Mancos, Colorado … In this tiny town of 1400 residents there is an extraordinary bakery café that is beloved for their house made healthy foods and more so for the big hearted people who work there.

Small town (pop. 1400) where the bakery is the community gathering place, open for breakfast and lunch 6 days a week.

This is a special place and “Cheers” of the town for social gatherings and regular weekly patrons. A short drive or walk from home. Without the commute to cities for quality comfort food.

You can imagine how cafes such as these are treasured in remote places where the Cubano sandwich, chile smothered burger, special pastas and soups, and fresh baked goods can transform your day to awesome with one bite.

A place where folks gather to break bread, catch up with one another, do a little business, and take pride in introducing visiting guests to the pastry counter and lavender lemonades.

A destination in their own back yard, a short drive or walk from home. Without the commute to cities for good organic comfort food.

Soon after Colorado’s COVID-19 stay at home order was issued, the owners chose to extend their workload to 7 days a week, breakfast lunch and dinner to-go service for the town folk.

The bakery’s normal business hours were breakfast and lunch only, six days a week.

These take-away meals were a gift to people who were looking for some sense of normalcy, who could eat delicious, familiar hot meals at home and look forward to the day they could return as dine-in guests.

And then on April 30th they posted on Facebook that their phones and computers were offline, they were feeling exhausted and needed a break for a week.

The staff had been working long hard hours to make sure their patrons, who are more like family, had hot healthy food every day for weeks. And then on April 30th their phones and computers went offline and they posted on Facebook that they were feeling overwhelmed and needed a break.

That’s when locals came out to give thanks, order food and wish them well on their mini home vacation.

A local duet showed up to play for them and the customers that day. The aromas coming from the kitchen, with people pausing to hear the impromptu upbeat music, on a beautiful sunny May afternoon – this sweet scene made one almost forget the great sadness happening in the world. For just a while.

Some took their food to the park across the street to have dinner and listen to the songs. Some paused on the sidewalk. Occasionally the bakery staff would come outside and people driving past would wave to them. People were feeling togetherness of community. It was a little moment of great joy at this slow-paced heart of the town where everything is made “By Hand. From Scratch. With Love.”

A little moment of great joy for people who had been missing their friends, meeting for coffee, and live music (that is a big part of their social scene as well).

May everyone, in small towns and cities, be so lucky to have an Absolute Bakery.

Do you have a place like Absolute in your neck of the woods?

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