Guest Baristi

January 29, 2010 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Hi all,

We are delighted to welcome two good friends from Transcend Coffee in Edmonton this weekend. Josh Hockin will be a guest barista at our Marda Loop location and Mel Leeson will also be starring at the Calgary Farmers’ Market. Transcend is a really cool coffee roaster and retailer in Edmonton and we’re very happy to collaborate with them. This collaboration is what makes the coffee industry so unique and interesting to be a part of. Please be sure to stop in and make them feel at home here in Calgary.

- S

Guest baristas on Saturday the 30th

January 29, 2010 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

We’re proud to be hosting two amazing baristas from Transcend Coffee in Edmonton this Saturday the 30th at both our Marda Loop location and at the Calgary Farmers’ Market.

Josh Hockin, who will be stepping in at Marda Loop, recently competed in the National Barista Competition in Vancouver and is constantly striving to learn more about coffee and perfect his espresso technique. We’re so excited to have him step onto the bar and watch him at work!

Joining us at the Farmers’ Market we have the talented Mel Leeson for the day. Mel’s passion and dedication for coffee has led her into a managing position at Transcend and it’s exciting to have her share her experiences on our bar for the day!

Please stop by and say hello to these talented baristas and enjoy some great coffee!

-Elyse

Life at Marda Loop

January 13, 2010 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

We’ve been busy, busy, busy ever since we opened our second location in the heart of Marda Loop. We couldn’t have been happier with the response and welcome that we’ve received from the community! Every day keeps getting better and better, and busier and busier.

As such, I’ve been a little sidetracked from our blog lately. However, this is going to change very soon! Later this week, check back for some thoughts and a review of last year — so much has happened for us!

I’m also working on some more videos to share with you all. Some training videos — if you have something you want to see, let me know in the comments! — and some fun videos about the team behind Phil & Sebastian.

For now, check out photos of our food and activity in the cafe.

And don’t forget to stop in and try our new Nicaragua Cup of Excellence #4 coffee!

-elyse

Holiday Hours

December 25, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hi folks,

Just wanted to let everyone know our holiday hours.

We’re closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day. We also close early at 3PM on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

All other days are regular hours.

Happy holidays!

Congratulations!

December 11, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Yesterday at 6:17pm, Sebastian and his wife Emily received their second child into their lives, Leo Joseph weighing in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

We are so excited to celebrate with the Sztabzybs on this joyous occasion!

-Elyse

What about food?!

December 8, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Starting Thursday, we will have a selection of food items at our Marda Loop location. We will be introducing more items over the next few weeks. But you can come by tomorrow to enjoy some croissants and muffins!

I am proud to introduce the latest addition to the Phil & Sebastian team, our chef, Darren Debergh. Darren originally hails from Windsor, Ontario but has worked in kitchens across North America, including Lee and Susur in Toronto, West and Lumiere in Vancouver, Alinea in Chicago, and Teatro, River Café and Rush here in Calgary. After spending some time with Darren in the kitchen the past few days, his enthusiasm for food and sustainable farming is obvious and we’re thrilled to have him showcase this passion at our Marda Loop location.

Our food philosophy closely mirrors the way we feel about coffee, specifically that of green coffee buying. I asked Sebastian his thoughts and he replied, “We want to offer a food program that is transparent in its ingredients, creating traceability in as many products as we can.” Essentially, we like animals that have lived a happy life, not in confined spaces but free to roam around. This means a couple things for us — and you!

We are working with as many local producers (season permitting) as we can. Everything from flour, produce, and cheese is coming from someone in the area. In addition, we want to highlight the best of what’s in Calgary and that led us to using Manuel Latruwe for our pastries, tarts, and breads.

All of our soups and salads will be made in-house, like our delicious Roasted Butternut Squash soup. Currently we are featuring two sandwiches:

A garlic and rosemary lamb (from Ewe-nique Farms in Champion, Alberta) sandwich with caramelized onions, spinach, and Dijon mustard on a Manuel Latruwe baguette;

And a brined roast turkey (from Winters Turkey in Dalmead, Alberta) sandwich with herbed Fairwinds Farm chèvre and pickled red peppers on Manuel Latruwe focaccia.

We’re very excited about sharing our passion for food and sustainability. If you’re interested in learning more about these philosophies, check out some of Darren’s favourite books on the subject:

River Cottage Meat Book by Hu Fearnely-whittingsta

The Onmivore’s Dilemna and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Righteous Porkchop by Nicolette H Niman

We look forward to seeing you in the café to try some of our delicious fare!

-Elyse

Reflections after one week

December 5, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 6 Comments

It’s been a week full of emotion, exhilaration, joy, lack of sleep and some back pain.

We are open in Marda Loop (my neighbourhood) and the response and support has been tremendous. I have had a rare opportunity to really have engaging conversations with customers about coffee, our philosophy and approach towards coffee, our food program and philosophical discussions about what should and shouldn’t be part of a coffeehouse. This has been a treat for me, since our kiosk at the market is a more difficult place to sit down and have a conversation.

Through these discussions and interactions, I am seeing more and more how interested people really are about coffee. I don’t expect people to be as fanatical as Phil or myself, but the quality and depth of discussions I had this past week were a strong reminder that people care. This makes all the effort we take towards purchasing, roasting and brewing coffee all worth it – ultimately, we are as rigorous as we are about our work because we want people not just to taste what coffee is but to experience what coffee can be – to have the wonderful “wow” moment that we experienced many years ago in a small cafe in Seattle.

I want to thank all those who come, ask questions, smile and engage us. This is the reason we do what we do. Keep it coming!

- Sebastian

Phil & Sebastian in Marda Loop

November 28, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments

I’m going to let the photos speak for this one. But to truly appreciate the new space — and taste some delicious coffee — you’ll have to just come by!

See you there soon!

-Elyse

We’re Open!

November 28, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Hi all,
Please come and see us at our new cafe! See the map below:

We are giving our chef a few days to get our food in order, but we’re fully open for coffees! Please stop by 7:30 – 9:00 on weekends, and 6:30 – 9:00 on weekdays.

- Sebastian