Business & Tech

Local Chef Cooking Up Something Special At Moraga's Hacienda Building

Gayle Somers has been serving coffee, pastries and sandwiches for three months now at Cafe Hacienda

It isn't the most likely place for a cafe.

As you cruise up Donald Drive, you see nothing but homes with large yards and a multitude of trees.

A cafe, here?

But pull into the parking lot of the Hacienda de las Flores, go inside and you'll find Cafe Hacienda in one corner of the historic building.

Local chef Gayle Somers has been steadily increasing business at the cafe the past three months while preparing to open another restaurant not too far away on Rheem Boulevard.

"I've been pleasantly surprised," said Somers. "It was a total shot in the dark."

The cafe wasn't initially Somers' idea.

Town Manager Jill Keimach and Park and Recreation Director Jay Ingram were acquainted with Somers through her catering services.

City officials were looking for a way to draw more people to the Hacienda de las Flores and thought a cafe inside might help.

Somers was plenty busy with her plans for the Homemade Cafe & Bakery in the old Mondello's Italian restaurant building.

But she thought she'd give the cafe a try anyway.

City officials gave her a three-month lease to see how the cafe worked out.

It opened in June. The first day, about 20 people came in. The next day, a group of 15 Kiwanis members walked in.

Somers says business since then has steadily increased. She now gets 50 to 60 people on most days.

Somers said she makes enough to pay her staff, but the rest of the operation is on her dime.

"I wanted to do something to give back to the community," said Somers. "I also wanted to do something other than look at the site plans for my new place. I was missing my food and my cooking."

At the cafe, Somers serves Four Barrel coffee as well as freshly baked muffins, scones, breakfast sandwiches, soups, salads and Panini sandwiches, among other things.

Cafe Hacienda is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

The lease has been extended another three months to December. Somers hopes to open her new restaurant in January.

She decide this winter whether she can operate both places.


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