Well, did you know that there’s a Yelp Elite? I didn’t either. But there is. And recently there was a Yelp Elite Event at Leftbank. I’m not sure what defines an individual as part of the Yelp Elite, but among other things, apparently they go to lots of parties. And write reviews.

On July 1, they got together here at Leftbank for cocktails by Organic Nation, party food by Bon Appetit, and (huge hit) beer and brewery tours from Upright. They then went on to do what Yelpers do, and write about it. Then Josh?, of PDXploration, posted these irresistible photos.

Dang. Now I’m sorry I missed the night, myself. And I want to be part of the Yelp Elite. Guess I ought to get busy writing some reviews.

Photo credit: Josh?, PDXploration

At the heart of Leftbank is Leftbank Café. Every Leftbank visitor, no matter what brings them here, walks into the café first.  Even on days when I pack a lunch, the smell of the kitchen in the morning warms the building, wakes me up and draws me in.  Whether we eat there regularly or not, all of us are fed by the café in one way or another.

Adam, café chef for the last year, first caught my attention with his crazy-good soups. I blogged about them here last November.  I learned last week that Adam’s talents have not gone unnoticed by Leftbank’s café partner Bon Appetit, and that he’ll spend his last day at Leftbank tomorrow.  He’ll step up to run the law school kitchen at Lewis and Clark College.  NO!  WAIT!  MY SOUPS…  Don’t panic.  Leah’s still here.  And Jacey is stepping in, clearly up to the task.  The change in the lineup prompted me to sit down with the lovely people working at Leftbank’s center.  Thought you might also like to get to know them as Adam’s on his way out, Jacey’s on her way in, and Leah holds the line.  Below is some of what I learned.

Jacey comes to us after a year spent cooking for 800 students at Lewis and Clark College. She described soup pots there big enough to climb inside, which generated creepy images of fairy tale giants and also gave me hope that she’ll continue the trend of wicked good soups at Leftbank.  In 2005, Jacey completed a 3 month internship cooking in Barcelona.  When I asked what kind of cooking she loves, she talked about how Barcelona finds its way into everything, how she loves rustic foods, and how fresh, seasonal foods are always an inspiration.   Jacey’s looking forward to settling in at Leftbank and getting in some good reading this summer.  What’s on her list?  “I like classical stuff, biographies…  Last summer was the summer of Virginia Woolf.”   Jacey’s husband also cooks for a living, so I had to ask: do 2 chefs get home from work sometimes and share a frozen dinner?  “Yes.”  Yes!  I feel so much better about myself now.  Thanks for that, and welcome, Jacey!

Adam’s cooking got the Leftbank Café off the ground. Before coming here Adam spent time cooking at Blue Hour, The Black Rabbit, and Higgins, among others.  Though Adam has always wanted to be a chef, he first spent time driving big rigs and a City bus for San Diego.  How’s that for multi-facted? Onions are the single ingredient he would choose never to be without, saying that he uses them in every savory thing he prepares.  And I couldn’t resist asking him the same question about cooking at home that I posed to Jacey.  Turns out, not only does Adam cook “most of the time” at home, but he says he shops every single day.  Farewell and thank you for the year, Adam!

Everyone who frequents Leftbank Café probably knows Leah already.  Leah probably knows them.  If Leftbank Café were a band, Leah would be the front man.  And that’s maybe in keeping with her nature as a performer.  Before joining us 3 months ago, Leah worked at Multnomah Arts Center teaching dance, and she’s still dancing.  June 25th-27th you can catch Leah with 2 collaborators in the original piece, “Tinnitus.”  (Check bulletin boards around the building and the café counter for details.)  When I asked further about her background, Leah gave it up that her degree is in Art History with minors in French and Holistic Health.  Her primary interest is in the convergence of creativity and holistic health, and she plans to go back for a Masters degree in Nutrition when the time is right.  These days she loves the mix of Leftbank regulars and new people coming in.  She says Leftbank people feel like her co-workers, and that Leftbank’s mix of creative people is a support system that you wouldn’t find in other places. She says the space at Leftbank feeds her, which is great since we count on her to feed us.

Stop by on Tuesday to bid Adam farewell.  And the next time you belly up to the bar for lunch or coffee, you might ask Jacey what she’s reading.  Oh, and ask Leah how her parents chose her name.  Good story there.

As most of you know, tomorrow is Earth Day.  To coincide with this and to bring awareness to food-related carbon footprints, all Bon Appetit cafes will be transformed into “low carbon learning venues”.  Have you ever considered how much of a carbon footprint your every day lunch creates?  Now you can find out with Bon Appetit’s Carbon Diet Calculator.  For example, beef and cheese are high carbon foods as the cows they come from emit high levels of methane gas which, as everyone knows, wreaks havoc with the ozone layer and is 23 times more potent than our other favorite toxic run-off, carbon dioxide.

Leftbank Cafe Manager, Leah Wilmoth, said “I stand behind Bon Appetit’s mission to provide healthy sustainable food.  This was one of the main reasons I wanted to work for the company.”  On Earth Day, the Leftbank Cafe will not be serving any types of food that have a high carbon footprint.  Chef Adam Torres said “On a day to day basis we only serve locally sourced foods and tomorrow will be no exception.  We will only have low carbon footprint foods such as Turkey, Tuna and vegetables on the menu.”  The Turkey served at the Leftbank Cafe is locally sourced from Cooper Farms in Stanfield, Oregon and the Tuna is caught off the Oregon coast and canned right here in Portland.

Waste from food packaging is also another high-carbon culprit.  At Bon Appetit all of the to-go boxes and cups are compostable, thereby reducing the carbon footprint further.  It’s up to everyone to consider these things when making their food choices - for the good of this lovely Earth.

Boom! The Blazers are in the Playoffs and springtime is here like no other — so we figured, why not celebrate? This Saturday and Tuesday we’re putting up a big tent in the front yard (er, parking lot) to make room for some good beer and fine BBQ more

At long last, we’re proud to announce the construction of the Leftbank cafe is underway. Kitchen to Leftbank’s living room, you’ll soon find it in the lobby chock full of good stuff. Looking back, It was clear from the start that within the building we needed nourishing food, satisfying drinks and delicious coffee. This was not only to keep everyone sated, spirited and loose, but also to weave a few more of the greatest threads of Portland’s culture together. What we didn’t know then was that the best way to do it right was to find a good partner and do it ourselves.

We’ve done just that, and in collaboration with Bon Appetit Food Management Company, we’ve developed what promises to be a great spot to meet, chow, swing by, unwind, power up or… well, whatever. Guided by Bon Appetit’s progressive ethic, the cafe will be filled with tasty things organic, local and seasonal. It will also offer up damn good regional beers backed up by a full bar, and pour some of the best coffee on the planet (that’s Stumptown, if you’re curious). Much of the daily menu and specific offerings are still in development, so look for updates on that soon. But rest assured, before we get too deep into this budding springtime, we’ll have a new place to gather at Leftbank.

check out the rendering below - an earlier conceptual one, but pretty telling of what’s to come. The design was made by Portland’s Litmus Design + Architecture, designers of some of our town’s most memorable food spots.