With snappy themed menu items like "Hercules" - a roast beef and provolone sandwich, "Mulan" - an Asian salad, "Peter Pan" - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, even Charlotte's Web - a cinnamon roll, effervescent Mona Amanat and dear friend Soraya Radmanesh will be launching the Bookmark Cafe in the new Lafayette Library and Learning Center (LLLC) in a few months. A selection of hot and cold drinks, veggie snacks and some Mediterranean items will round out the menu. The LLLC is the only Library in the county to have such a generous food policy. Nothing like a steaming hot latte coupled with a "Giving Tree" biscotti to encourage patrons to get comfortable and stay a while. The healthy menu options are designed to offer kids positive reinforcement that natural choices can be tasty. Amanat and Radmanesh want the Bookmark Cafe "to be more than a typical cafe - we are mothers who have spent many hours at the Lafayette Library with our kids and want to create a family environment," says Amanat. City staffers and Library Foundation representatives were quite pleased with the food the Bookmark ladies brought for their official taste test. "The organic cherry drink was absolutely delicious. Beautiful to look at and even better tasting - not too sweet, not too sour - very refreshing," says Gwen Lennox, Campaign Director for the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation. "The food was tasty and the hospitality warm. I'm sure the Bookmark Cafe will be a favorite place for our library patrons," agrees Joanne Robbins, Lafayette's City Clerk. Using green biodegradable packaging, encouraging recycling, and donating a portion of their profits to Lafayette charities, these two women capture the zeitgeist of the community. The pair also want to foster the creative involvement of children by rewarding them with positive reinforcement for making healthy choices. "We would love to open at the same time as the main library," said Amanat, "but all construction resources are being devoted to the main building right now." They anticipate opening soon. Tentative hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to serve the gamut of customers from early morning coffee drinkers to late night snacking teens. The partners will re-evaluate hours after their initial weeks of operation.
The healthy menu options are designed to offer kids positive reinforcement that natural choices can be tasty. Amanat and Radmanesh want the Bookmark Cafe "to be more than a typical cafe - we are mothers who have spent many hours at the Lafayette Library with our kids and want to create a family environment," says Amanat.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA