RocketTheme Joomla Templates
     
Home
Everything's Awesome & The Aroma of Freshly Baked Bread
Written by Marcie Stoyke   
Friday, 30 April 2010

  “EVERYTHING’S AWESOME"Who’s that skateboard dude behind the counter and why is he so happy to be making my Latte?” you might ask. Meet John Schneider, Metaphysical Barista. Why is he so happy making Lattes? He’s just happy. Period. “I like being alive,” he says, “waking up every day.” He’s excited and passionate about life. If you have a few hours to spend, ask him about what kind of consciousness shift he believes humanity is capable of making in the next couple of years. He is interested in the concept that our thoughts and feelings affect reality. He is always working on how to apply this idea, studying how to focus his thoughts toward desired outcomes and match that up with positive feelings. He is using his life as a testing ground, putting these ideas into practice all the time. His desire for human beings is that they begin to move from paradigms of separation and fear to an understanding of love and oneness.He marvels at the idea that everything is made of sunlight – molecules and atoms forged in the sun. And how our thoughts and feelings affect everything around us - the water, our bodies, other people’s moods. He is grateful when he can have a positive affect on people’s lives, whether this is by cheerfully making them a sandwich or by giving a dharma talk to kids at a retreat center, which he had the opportunity to do last winter.He wants to help people figure out how to enjoy their lives more. He chooses to spend his life feeling good and he wants to take everybody else along with him. If they want to go, that is.John is all about building a better world, helping it evolve.   He tries to see the Divine in everything. Even Diet Coke. And he recognizes that not everyone is up for Kombucha tea.You might have seen him riding his skateboard around. His philosophy is that we can break out of the bubble of fear that most of live in by challenging ourselves to think differently. And once you’ve done it – gone down that hill or up those stairs on a skateboard – you KNOW you can do it. It helps you move beyond limiting beliefs.He also spends time in meditation. This helps him in his work, which is essentially a people job. Just 10 or 15 minutes of meditation really helps him stay out of other people’s drama and keeps him feeling neutral about what’s going on around him. If you ask him how it’s going, he’d likely reply, “Everything’s awesome.”His outlook on life is, “It’s all okay. We’re breathing. It’s all okay.” If John does make your Latte, don’t be surprised if the flavor of it hints of conscious awakening.                                            

THE AROMA OF FRESHLY BAKED BREAD Meet Francois Medion – Amazing Grace’s “Boulanger Extraordinaire!”If you’ve enjoyed some delicious bread at the Grace recently, you have Francois to thank for this. He has been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years and comes to us by way of The Loring Café in Minneapolis. Before that he served in some of the finest restaurants in New York City.He is a full-time student at UWS, studying Botanical Science. His intention is to go on to pursue a Master’s degree at the U of M in Agriculture. He is interested in the wholesome, spiritual aspects of nutrition and environmental sustainability. Francois lives in awe of nature, appreciative of the abundance of wetlands and water in this area and the creatures who inhabit them. He enjoys harvesting local foods like wild rice and maple syrup and respectfully learning from people who have always done so. Francois believes that our grandmothers knew what to eat and that we have lost much of their wisdom in our modern culture. He teaches people about how to re-educate their taste buds – away from sugar, fat and salt, through the use of herbs and the rich flavors in natural foods, like pesto and peppers.He is on the board of the Duluth Community Garden Program and through them he provides a summer camp for kids about gardening.   He was attracted to Amazing Grace’s Bohemian atmosphere and set out to make a really good bread for our customers, reminiscent of his childhood in France. Stirato Bread is bread that is retarded, meaning it is slowed down. He makes the mix at the end of his shift, it begins to poof, then it is cooled down and it rests overnight. Then he bakes it the next day.  This gives the bread a slight sourdough flavor, with nice bubbles in the bread. It changes the structure of the gluten when the bread ferments for a long time and it is more digestible than breads that rise and are baked quickly.There is a price for this fabulous daily bread and Francois pays it willingly. He starts his day at the Grace around 3:00 a.m. and in order to get that crunchy crust, he bakes the bread at high temperatures and includes steam, which makes the kitchen REALLY HOT. He is humble and kind and he does this for you, so you can enjoy a tasty, nutritious sandwich or toast.In the near future, he would like to teach a class, maybe for kids, about Jim Lahey’s technique for No Knead Bread. Farther down the road, he would like to teach in a college or work for an organization that promotes healthy living through gardening and cooking.  

Last Updated ( Friday, 30 April 2010 )
 
SAVE THE GRACE'S FENCE!
Written by Ronnie Mae Eastling   
Friday, 26 March 2010

 

 The City of Duluth wants Amazing Grace to remove a portion of the fence surrounding the outdoor patio.  Many of you have expressed your enjoyment of the environment that the (locally made, hand-forged) fence creates.  If you are one of these people, could you please sign your name in support of the fence?  This petition and letters written by various people of the building and community will be presented to the City next week.  If you feel compelled to write a letter also, that would be great!  Please have it to us by noon on March 30th.
 
Marcie Stoyke
Written by Marcie Stoyke   
Friday, 26 March 2010
 Here we go…          Hello everyone, Happy Spring.  Since the passing of Chip, we here at the Grace have been learning to live without him.  This, of course, is not easy.  Many of you have helped the staff and I get through this difficult time. We thank you so very much for all the kind hugs and words.I thought this may be time to re-introduce myself, this time as the owner of the Grace.  My name is Marcie Stoyke.  I was raised in south Mpls.  I got married there and then moved to a rural life in southern MN.  I got my B.A. in Science and taught for a couple years.  I raised my two children in southern MN.  I was divorced in ’93.  During the years following my divorce, I went back to my music. I have been a musician most of my life.  I became a music therapist and built myself a career traveling and singing to shut-ins, nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. I taught guitar, banjo and autoharp for extra pay. I also learned the art of butchering chickens.  My kids and I sold them to for extra income. I met  Chip Stewart in 2001.  We fell in love and moved together to Two Harbors. At first, I wasn’t interested in running a restaurant with him.  But, the moment I came here and started doing dishes, clearing tables, and talking to the wonderful people who come here, I was hooked.  I have felt that it was a blessing to come to the Grace and that Chip and my meeting was no accident.  It all fell into place as it should.I am honored to now be the owner of Amazing Grace, honored to be “in charge” of all we offer.  I feel lucky to work in a place with wonderful staff and customers.I plan to stay with the Amazing Grace for as long as my legs let me which looks like a long time.  I value your input and want to make my door open to anyone who wishes to chat. 
 
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>

Results 1 - 4 of 8

Latest Events

There are no upcoming events currently scheduled.
View Full Calendar

Calendar

September 2010 October 2010
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
Week 35 1 2 3 4
Week 36 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Week 37 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Week 38 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Week 39 26 27 28 29 30

Polls

My Favorite Sweet at the Amazing Grace is ...
 

Login Form






Lost Password?
No account yet? Register

Newsflash

Wanna play at the Amazing Grace? Here's what you need to know...

  • We normally book at least two months in advance.
  • We tend not to book bands larger than three members, depending on the music.
  • Most people that we book have a promo package; some have their agents send it to us for them. If you don't have a promo package we ask for you at least to have a demo or music onlin. We want to hear you so that our patrons can hear you too.

If you have any other questions about, or to start, booking at the Amazing Grace you can contact David Greenberg at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call/leave a message for him at 218-723-0075.

We look forward to hearing you!!