The interior of Forza under construction. Photo courtesy Debbie Macdonald.

The Green Lake Forza Coffee Company (6900 E Green Lake Way N) is opening its doors to the public on Monday (Jan. 16, 2012) for five days of staff training and great deals while they get their feet wet. (Update, Jan. 13 – please note that hours and operations will be limited Jan. 16-20.)

The coffeeshop’s grand opening will be on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2011 at 8:14 a.m., in remembrance of the four Lakewood police officers who were shot and killed at a Parkland Forza at 8:14 a.m. on Nov. 29, 2009.

Murray Macdonald says the Forza menu will contain “small plates and appetizers, gourmet breakfast items and mostly locally-grown farm-to-table fare.”

In addition to coffee, there will be six craft beers on tap, assorted bottled beers and a wide wine selection, including four wines on tap.

Live music will be featured on Fridays and Saturdays.

Forza Green Lake will be open daily, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. (6 a.m. – 11 p.m. during the summer).

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Drinks from the competition will be sold for a $1 donation to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.

Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: advertiser, coffee, local businesses

She sent us the following photos of the coffeeshop, which is currently under construction in the Circa Green Lake building (6900 E Green Lake Way N):

You can read more about the Green Lake Forza here.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Construction and opening preparations are rolling along quickly, Debbie says, and Forza should be open in mid-to-late January, 2012.

You can read more about the Green Lake Forza here.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Design sketches can now be seen in the coffeeshop’s windows:

The interior will feature a meeting space for groups (far left, where a ladder can be seen):

There will also a children’s play area and a windowed garage door along a part of the west wall. The door will open onto outdoor seating along 4th Ave NE:

The Green Lake Forza will serve espresso drinks, coffee, tea, micro-brewery beers and wine, including wine on tap.

Franchise owner Debbie Macdonald, who has a background in wine, is planning on hosting wine tastings on the Circa’s roof deck.

Pastries and small plates of food, including some gluten-free and vegan offerings, will be available.

Debbie says that she hasn’t begun hiring yet, but she has started looking for local musical talent to perform in the space. Interested? Email tips [at] mygreenlake.com and we’ll get you in touch with her.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Zoka's Queen Anne coffee roasting facility. Photo courtesy Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company.

On Sept. 9, 2011, Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company received a warning letter from the Public Health Service of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The letter related to an April 2011 inspection of Zoka’s coffee roasting facility in north Queen Anne.

During the April inspection, FDA investigators documented serious violations of FDA’s “Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods,” including a failure “to take effective measures to exclude pests from the processing areas and protect against the contamination of food on the premises by pests.” Rodent excreta pellets and insect larva were found in the facility.

The letter from the FDA did not make mention of the Green Lake Zoka (2200 N 56th St), and Washington State Department of Health restaurant inspection records do not indicate any history of rodents or insects at the Green Lake Zoka.

Earlier today (Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011), Zoka posted several current pictures of their roasting facility on their Facebook page. You can view the whole set here.

The company also sent the following letter to the community:

September 29, 2011

Zoka Coffee Roaster
Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA) Letter

To our valued customer, friends and members of the community,

Several media outlets have reported that we have a mouse issue. We want you to know we do not.

We had an issue that has been remedied, and it was an anomaly. This is the first time we have had an incident of this nature. We have always scored high on our inspections by the Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA). And, five months after the incident, we received 93 out of 100 from the WSDA on a follow-up inspection.

Clean facilities and strong business practices are what we pride ourselves on. That is how we have built our business over the past 15 years. We also believe in clear and concise communication. This letter is intended to set the facts straight on what the Seattle PI reported on its blog today.

You should know that we addressed the issue as soon as we saw evidence of a mouse and that we have been in full compliance with the FDA throughout the process. The sad part of this entire situation is that the FDA has not provided accurate information in return.

The facts:

• April 11, 2011 – We noticed mouse activity in our production facility. We dealt with the issue right away.

• April 15 – A random inspection of our facility by the FDA included notes about the mouse activity. The random inspection was the result of a new food safety act that required more inspections, but did not include budget for them to assist in providing counsel or assisting with solutions. That inspection sparked an investigation by the FDA. After the investigation, it was our understanding that the FDA would follow up with the WSDA. The WSDA is the routine inspection agency for our plant.

• On April 16th – Once we realized the extent of the issue we voluntarily shut down our production facility for 3 days and we put in ALL of the corrections that the FDA/WSDA required, and we implemented the ones they suggested but did not require.

• April 16th-18th – We re-sanitized our 10,000 square foot facility from top to bottom. We verified that there was no more mouse activity.

• April 18 – The WSDA cleared us and we began to roast again.

• April 18th – The WSDA noted that we had done an amazing job cleaning and correcting our issues.

• September 9 – The FDA posted a report on its website that paints a very disturbing picture of what could be happening at Zoka Coffee. We did not know the letter would be posted. We received the letter ourselves on the September 12th. We have been told by the WSDA they had provided all pertinent information that Zoka Coffee Roasters was in compliance of the request of the FDA at the time of the corrections and the FDA has not responded or used that information.

• September 14 – WSDA came back for an inspection and we scored 93 out 100.

Once again, we want everyone to know that Zoka has a long track record of exceeding health requirements and that we addressed this issue upon immediately finding out about it. If you have any questions about this information, we invite you to visit our facility or visit http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150308784871555.344815.304116271554&type=1.

We are open to the public. Feel free to drop by:

1220 West Nickerson St
Seattle, WA 98019
Open from 9AM until 5PM, Monday-Friday

Thank you again for your support and respect of a true and fair process. We look forward to serving you!

Sincerely,

Jeff Babcock
Zoka Coffee and Tea
Managing Partner

Disclosure note: Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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A grand opening party will follow on Saturday, Oct. 1, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The new cake shop and cafe is located in Lakeside Plaza (7900 East Green Lake Dr N), across the street from the Green Lake wading pool. The spot was previously occupied by Souped Up Cafe.

In addition to cakes and cupcakes, Cake Envy will serve Caffe Umbria and tea. A liquor license is pending for beer, wine and champagne.

Free wifi and plenty of seating will be available, including one long table for large groups.

Opening hours will be Mondays-Thursdays 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Fridays-Saturdays 8 a.m. – midnight, and Sundays 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Welcome to Green Lake, Cake Envy!

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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photo credit: jwalsh

A new group is forming for Green Lake residents who work at home. The group is going by the name WAHGL (pronounced “waggle”), an acronym for Work-At-Home Green Lake.

WAHGL is planning casual weekly meet-ups at Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea House in Tangletown (2200 N 56th St). The first meet-up will be tomorrow morning (Thursday, September 1, 2011). No particular time is set; attendees can come by at any time.

Zoka, which offers fast wi-fi and lots of table space, is a popular co-working destination for many, including Matthew Inman, creator of the The Oatmeal.

Many thanks to Jeff Rodenburg for getting the group (and the twitter hashtag #wahgl) off the ground.

Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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20-year-old Carly Henley, a UW student, committed suicide last October. The Carly Henley Project is dedicated to her memory.

Patrick Mazzuca, Zoka’s General Manager, writes the following on the Zoka website:

In adults over the age of 18, there are 14.8 million individuals that suffer from depression. Last school year four University of Washington Students chose to take their lives. One of these students was a regular customer of University Village Zoka. Her name was Carly Henley.

When I read about Carly’s death in the Seattle Times last fall, the incident hit very close to home. Not only had I known Carly personally, but my heart went out to the Henley family as my own family had suffered a similar loss a number of years ago.

Suicide often leaves friends and family confused, frustrated, and even angry. The loss of life and potential is devastating to those who love and cherish the individual who takes their own life. A community’s heart breaks. Carly was a beautiful young woman with talent and passion, and when I discovered that Carly’s family had created a benefit show to help nourish young talent, like that of Carly, I immediately reached out to the family. When Jared and I met with the family there were tears, laughter and love shared. At Zoka, we believe whole heartedly in creating great relationships, and the Henley family’s dedication to making Carly’s voice heard inspired our own involvement in the Henley Project.

Zoka has created a new coffee blend in honor of Carly, which is described this way:

The toasty notes of dark chocolate and light smoke are balanced by both fruit and floral nuances. This blend is a mix of a lighter roast, to highlight brightness and acidity, and a darker roast to highlight the deep and rich notes of chocolate and smoke.

All three Zoka locations also have ”Love Wins” t-shirts, Carly’s lyric book and Carly’s CD, “Love the Skin You’re In,” for sale. 100% of the profits from the sale of these items will go to the International Justice Mission. The IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. $2 of each purchase of “Carly’s Blend” coffee will also be donated to the IJM.

“We thank you for your help in fulfilling our dedication to creating great relationships within our community,” Patrick says in a note to customers. “Remembering that Carly was a valued Zoka guest, just like you, please take the time today to greet your neighbor with warmth and compassion.”

You can find Zoka in Green Lake at 2200 N 56th St, in the University Village at 2901 NE Blakeley St and in Kirkland at 129 Central Way.

Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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The coffee shop will celebrate along with neighboring new businesses Motion Boardshop and The Guitar Store at the 84th St Grand Opening Block Party.

The three businesses are all located on the 8300 block of Aurora Ave N.

The party on August 6 will feature free string changes, skateboard bearing packing, door prizes, a BBQ and special deals. There will also be a live performance by the pop rock band Open Blue.

The event is free. Food donations for the Greenwood Food Bank will be collected.

Related:

Read about Motion Boardshop here.

Read about The Guitar Store here.

Read about Boardroom Cafe here.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: aurora, bargain alert, coffee, local businesses, music, party