What Inspires Me? The Local Community Edition!
- Tammy Koehler Smith
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
Time for me to do some local payback for the community love and absolute Zen I'm feeling from a few cafes, eateries, and all around Good People (with a capital G) in my area. Here is where I've found my inspiration and happy places recently. Please check them out and give them some love...
Cafe Amano in Kittredge, CO - this is the coziest, hippest, coolest coffee shop I have had the pleasure to visit in the last couple of years. It doesn't hurt that my youngest son works there, too! (Hi Griffin!) The roast is smooth, and they know their shizzle when it comes to coffees, teas, matcha, mocha, and morning pastries. OMG - before I go any further, you have to, have to, have to try the banana bread. It's gluten-free and fluffy as a cloud. I know. You're thinking, banana bread? I've had that before. Well, you'd be wrong. This banana bread is so beyond good that I would drive the half hour to this cafe every day just to get a slice before they sell out. Do yourself a favor and get some! Hidden treasure: turmeric latte (with oat milk if your tummy hates dairy as much as mine does).
But Amano does more than drinks and noms. They have an amazing array of plants. Trust me, you will walk in wanting a cappuccino and walk out carrying a potted plant or maybe a small indoor tree. And you will love it. I was there yesterday writing another chapter of my Mythic Sons tale (and a blog about the Academe), and I ended up bringing home a gorgeous sage bungle (smudge ready!), a new tortoise shell succulent, and a bitty baby fern. Gunther would be proud - you'll find out why soon enough. They also have art, postcards, clothing, and so many other really cool things in a cozy mountain setting.
You can sit inside with the plants, or you can enjoy the back by the Creekside and critters. You know you HAVE to go now, right?!
If you are at Amano, you have to stop at the chocolate shop next door—Blue Spruce Chocolates. Nestled along Bear Creek in Kittredge, Colorado, Blue Spruce Chocolates is a true bean-to-bar chocolate maker, crafting award-winning artisan chocolate from ethically sourced cacao and a handful of carefully chosen ingredients. Visitors can sample handcrafted bars, learn about the chocolate-making process, and experience a rare behind-the-scenes look at how exceptional chocolate is created from the bean up. It is amazing, and I hear the shop owner recently won two new gold medals for his confections. Enjoy heavenly chocolate delights after you have a cup of joe at Amano.
Revival Brews at the edge of Evergreen, CO - just up the street from Amano in Kittredge. We were hoping to get some lunch after a morning of writing and caffeine. We arrived a bit too early; however, they open at 3 pm for the dinner hour, but I can tell it is going to be a bomb experience. Molly and Griffin swear by it (my kiddo and his fiancée). We talked to the owner, too, and he was the nicest guy. We will be back soon to try it out!
Instead, we ended up back in Kittredge at the Switchback Smokehouse, where we had mountain barbecue, and folks, I think it may be my favorite barbecue in this neck of the woods. They have four amazing house sauces (a gold, a spicy mule, a regular BBQ sauce, and my personal favorite - the root beer-based BBQ sauce. MmmmMmmmmMmmmmmm!) They usually sell out of the good stuff before the afternoon is out, so get there early and try it all! Hidden treasure: the smoked salmon and the bacon. Seriously!
Lastly, I finally got my tattoo finished. I had a story in mind for months. I hit a roadblock early, but found a great artist at Modern Ink in Englewood (South Broadway, right next to where I work) with an artistic hand and a welcoming personality. In fact, it was very important to me to work with a shop and artist who was inclusive, and the folks at Modern Ink were great. Everyone there is so nice, and Aimee, my artist, did a fantastic job with my story about guardianship of the earth on my left arm.
Where are all these places, you ask? Let me show you...
Cafe Amano
(303) 736-9525
Blue Spruce Chocolates
(720) 537-2513
Switchback Smokehouse
(303) 200-0878
Revival Brews
(303) 670-3224
Modern Ink Tattoo
(720) 298-8569
