Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“We had this beautiful little house in the jungle,” Lance recalls, “And we realized that
all we had was a coffee maker! So we scrambled. I remembered that my mom made some
tasty breads and cakes when I was growing up, so I called her and said, 'Hey, can you send
mesomerecipes?'Werandowntownandboughtanovenandwewereup'tilaboutthreein
the morning every night making banana breads and muffins and cakes.” Their preparations
in place, they settled in to do business. “At least on the first day our friends were right,”
Lance says. “I was the only employee, and I sat there from six in the morning - back then
we got up at six for the fishermen - until ten at night with zero customers. I was determined
not to close until we had a sale, and about 9:59 a guy came wandering by and bought a cup
of coffee. I closed the deal and closed the store.”
From such humble beginnings, Café Milagro has flourished, partly due to its integ-
ration into the community. “I'm very proud of Café Milagro's values,” Adrienne says. “I
think our level of integrity, our level of quality extends to service; I think people are genu-
inely pleased to be working here and in my opinion that is reflected in the overall experien-
ce.” For Lance and Adrienne, valuing the staff means considering the families of their team
as part of the larger Café Milagro community. “We encourage everyone to get their high
school diploma, in whatever way that's possible,” Adrienne says. “We explain to them that
while the working climate is good now, they need to be preparing themselves for whatever
the future holds. The idea is that they be as well prepared for that next step as possible.
We offer a lot of flexibility with their schedules and do everything we can to accommodate
them.” What has developed from such generosity of spirit is a place that radiates a sense of
warmth and camaraderie.
“I want people to feel like they just walked into a big hug!” Adrienne says smiling
hugely, and it's apparent that she means it. From the wait staff to the owners, Café Milagro
is about an experience of warmth, friendliness and quality. “It's a really mellow, easy vibe.
We never wanted anything pretentious; simply a kind of chilled, café-bistro vibe. Basically
a high-end quality, fresh experience in a very low-key environment.”
So, what are the local favorites? Costa Verde Hotel event coordinator, Isabel Vargas
says, “The Breakfast Burrito is amazing, just like everything else!”
Local wine distributor, Ollie Bass adds, “I like the Queque Limon (lemon cake) after
yoga class.” Another local favorite is the Mango Crepes (see recipe at the end of this
chapter).
Tom Barron from Property Manage Plus — Costa Rica says, “My guests try different
places for breakfast but they always go back to Café Milagro.”
It seems that Adrienne and Lance have hit all their markers, something Lance sees
evidenced by this award. “I think more than anything, breakfast signals 'vacation' to
people,” he explains. “People generally get up in the morning and they run out the door and
go to work. When they go on vacation they're out of their routine and don't have any place
they have to be. I think that's their first sensation of true relaxation: to sit down and have a
