...official blog of Cafe Evoke Catering - Oklahoma's premier specialty coffee catering company...
About Cafe Evoke Catering
Café Evoke Catering is Oklahoma's premier specialty coffee catering company.
Complete menus and information kits are available for download at CafeEvoke.com. Please feel free to email us through our website or call 405-606-2200 if you have any questions about incorporating a full service specialty coffee bar for your next special event or for your office.
Thank you for choosing a Fair Trade coffee catering company. We look forward to a long friendship.
We just did a bit of re-vamping on our website - CafeEvoke.com. We love the changes. Here is a glimpse the the new (and more proper) color scheme!
This site should not give any of our friends/clients/guests or other surfers the visibility problems the past version did. Thanks to our friend Matt at Kemso Design for getting that taken care of for us to quickly.
Keep coming back as we are going to be adding our new menus in PDF form so that you can download them before your next event.
Also, be sure to take a minute to sign up for our monthly mailing list for great updated on the happens of Cafe Evoke Catering and specials we are running.
There is going to be some cool news to talk about soon and the mailing list just might get it first!
Some of you may remember when we used to run a little carnival we called The Coffee and Tea Festival. We did this each week and would have others host every so often. Well, I was thinking about it and thought it would be cool to begin doing that again!
So, the new editions start next Friday! Don't know what a "blog carnival" is? Here is how BlogCarnival.com describes it:
A Blog Carnival is a particular kind of blog community. There are many kinds of blogs, and they contain articles on many kinds of topics. Blog Carnivals typically collect together links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic. A Blog Carnival is like a magazine. It has a title, a topic, editors, contributors, and an audience. Editions of the carnival typically come out on a regular basis (e.g. every monday, or on the first of the month). Each edition is a special blog article that consists of links to all the contributions that have been submitted, often with the editors opinions or remarks.
There is so much stuff in the blog-o-sphere, just finding interesting stuff is hard. If there is a carnival for a topic you are interested in, following that carnival is a great way to learn what bloggers are saying about that topic. If you are blogging on that topic, the carnival is the place to share your work with like-minded bloggers.
That being said, I introduce you to The Coffee and Tea Festival. This is a weekly festival that will feature articles all about coffee and tea including:
Below you will find the information needed to submit your works or to host this festival. This will be a great way to introduce your site and share your thoughts with everyone that has a passion for coffee and/or tea. You can always email us for more information and to sign up to host.
Want to submit your work?
1. Please have all posts submitted to blog@cafeevoke.com by 2:00 pm Mountain Time each Thursday evening. The carnival will run every Friday. (You can also submit your post here.) 2. Please included a link to the site where the article can be found. 3. Please included a heading for your articles so they can be filed correctly. 4. Each post must be current and contain information about coffee, tea, or these industries. 5. Please do not include posts that sell your product. This is an informational festival.
Want to host the Festival?
1. Please email blog@cafeevoke.com if you are interested. 2. Please read through all submissions and pick the ones that you feel are best for the week. Try and limit the selection to about 15 so the festival does not get overcrowded. 3. Included commentary about each submission as it provides a much more enjoyable reading experience. Be creative about it. 4. Be sure to link back to this page so others can get the info needed to host/submit. 5. Please have your edition of the Festival up by 2:00 pm on Fridays. 6. Not enough submissions? You can go to your feed reader and pick your favorites! You're the editor so you make the call!
The goal of this Festival is to educate and enhance the coffee and tea experience. There is a lot going on in both of these industries and this is going to be a festival that will help keep us informed. This is great way to bring traffic to your blog if you are a host or want to submit an article and a great place to learn as much as possible about the two industries if you are a reader.
I will host the festival here each week but would love to spin it around to other coffee/tea blogs if you are interested. It is a pretty easy and fun job as a host - you just have to make sure you get everything posted as soon as you have it ready and on schedule with the festival posting times.
Let me know if you are interested or if you have a post or article you would like to add to the next edition!
I have been having the same discussion it seems like for months now - Direct Trade v Fair Trade, which is better. My answer to this question every time is the same. They are both great! Let's put them together and make an even better Fair Trade Program!
It seems that every time I begin talking with people about Direct Trade, Relationship Coffee or Fair Trade Certified Coffee, we go back and forth about why one is better than the other. Really, what it all boils down to is transparency - how much is going to the grower and at what costs. Yes, there are the issues of certification fees and the fee of having a coop handle the transaction but there are people that are working on that as well.
When we were living in Nasville, TN a few years ago, we spent most of our time at Bongo Java. When we first started Cafe Evoke Catering this group became our main coffee supplier. There were several reasons for this:
1. The group was a founding member of Cooperative Coffee - a green coffee importing cooperative, comprised of 24 community based coffee roasters in the USA and Canada, committed to building and supporting equitable and sustainable trade relationships for the benefit of farmers and their exporting cooperatives, families and communities.
2. The owner, Bob Bernstein, was a major reason I came on board and starting believing in the Fair Trade Program as much as I do now
3. They do what they do not because it is some sort of fad, but because it is what they believe in.
I was reading - as I have been every day now - over at Change.org's Fair Trade Blog and Zarah had a great post on the need for transparency in Fair Trade. I think the post was timely as I think this is a major problem that the Fair Trade program has and one of the reasons people began a new "program" in direct trade and relationship coffees (more on that later).
She mentioned a site called Fair Trade Proof which I had not heard of before. I clicked around and found out that this site was created by the group at Cooperative Coffees. This just goes to show how intent this group is at making sure that you can feel confident that your Fair Trade Coffee purchases are just that - Fairly Traded! This really blows the doors off anyone saying that the Fair Trade Program cannot work in it current state. Here is an example from Bongo Java:
As you can see, you can now trace each lot by each member of the group - contract date, lot numbers, bill of lading, price, quality, etc...
Keep in mind that there are many issues that both groups talk about when discussing which is better. I don't think that it is a worth while conversation, really. The Fair Trade Certified Program is much more far reaching (as far as products and industries covered) than the Direct Trade coffee program. It takes funds.
Every time I talk about this, my thoughts are the same. Let's embrace both ideas and figure out how to make the one certified program we have even better.
There is a good conversation about Fair Trade v Direct Trade over at the Coffee Tao. He feels that the Fair Trade program is fine and should not go away but that the Direct Trade program has all the answers.
Cafe Evoke Catering loves teaming up with local business to network and grow with. Since moving to Oklahoma City, we have made it a point to meet as many other local businesses as we can. One of the great new companies we have met in the past few weeks is Mood Party Rentals.
This group is great - they were in almost every cool spread in the new Brides of Oklahoma Magazine and I have been hearing huge things about them for the past few months. So, today my buddy Josh McCullock and I headed over to meet with the owners and we had a great time.
If you are in the OKC area (or beyond) and need awesome rentals that are far from the norm - this is your place. From sofas and awesome chairs to table pieces and lighting, it is awesome to see another company filling a niche like this!
We have some awesome plans with Mood that we will be talking about soon so keep checking back!
Oh, and speaking of news, there is a bunch of it coming hopefully next week - I know, I haven't been blogging much but there are reason!
This is the time of year for awesome events - at least that is what it seems. I was just talking about an upcoming event - Wide Open Corners - and now, another. Chocolate Decadence is back and better than ever this year and Cafe Evoke Catering is proud to be a part of it! Here is a bit about the event from their website:
Historic Automobile Alley cordially invites you to celebrate Chocolate Decadence 2009, one of Oklahoma City's most anticipated events and Valentine traditions. Chocolate Decadence 2009 will be held Thursday, February 5th from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m., again at 825 N. Broadway. Held in one of the coolest venues this City has to offer, the Hudson-Essex Loft Office exudes hip, urban-chic in Historic Automobile Alley. The party showcases decadent chocolate treats from premier local restaurants and caterers while featuring smooth jazz, flowing wine and champagne, gourmet coffees and the ever popular Valentine auction. Chocolate Decadence enjoyed sold-out crowds in 2007 and 2008 and the same is expected this year. Purchase your tickets early so as not to miss the most decadent event of the year!
This year's event will feature chocolate delights by Bin 73, Brown's Bakery, Café Evoke providing fabulous gourmet coffees, CocoFlow, Deep Fork Group, Iguana Mexican Grill/Season's Catering, La Luna Mexican Café, Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, Museum Café, Nancy's 57th Street Lighthouse, Nonna's, Paseo Grill, The Deep Deuce Grill, The Melting Pot, and Winan's Fine Chocolates, to name just a few.
There is much more to read about the event so be sure to take a second to get the full look into the party.
Cafe Evoke Catering is working on a great new signature drink for the event and we are excited about it. If you have any questions, please let us know or contact the event directly. Here is all the information you need:
Tickets to Chocolate Decadence 2009 are $50 and may be purchased at DowntownOKC.com, AutomobileAlley.org or by phoning (405) 706-7484. All tickets must be purchased in advance. Must be 21 to attend. Business attire requested.
Tickets ordered after January 31st, will need to be picked up at the WILL CALL booth the night of the event.
For more information, email us at chocolatedecadence2009 {at} yahoo.com
Our local community means a lot to us at Cafe Evoke Catering. We love when we have the opportunity to bring quality specialty coffee to events that are benefiting our community here and also our global neighbors. Well, we are happy to tell you about an upcoming event that you can come and have a great cup of coffee that will literally keep on giving.
Wide Open Corners is an event to raise both awareness and funds for the women’s program of Spero:Voice. Spero:Voice works with international refugees in the OKC area who have recently been relocated from war-torn regions all over the world, assisting them with education, mentoring, employment assistance, and advocacy.
This event is going on in The Plaza District in Oklahoma City - an up and coming place of arts and community that you need to check out. Here are the details of Wide Open Corners as seen on their website:
Where: Convergence, Plaza District of OKC (NW 16th and Indiana)
When: Saturday, January 31st, 5:00p.m. to 9:00p.m.
Cost: Free!
Local Artists: Samantha Lamb, The Little Trunk, and Collected Thread
Live Music: Jennifer Colley & Marcy Priest. Marcy will be performing at 7:30p.m.
Perhaps you’re thinking, how is it going to be a fundraiser if it’s free? That’s a very good question! We welcome everyone to come and attend the event, but we will only raise funds if we encourage you to purchase some items. Here are some ways you can help at the event:
1. Purchase hand-made items from refugee women. 100% of those purchases will go to the women and to program costs. There will be a wide range of items, but many will be less than $10.
2. Purchase items from American women. Artists are donating 10% of all items sold at the event to program costs.
3. Purchase a cup of gourmet coffee from Cafe Evoke. Thanks to generous sponsors, 100% of the purchase of coffee goes to program costs.
4. Purchase a sampler platter of ethnic food prepared by refugee women
5. Sign up to sponsor a woman with a loan! For just $200 dollars, you can give a woman the tools and materials she needs to move toward economic independence. And the best part is, your loan will slowly be repaid to Spero:Voice, who will offer the complete $200 back to another woman. Your sponsorship will literally give for years and years to come!
6. Sign up to attend a 4-week cooking class taught by refugee women. These ladies will teach you a staple dish from their country (a different country each week), and share a story or two along the way.
7. Make a one-time donation at the event.
8. Sign up to make a monthly contribution to Spero:Voice
Did you catch the event cost to you? FREE! That is right, you can come and have a great time with others from our area for nothing. Yes, yes, they are asking you to purchase items to help benefit the group but, hey, at least we all know you are going to have coffee sometime on Saturday, January 31st. Why not come have it with Cafe Evoke Catering - Oklahoma's premier specialty coffee catering company?
We will be serving 100% Fair Trade and Organic Certified coffee and espresso drinks expertly crafted by our friends in Olympia Washington - Batdorf and Bronson. This event will be a sure "not to miss" evening. Don't just see the pictures, be there!
I have had the privilege of tasting some new coffees from Owl Tree Roasting out of Austin Texas for the past few days. I think this is one of the things I love most about the coffee industry - having friends from all over sharing their product for the love of the product and the story behind it.
Here is a bit about Owl Tree as told by the label on the coffee. Their mission?
...is more than finding the world's best beans and roasting them to perfection (which we do). We recognize our obligation to you, to our suppliers, and to ourselves to operate as if the fate of the world depends on it - because in many ways it does.
Here is a list of coffees that Travis (master roaster) and my buddy Joshua (also of Progress Coffee fame) sent to me:
Ethiopia Washed Sidamo
Guatemalan Valle Volcanes Acatenango
Brazil Mogiana Natural Yellow Bourbon "Fazanda Cachoeria"
Sumatra Mandheling Harimae Tiger
I will have much more about Owl Tree Roasting and also what I thought about these coffees soon. I am just getting over a cold so I can finally taste again which is very helpful in my line of work.
You can befriend Owl Tree Roasting in many ways - buying their coffee, "friending" them on Myspace and telling your friends.
Keep checking back for more from these guys as I get my notes translated to a blog post.
I started this blog on January 25th, 2005 while a student at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. It is amazing to think of all the things that have happened since then. Here was my first post:
Here I go. After months of telling myself I have time before writing this business plan arrives, it has tapped me on the shoulder and forced me into action. Only 4 months until I leave the comforts of this college town I have spent the last 3 1/2 years and on to the place where my life will start, Bozeman, MT. All that lies between now and my last Spring Break as a college student is the rough draft of my business plan, the feet of my dreams for Cafe Evoke, an art and coffee shop that has taken my head by storm for over a year now. This will be my story from now, through the business plan process, the joys of construction and the growing pains along the way.
I hope that we can learn together and that if you have information to help me, you will be so kind as to pass it along. I hope to engage you in my journey and pass on the things I learn as I go.
...here we go...
There are lots of things from that post that I look back on and note the growth in not only my ideas and dreams for a specialty coffee company but also the foundation for what we now know as Cafe Evoke Catering - Oklahoma's premier specialty coffee catering company.
This blog, A Thought Over Coffee is going to turn 4 this year. Many of you have been on board with this blog since the beginning so thanks to you!
The benchmark of 4 years will be later this month. Today, however, we reached our 1,000 post!
1,000 cups of coffee (plus many more), 1,000 transparent looks into Cafe Evoke and Cafe Evoke Catering, 1,000 conversations and more!
Thanks for reading this blog and I look forward to another 1,000!
It is the 5th day of 2009 and I cannot even believe that we are through 2008. At Cafe Evoke Catering - Oklahoma's premier specialty coffee catering company - 2008 proved to be a time that we learned a lot, loved our jobs a lot and worked a lot!
The great thing about 2009 is that we have some huge ideas and plans - plans that we hope will really set us apart in the specialty coffee and specialty coffee catering industries. Our motto for the year is summed up nicely by -J. Alden Weir:
"You must make a subject a part of yourself before you can properly express it to others"
In our case, we are talking coffee and espresso catering service and our goal in 2009 is to create an even better experience for our clients. We will be talking much more about all of this in the coming weeks. We will be announcing a few other very cool things we have our hands in and will be making a few new introductions to our team as well - all in time!
The reason for this post, however, was not a year in review of Cafe Evoke Catering but a year in review for Fair Trade. I began thinking about trying to get a few of the highlights from 2008 that brought attention to me as I write and talk about Fair Trade. I then was reading some posts from my friend Zarah Patriana over at FairTrade.org's Fair Trade Blog and decided that there was really no need for me to rewrite something so well stated. I have always heard that if it has already been done well, let the experts keep it up! So, here is what Zarah has to say about the Fair Trade Year in Review.
She talked about Fair Trade in several areas:
Smells Like Corporate Social Responsibility
Fair Trade Communities Coming Together
Getting a Taste of Celebrity
Fair Trade Policies
The Fair Trade Numbers
It is a really great read with links to other great things that we should all have caught in 2008. Take a little break sometime soon to click around her blog. Also, Change.org has so many other great things you need to check out as well. If you believe in supporting something, there is a cause/blog/action group on this site that you can get involved with. Go check it out!
Today is the Okahoma Bridal Show. The event is taking place at the Cox Convention Center in Downtown Oklahoma City. Doors open at 1:00 and the show will last until 5:00 this evening.
Come check out the show and stop by and see Cafe Evoke Catering - Oklahoma's premier specialty coffee catering company - and the other great vendors. We will have an awesome show special and of course samples!
Happy New Year from all of us at Cafe Evoke Catering - Oklahoma's premier specialty coffee catering company. We hope that 2008 closed for you in a great way and that your plans for 2009 are grand!
I talked yesterday about Downtown Oklahoma City's Opening Night festivities - Jenni and I did get down for them and we had a blast! Here is how it happened:
We took in the Thunder basketball game with my parents and watched them win their 4 game of the year. While we know they have not been the best team, they really have been playing great basketball (for the most part) and it was nice to see them get rewarded for it.
We then headed back out of the Ford Center and began taking in some of the other stuff that was going on. We did not have tickets to the Flaming Lips show but we did hear some of it going on - I heard it was great.
We walked around and saw some music, visited the Myriad Gardens and enjoyed the lights and the crowds.
After we took in some of the sights, we headed to Soleil form some dessert and drinks before watching the ball drop in OKC. The dessert was great, the coffee?
Here is our night in images. If you did not get to get down there, you should next year - it was great!
