CasemCoop

Casem's was the place where BigJohn and I had our first meal in Monteverde. It's a short walk from our house and we showed up there promptly at 8 AM when they open. We'd been up since 6 with the birds and the sun and had no food in the house so had been watching the minutes tick away.

Now Casem's has a rich history - "CASEM, the Cooperativa de Artesanas de Santa Elena y Monteverde, is a non-profit artisan cooperative dedicated to enhancing the economic and social well-being of local women artists".  We'll talk more about that later. For now let's look at the little restaurant located in the back.

 I love their furnishings. It's like you can just go chop down a tree and make anything!

 And check this out! Yes! They are cooking over wood fires. The first time BigJohn and I ate there I thought I smelled smoke right after we had ordered. Now I know why. I was sure hoping they weren't just putting the rice and beans on to cook because we were hungry! Hannah says this is great. You can always get food at Casems - even if there is a power outage.

 Grinding corn up the old fashioned way.

 Typical fast food in Costa Rica - the casado. Except nothing comes fast at Casems. You can expect to wait at least a half hour for your order. Not sure why but this sign might explain it.

 I take this to mean it's cooking like Grandma's and Grandma must be really old and slow. But the food is worth waiting for.

 There are always dogs loitering in the area who are glad to come over to your table for a handout. Hector doesn't like any of them.

 Pickled veggies are there to go along with all orders.

 Fresh produce doubles as decoration.

 No Mr. Coffee makers here!

 You can tell a lot of love and effort has gone into the place with murals and mosaics all around.