Create Café is about growing and serving organic local food, being sustainable, sharing good vibrations, building community, reducing waste and providing our customers with delicious, vibrant cuisine by means of an outstanding dining experience where people from all parts of our community "break bread" together. We will encourage a pay-it-forward philosophy, so that no one goes hungry. As a Social
Enterprise, we are committed to making the world a better place, starting with our corner of it. We provide (and charge for) scratch-cooked meals in our Café, as well as services such as Full Service Catering and Gourmet Cooking Classes, which have a real and true value to our guests and community. These revenue streams allow us to fulfill our mission of supporting Manitou Springs through programs that promote Self-Sufficiency Education (Healthy Cooking Classes) and Job Training (Culinary Arts Training Program). Additionally, we create jobs, participate in crafting Food Policy and serve as an Advocate for Manitou Springs. Our Vision
We envision:
• A comfortable, inviting atmosphere, coupled with delicious,
healthy, scratch-cooked menu offerings that draw people from all
walks of life and entices them to become involved in our
community
• A social enterprise model that provides a high quality experience
for volunteers
• An organic community kitchen that serves responsibly-sourced
food made with creativity and love, enjoyed at community tables. This is part of what will make it a place that our customers will
want to share and return to again and again.
• A Café that provides delicious and nutritious food in a respectful
and dignified manner to anyone who walks through the door and
wants to contribute to our community
• Empowering, nourishing and engaging the community of Manitou
Springs
Our Beliefs
We believe:
• That good food begins with good relationships---with the growers
of our food and with each community member
• In being sustainable and being an economic contributor to our
community
• That everyone deserves to have access to fresh, healthy food. In
the tradition of Mabel’s Café, we will offer our guests the
opportunity to pay-it-forward and fund a meal for someone in
need.
• That food should be good and good for you
• That it is important to expand fresh, local food opportunities for
residents of Manitou Springs
• That food, animals and the land should be managed using
sustainable, humane practices that promote the long-term health
of families and communities
• That food should be produced as close to our tables as possible
by people who love the soil and care for the land
• That participating in a community nourishes the soul
• That neither food nor people should go to waste
• That the collective wealth derived from the community should be
locally reinvested
• That, as a community, we should invest in the future and
intentionally be good stewards of the present
• That promoting local food production practices enhance the long-
term sustainability of Manitou Springs’ natural resources
• That we can the world a better place, starting with our corner of it
• That smart solutions should be shared
• That the people who produce our food should earn a just income
Our Commitment
We promise to:
• Be a leader in implementing Plan Manitou’s goal of enhancing
access to affordable, healthy, local foods and promoting public
investment in a sustainable, resilient food system
• Encourage purveyors and producers of healthy, affordable, local
foods to establish a presence in Manitou Springs
• Be an active participant in positively impacting Manitou Springs
through the creation of a sustainable food system, local food
production, gardens and by providing access to fresh, healthy
food for Manitou’s vulnerable populations
• Work to address the root causes of food insecurity, employing a
variety of dynamic approaches to nourish the community
• Provoke a deeper dialogue about food, hunger, poverty and
sustainability in our community
• Engage all volunteers, staff and students in meaningful, impactful
work that strengthens our community
• Operate and make decisions in full view of the community we
serve
• Invite community leadership to collaborate I creating a thriving
social enterprise, engaging volunteers and supporting our Healthy
Cooking Classes and job training in the Culinary Arts Training
Program
• Reclaim, healthy local food that would otherwise be discarded
