5-7p or on raceday (get there early). Race as an individual or 2-person relay team. Racing fees are non-refundable. So plan on racing, no matter what.
Rules USA Triathlon rules will be followed and enforced. ANSI/Snell approved helmets are mandatory. Race will be held rain or shine (or snow or wind or drunk or sober). Teams consist of one runner and one cyclist. Oh, and you must finish the race. It’s a rule.
Location Turkey Mountain is located on Elwood Avenue (on the west side of the Arkansas River) between 61st and
71st Streets. See map.
Awards Finisher medals for all racers who cross the line. Male/Female overall PRIZE MONEY:
1st $300 2nd $200 3rd $100
Prizes for top 3 teams
Primes for fastest splits for male/female
Random other awards and plenty of free stuff
Course Run and bike courses will be 100% singletrack. Both 5k runs will be fairly strenuous and technical, through the rocky, hilly dirt trails of Turkey Mountain (it’s not really a mountain, just a hill). It’s mostly rolling, with some short, steep climbs and descents. The 15k bike section will be on the smoothest, fastest singletrack available at Turkey. That doesn’t mean anything because hardly any of Turkey Mountain is smooth or fast. I highly recommend you come with knobby tires and a nice suspension fork. If you are primarily a roadie or are new to mountain biking, you should definitely come out so we can laugh and make fun of you. Train off-road. That should help.
We will go up the hill, so start strengthening those quads. Remember, lower your center of gravity. Some of you will do that involuntarily, but pick yourselves up and keep moving.
We anticipate that everyone (beginner to expert) will have a lot of fun on this course and not be injured beyond what the EMTs can handle. (see blog entry about face-planting)
Sponsors Interested in sponsorship? Get your name on the race banners, in the race bags, and on this website (not to mention the lips of all the cool people in Tulsa).
Contact: Brian@DoubleShotCoffee.com
This is going to be a cool thing guys. I rode Turkey Mountain a few years ago when visiting my dad and it is probably some of the best mountain biking in the state in my opinion. Many of you are going to ride anyway, why not trying something a bit different??
You watch the propaganda film about the event which should get you off the couch and on the way to Tulsa.
The website for the event has lots of good information for you including a link to the blog, a history of Turkey Mountain and everything else you need to know to make it on time and to the party - fashionably late means 10 minutes early.
Go check it out and represent OKC in Tulsa!
Need more information? Let me know!
This may event be an event that we try to do next year as an Evoke Cycling event! More on Evoke Cycling sometime soon.
Here we go - if you or someone you know is getting married in the coming days, weeks, months or even years, this is where you need to be TODAY September 28th, 2008. The Oklahoma Bridal Show. This show happens once a quarter or so (per season really) and is a place that you can literally plan your entire week in one place.
The show will take place in the NW Expressway Marriott TODAY Sunday, September 28th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm in their "Hall of Gowns" - a great room that always seems to bring an event together.
Be sure to stop by and have some great coffee or espresso from Cafe Evoke Catering. We will be serving up the full menu and giving some great deals away. These deals will be show only specials this time with no carry over so be sure to bring all your friends to get their bookings taken care of there. It will be worth your time!
We look forward to meeting everyone TODAY Sunday, September 28th from 1-5pm at the Oklahoma Bridal Show! Be sure to stop by and say hello.
There are many reason we do what we do but not many make us as proud as working with other great companies along the way. There are reasons behind everything that we do - quality product, Fair Trade Certified coffees, quality service and business practice, etc. One of the things we care about most of all is taking care of our community not only in Oklahoma City, OK but also around the world. There are many companies that are doing this same thing and one of the great ones is Coffee Kids.
All of us at Cafe Evoke Catering have been watching the progress the group at Coffee Kids is making in coffee producing countries trying to meet their mission to:
Create partnerships with local organizations in coffee-growing regions that work directly with coffee-farming communities.
Partners provide technical resources, training, and follow-through to communities to implement grass-roots projects.
Provide the resources that enable our partners and their communities to put their vision into action.
Facilitate idea-sharing exchanges between project participants and other organizations to find solutions to common problems.
Educate the coffee community about conditions in coffee-farming communities
We are happy to be supporters of Coffee Kids and you can be, too - by working with Cafe Evoke for your unique event catering needs or by donating to the group. They are a 501(c)(3) so your donations are tax deductible. We will be rolling out some cool specials in honor of the group in the next month or two that we think will be very cool.
Also, October is Fair Trade Month and the group at TransFair have a lot going on. This is a cool thing guys so head over to their site and get involved!
Fair Trade is much more than coffee and we will talk more about it as the month goes on so stay tuned!
At Cafe Evoke Catering, we do not add many signature drinks to our line up. It is hard being a caterer and having the same type of drink selection as a shop but we do what we can! So, this week we are rolling out our seasonal menu and we are pretty happy about what we are going to be offering for Fall and Winter!
Cafe Evoke Catering is proud to offer great tea selections from Harney and Sons Fine Teas. This is a company that our friends at Batdorf and Bronson and we think they are great. Sourced directly by the The Harney Family since 1970, Harney and Sons creates fantastic blends that are sure to add to our line up. The group is a part of 1% For the Planet - giving 1% of their sales to the group to help them reach their mission:
Use market forces to drive positive environmental change by inspiring companies to give.
For more information on 1% For the Planet, you can visit their blog or check out their store for great gear!
To go along with our great new tea selection, we have brought in some great cider - the best we have ever had! For all you cider fans and those that would rather have something besides specialty coffee at your next event, you will not want to miss this. Straight from the mountains of Vermont, Mountain Cider is 100% all natural apple cider straight from their orchards - no preservatives, no syrups only apples! While this cider is great by itself, it can even be better by adding our gourmet caramel sauce - like drinking a caramel apple! We're telling you, you are not going to want to miss this!
So, be sure to get in touch with Cafe Evoke Catering to book your next event. Both of the new products I just talked about will be included with our American Menu at no extra charge! We are looking forward to it!
I haven't forgotten about this, I promise! We have been swamped since coming back from the festival of coffee (coffee fest) and we are about on track again. More content coming soon.
We will be talking milk, espresso, batdorf and bronson, new menus, and much much more.
Here we go - if you or someone you know is getting married in the coming days, weeks, months or even years, this is where you need to be on September 28th, 2008. The Oklahoma Bridal Show. This show happens once a quarter or so (per season really) and is a place that you can literally plan your entire week in one place.
The show will take place in the NW Expressway Marriott on Sunday, September 28th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm in their "Hall of Gowns" - a great room that always seems to bring an event together.
Be sure to stop by and have some great coffee or espresso from Cafe Evoke Catering. We will be serving up the full menu and giving some great deals away. These deals will be show only specials this time with no carry over so be sure to bring all your friends to get their bookings taken care of there. It will be worth your time!
We look forward to meeting everyone on Sunday, September 28th from 1-5pm at the Oklahoma Bridal Show! Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Coffee Fest Seattle has come and gone again - leaving us feeling like we do after Christmas. With ideas for a better Cafe Evoke Catering, a better understanding of our industry, and new hope for why we do what we do, it is back to the daily grind and business as usual.
While Jenni and I both felt that the show this year was a bit slower than normal and maybe a bit less of a spectacle that the past few we have been too, we both agree that this was one of the best Coffee Fest shows yet. I think one of the things that many people don't realize is that one of the best parts of Coffee Fest is the networking. Yes, the show is a great place to see new equipment, find out the new trends and get your gear. It is much more than that, however, and how could we complain - networking at Coffee Fest takes comes in the form of parties, drinks and fun.
As we talked about before and will talk about again soon, we started our trip in Olympia Washington with our friends at Batdorf and Bronson (B&B). Heather, Stefany, Bob, Marcus, Will and all the the others were great hosts and we had a heck of a time. If you are one that is looking for great coffee or espresso - give them a try!
It was then to the show in Seattle and we were more excited than ever. Here are a few pictures from the floor:
One of the best parts of each coffee fest is the latte art competitions that go on. The Millrock Latte Art Competition (photos here) is always great a great time. While the NWRBC did not happen at Coffee Fest this year, there were 40 contestants in the free pour competition. The winner?
Hiroshi Sawada, owner of Caffe Milk Art in Japan. What made this time even better was that Hiroshi ended up giving everything to Coffee Kids - making it a win win for everyone! After 8 attempts at taking the top spot, it was cool to see him give it all back.
We also hung out at the Barista Exchange party while in Seattle. Victrola Coffee Roasters hosted the meet up and smack down and it was a blast. Here are a few images from the party:
Over all, the show was great. I have much more to talk about in the coming days. It was good to see all of our friends - old and new.
...this is a special edition to A Thought Over Coffee. We will be blogging "live" from Coffee Fest Seattle. Keep up to date with what is going on including recaps of the day, photos and other thoughts from "where coffee happens..."
Well, Coffee Fest has come to an end and it was a great time. Parties, latte art, great food, great drinks and great times. While the show seemed a bit slow this year, we probably had the most fun just being here and getting to know people a bit better.
I don't have a very good internet connection and we were out all day today so I will get some photos up and get a "wrap-up" post done on Tuesday when we get back to Oklahoma.
This was a great trip and we are bummed to have to get on the plane to come home!
...this is a special edition to A Thought Over Coffee. We will be blogging "live" from Coffee Fest Seattle. Keep up to date with what is going on including recaps of the day, photos and other thoughts from "where coffee happens..."
I actually took a few pictures from the show floor today but as I write, the camera and cord are in Jenni's bag at H&M - not very helpful. I'll get them up soon.
Today was another relatively slow day it seems. I'm not sure if it is the price of travel or what but most people here seem to be from the Washington area. There are also quite a few open booths (empty maybe) that make it feel a bit lonely. No worries, there are some great vendors at this event and - as always - the coffee and espresso service has been top notch.
I am getting ready to head over to the bar to watch Oklahoma play Washington (just down the street) and then we will be off the to the Barista Exchange party for some drinks and hanging. Should be a good time.
...this is a special edition to A Thought Over Coffee. We will be blogging "live" from Coffee Fest Seattle. Keep up to date with what is going on including recaps of the day, photos and other thoughts from "where coffee happens..."
Dang. My goal of getting posts out to you "as it happens" has already taken a wrong turn. My apologies. Here is the deal, I don't want to sign up for an "account" at the convention center which makes it hard! No excuses though.
So, Day 3 was actually yesterday. It was a busy day of travel and commuting. After a stop at the Dancing Goats Espresso Bar in Olympia, Jenni and I headed back to Seattle to drop off the rental car. It was easy - light traffic and no problems at all. We then cabbed it over to the Inn at Queen Anne. It is a cool little place that used to be an old apartment complex it looks like. Cool people, nice rooms and very enjoyable.
Queen Anne is an area that we have not been able to explore much. I believe there is an Uptown Espresso around here and of course the Space Needle and Key Arena. Oh, and if you are still looking for Seattle Sonics gear, there is still a store at Key Arena selling the stuff. Sorry guys, the team is now the OKC Thunder! (don't laugh at our name)
So, it is about a 40 minute walk from our hotel to the Convention Center and other attractions of downtown Seattle. No problem though, we are getting by and actually love the walk.
I will talk more about the show later today/early tomorrow and bring you some pictures. The show seemed a bit light to me this year but others are sure that it will pick up today. We will see.
Last night, the crew from B&B took us out to great drinks and food at the Spur Gastropub - it was fantastic. I'm sure there will be pictures that I can get my hands on soon which I will share with you.
Great times so far from Washington. My Sooners are on town as well playing Washington. I am going to watch the start and hopefully will be able to get to the Barista Exchange party soon after.
...this is a special edition to A Thought Over Coffee. We will be blogging "live" from Coffee Fest Seattle. Keep up to date with what is going on including recaps of the day, photos and other thoughts from "where coffee happens..."
We are still not quite in Seattle for Coffee Fest like the title says but, hey - same trip. We are in Olympia Washington, just south of Seattle.
First, I wanted to say a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jenni - co-owner of Evoke and my wonderful wife. By the way, we are going to get her writing on this blog soon. I promise, you will like it.
We woke up to a great morning in Olympia. After our free "extended continental" breakfast at our hotel, we set out a bit early to get a cup of coffee and see the sites. We had a meeting with Heather (you may have seen her in the a past edition of Barista Magazine) of Batdorf and Bronson. We stopped in quick for coffee and then just walked around while we waiting.
It was cool having something that tasted so familiar made so far from home. The coffee was great of course and made for even better sipping in the cool morning that we had today. We knew we had a big day ahead of us. At 9:30, we headed back to the Dancing Goats Espresso Bar on Market Street to meet up with Heather.
We had a chance to hang out for a bit there before heading over to the roastery and cupping room where we cupped several coffees. It was a great chance to get to know the others at Batdorf a bit better and also get to know their coffees. There were several on the table. I will talk more about that later.
We also had a chance to get a sample of the new Panama Esmeralda they got in off the Clover and it was incredible - like Christmas in a cup really.
After a tour of the roastery and the cupping, we headed to the Farmers Market for some lunch were we ran in to Bev (customer service manager at Batdorf) and Jen (HR director at Batdorf). Lunch was fantastic.
We then headed out on a little shop crawl hitting Olympia Coffee Roasters, Batdorf and Bronson, Cafe Vita, and a few others. I was super impressed with Oly:
Check out some of this etching and the front tile work. Also, the plates with our macchiato. Very cool.
We have had a great time in Olympia and tomorrow we head to Seattle. I have much more about what we learned here once we get back. More on the cupping and the coffees we talked about, more on Olympia Coffee Roasters and their green practices and more on other stuff.
...this is a special edition to A Thought Over Coffee. We will be blogging "live" from Coffee Fest Seattle. Keep up to date with what is going on including recaps of the day, photos and other thoughts from "where coffee happens..."
Ah, the time has finally come for Coffee Fest Seattle. We always look forward to this show - as I have said before - and are excited to get there. There are many things we are looking forward to this time but the thing that is probably the most exciting is the side trip to Olympia Washington to hang out with our friends at Batdorf and Bronson. We will be there tonight so more on our trip here later...
Our trip began today at 8:50 am. We boarded along with a bunch people clad in Crimson and Cream of The University of Oklahoma. They are headed to Seattle for the game, we are headed for coffee.
While in Dallas, we ended up having some spare time so we stopped for our first coffee of the day at a place serving illy.
You know, I have a few thoughts on super automatic espresso machines for another day - remind me. This "cappuccino" was from a super automatic and it was palletable.
The several hour layover we had was fine, we had a chance to get some food and walk around a bit. The trip from Dallas to Seattle was long...
Once we finally arrived, I felt like a little kid getting out of the car - it felt so good! We then waiting for 25 minutes or so for our bags and headed over to check out our sweet car. Cool thing - we good upgraded to "a small SUV" at no extra charge. Not sure why you even get a reservation if they are not going to have the car anyway. I'm not complaining.
We headed south and by the time we got into Olympia, we figured out how to work the rental Garmin GPS we got. It works well now!
The hotel is great and we are excited about getting into some coffee later tonight and tomorrow with our friends at Batdorf. Tonight, we are going to hang out in town, get some food, maybe some coffee and just enjoy it...
...at 8:50 am tomorrow, we are off to Seattle. I just noticed that I have not posted much in the past few weeks - sorry about that. Things have been busy and we have been trying our best to get things in order in prep for this trip. It is always hard to "leave your business" for a few days but, I think I can handle it!
Today has been crazy already and should just keep getting busier and busier until I am asleep and up again heading to the airport. With details of the trip getting the final run over, meetings we have been pushing off getting taken care of and getting ourselves ready for a vacation (hey, it is hard to call what we do work you know!) - it will be one of those fast but heavy days around here.
The weather is doing it's job in helping us get ready though - chilly and cloudy. Nice!
So, as soon as we get to Seattle, we are off on our little side trip instantly. We got a sweet rental (I am sure it will be one of those little things) and it will be fun to make the short drive.
My goals are pretty simple this week:
1. Have a great time 2. Check up on what's been happening 3. Cafe hop 4. Have a few drinks 5. Watch OU beat up on Washington 6. Watch Millrock Latte Art Comp 7. Hang out with old friends
While all of this is going on, I really hope to get some quality blog time - unlike what I have put on there in the past. So, if you are a daily ready of this blog, you should get a nice array of photos, show info, what we have been doing, etc.
So, with that, I have to get a few more things done. Sorry to be so short. More tomorrow from Olympia, Washington!
Thanks to our friends at American Airlines, I remembered that we are flying out on the 10th for Seattle! I am not sure if they were reminding me so that I could be sure to be on time or if they were emailing to be sure that I take out a new line of credit as to afford the price per bag they will now charge me. Who really knows.
We are pretty excited about our trip to Seattle this year. It will not only be a great time with our coffee friends but also a chance to get back to the Northwest for a bit. While this is not the time to take it easy, it will be a time to get away and have some fun in the midst of work.
Ok, so the reminder I got today really did not take me by surprise. We have been looking forward to this trip for quite awhile now. Coffee Fest is a time/place for us to better our company and in turn better the experience we provide our customers. While we understand that coffee catering is still new to the market, we also know it is growing super fast and becoming more and more popular with brides, corporations looking to gift their employees and clients and sales reps to name a few.
Coffee Fest is a great place to go if you are looking for new and improved equipment or product to sell in your retail shop. We are not really in that market but we are in the market to learn more about what we do, why we do it and how to best make it all happen.
We will be blogging from Seattle and our quick stop in Olympia while we are gone with pictures, news and any other fun information we think we have. I am going to try my best to keep up with it better this time. I think I will be able to.
So, stay tuned for news from Seattle. Our monthly newsletter will focus on Seattle and Coffee Fest and may just have some special deals and new releases for you. So, if you have not been getting the email news letter, now would be a good time to sign up! They don't bite, I promise.
For those that did not have a chance to get to Oklahoma Christian University Saturday night for the first annualHeartbeat for Hope event, you missed a great thing. Despite the rain and wind that hit right at 6:00 pm and again at about 9:00 pm, the event was a success!
Cafe Evoke Catering was happy to be a part of it. Here are a few pictures from right after the storm:
Looks like this is going to turn into an annual thing so if you did not catch it this year, be sure to make it out for next time! Remember, if you have an event that could use a full service coffee bar in Oklahoma, please let us know! Be sure to mention Heartbeat for Hope and we will donate 10% of the event total back to the organization and to their goal of $10,000.
I am going to try to see where they stand so that we can all rally to help them reach it.
