Behind the Scenes at Court Street Coffee

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

The sound of blenders, the aroma of coffee and the warm, inviting atmosphere of Court Street Coffee in Athens, Ohio are enough to draw in any passerby.

Debby Fulks-Larimer, owner of Court Street Coffee, allowed me to spend some time in her shop to see what goes into a small business and serving coffee, which is obviously liquid gold in the eyes of a college student.

Owning a business had been something Fulks-Larimer said she had wanted to do for a long time. After working as a dental hygenist for many years, she began to desire a change.

Court Street Coffee opened its doors on October 16, 2009 and has been brewing up a pot ever since.

"We're not up to the numbers we'd like to be, but we've only been open a little over six months," Fulks-Larimer said. "But we're getting there. They should call it the encore career because I'm not ready to retire and I wanted to do something different."

Fulks-Larimer said she got the idea from a friend in Michigan who works with Crimson Cup, which is the coffee company Court Street Coffee uses.

"I tasted her coffee and basically that's what sold me--and she was having a lot of fun doing it," Fulks-Larimer said.

Though Court Street Coffee buys it's supplies and drinks through Crimson Cup, Court Street Coffee is not a franchise, Fulks-Larimer said. It's independently owned, but Crimson Cup sent a trainer in the beginning, sets the pricing based on the cost of supplies, offers monthly promotional drinks with posters to accompany them and also sells high-tech coffee machines and equipment to the businesses.

She began by asking me what my favorite drink is so I could see just how things run. Generally it is one of the frozen drinks like the Frozen Hot Chocolate or the Frozen Court Street Mocha--both are regular menu items. But I told her I really liked the weekly special, which was the Milky Way, so she showed me how they make them.

For the weekly specialty drinks, she said the employees make up ideas themselves and write down the ingredients on the counter.

First, she added in the mixtures and a cup of ice...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Then, she added the flavors...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Mixed it all in a blender...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Poured it in a cup...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Decorated it...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Finally, she showed me the neat, pressurized washer they used to clean the blender in between uses...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

As business picked up, she showed me the machines they use to make many of the mixed coffee and tea drinks.

First the machine grinds the beans. Then, to tamp coffee, unlike other local coffee shops, they use a machine. She told me it tamps at a consistent pressure each time because they brew their espresso shots between 22 and 27 seconds.

Each employee might tamp differently, she said, which would throw off the time of brewing. So the machine eliminates that.

"It's called pulling a shot in barista terms," Fulks-Larimer said.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One unique thing about the shop is that they recycle their leftover coffee and coffee grounds. Ray Leard, owner of Purely American Composting, picks up the grounds twice a week to use in a special type of composting.

Fulks-Larimer, who still subs as a dental hygienist and works for the health department, said the best thing about having a coffee shop is getting to see new customers each day.

"Meeting and seeing people, I really enjoy that. There are new faces every day, plus repeat customers," Fulks-Larimer said. "And then having people tell you that it's really good coffee, which was the reason for opening a coffee shop."

She also shares an upbeat, friendship-demeanor with her student employees.

"It's a lot of fun having the college kids here and energetic, but the bad part of that is I know they will only be here a short time and then they will graduate and move on," Fulks-Larimer said.

One of her employees, Whitney Walker, who graduated from Ohio University during winter quarter, said she enjoys the atmosphere of the shop.

"I like how people are able to come in here and sit down and relax and take a break from whatever they're doing," Walker said. "I also like it because there's not a whole lot of people that work here so you get really close with them and Debby's a really good boss."

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Fulks-Larimer and Walker behind the counter at Court Street Coffee

The Verdict: Court Street Coffee has become my favorite coffee shop on campus, not only because of the coffee, but because of the inviting atmosphere. I love that Debby always remembers my name and they're always so friendly and polite.

Best Paired With: You guessed it, a Frozen Milky Way!

Album Review: The Powerless Rise

Photo Credit: [www.thepowerlessrise.com]

Following 2007's release of An Ocean Between Us, it would seem that As I Lay Dying had created a tough album to follow. But what better way to do it than to pay homage to earlier recordings while still proving that they've matured as a band and thus evolved beyond their previous sounds? While An Ocean Between Us really turned the tables for the band and allowed them to start getting the recognition they deserved, it can't be compared to what they've achieved with The Powerless Rise.

As I Lay Dying first paired with producer Adam Dutkiewicz (Adam D.) for An Ocean Between Us and following the success of the album, Dutkiewics returned to produce The Powerless Rise. Dutkiewics is a guitarist and back-up vocalist for Killswitch Engage and has produced all of the bands albums except their 2009 release, Killswitch Engage, not to mention the many other bands ranging from Underoath and Aftershock to All That Remains and Austrian Death Machine. Furthermore, it can't hurt that this is the first album that As I Lay Dying hasn't seen a change in members.

Within the new album, the sound even ventures from metalcore to death metal. Tim Lambesis shows off his lung capacity combined with his melodious, gruff growls once again while managing to present a wider, more exhilarating range. "The Only Constant is Change" and "The Blinding of False Light" show the intensity of the layering as Lambesis's voice is made to sound like an army of voices.

One of the only ways the album could have been better, even with Lambesis's more balanced range, is if it utilized the stunning melodies of bassist and back-up vocalist Josh Gilbert to the full extent since his vocals are less present in this album. "Parallels" draws back to An Ocean Between Us as it flaunts the unique dynamic between Gilbert and Lambesis.

"Beyond Our Suffering" and "Condemned" are no doubt the heaviest, most memorable songs on the album. Both highlight the powers of Jordan Mancino's progressive beats, which are almost contagious as he pushes the songs with unwavering force.

Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso carry infectious melodies and breathtaking riffs throughout the album, but their dexterity can best be heard in "Without Conclusion" and "The Plague."

The lyrics leave little to be desired as each song seems to tell a story. According to the band's Myspace blog, "all of the songs tie together lyrically." The album title came from the song, "Upside Down Kingdom." According to an interview with Brian Slagel for Metal Blade Records, Lambesis said Duktiewicz pulled the title from the lyrics, "Simplicity is not a curse where strength is humbled, and the powerless rise (the powerless rise)."

Nevertheless, the new release is sure to garner the results the band has long deserved.

Track Listing:

1. Beyond Our Suffering

2. Anodyne Sea

3. Without Conclusion

4. Parallels

5. The Plague

6. Anger and Apathy

7. Condemned

8. Upside Down Kingdom

9. Vacancy

10. The Only Constant is Change

11. The Blinding of False Light

The Verdict: I may be biased as a hardcore fan, but I've listened to nothing else since I clicked to complete my pre-order on iTunes Monday night at 11 p.m. With the pre-order, I got a "Condemned (Gunfight Mix)" and I was caught a little off guard by the chants, growls and sound-effects, but it is, by far, my absolute favorite song on the album.

Best Paired With: Cool Tour 2010 tickets to look forward to seeing them in person and a copy of the album. Just looking to test it out? Download: "Condemned," "Parallels" and "The Only Constant is Change."

Cooking with My Mom for Mother's Day

This year for Mother's Day our family decided to have a family gathering at my aunt's house combined with a birthday party for my uncle. As per usual agreement, everyone brings a dish or desert from home to contribute.

I decided helping my mom, Cindy Hartenbach, cook a Strawberry Angel Food Cake would be a good way to spend some time together for the holiday.

This recipe is pretty standard, though a family classic as I can remember eating it when I was five or six and lost a tooth in my piece of cake during my mom's Tupperware party.

The ingredients are pretty simple:
1. 2 cups of sugar

2. 2 1/2 cups of water

3. 10 tbsp. strawberry jello (or two boxes).

4. 4 tbsp. corn starch

5. 1 angel food cake

6. 8 oz. Cool Whip

7. 1 container of real strawberries

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

First, begin by mixing the 2 cups of sugar, 2 boxes of jello powder and 4 tbsp. of corn starch in the pan while they are dry.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Next, cut up and wash the strawberries in a strainer.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Go ahead and add the 2 1/2 cups of water to the pan.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

"The jello mix takes the longest, so once you have it started you can break up the angel food cake," my mom said.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

"You only bring the pan to a boil, you don't go past that," my mom said. "I've done that before and it makes the counters and stove all gooey and it's a real mess."

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

My mom said she always puts the jello in the freezer to cool down for about a half of an hour. This is because the jello has to be a little thicker before you pour it on the cake and strawberries.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

While the jello is cooling, put the strawberries in the cake.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

After the jello looks thicker, you can remove it from the freezer, stir it up a little and pour it over the strawberries and angel food cake.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

After you pour the jello into the cake, you put it in the fridge overnight to cool and form into jello. When you take it from the fridge, spread Cool Whip on top and add sprinkles if you like and your cake is complete.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

After taking it to my aunt's house, my cousin, Rachel Elliott said, "I love this cake, it's so good that I saved a bunch of room for it."

The Verdict: I also love this cake. It's great because it's not covering up the strawberries, but it's playing them up.

Best Paired With: Family and your mom. And in my case, Saturday Night Live starring Betty White.

Shopping with a Gluten-Free Vegan

One of the basic parts of any recipe is ingredients, correct? And unless you're a vampire or have magic powers, going to the grocery store is necessary to obtain ingredients. But where do you shop when you have a restricted diet and how do you even go about finding the ingredients?

In learning to cook and aiming to figure out how to cook healthier things, I've talked a lot with my co-worker and friend, Kassandra Kimball about ideas since she's one of the healthiest eaters I know. She used to work at Sound Health Inc. where they can diagnose health problems through the sounds in a person's voice. They told her she was allergic to dairy and gluten so as a result she cut them out of her diet. Furthermore, she was already a vegetarian.

Kassy really enjoys growing her own food, creating new meals and deserts, as well as trying to modify regular foods to fit her diet and still taste relatively similar. One of the places she spends most of her money is Kroger in Athens, Ohio.

This week I accompanied her to Kroger for my first official visit to see what she looks for when buying foods that fit her diet.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

The first thing I noticed was that this Kroger was stocked exceptionally well with fresh produce. As I expected, this was the first area she went to.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

When buying fresh produce, Kassy said she generally looks for things that say organic because they are the fruits and vegetables that haven't been genetically modified or been smothered in pesticides.

As we moved through the aisles, I was very amazed at just how many products actually existed as substitutes, organics, gluten free, vegan/vegetarian friendly, etc.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

She showed me that most products have "Gluten Free" written on the packaging, like these Gluten Free English Muffins.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Things like cheese, can be substituted with "Veggie Shreds," which she says taste pretty similar to real cheese, but are made from vegetables.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One aisle that I really thought was the coolest was the self-serve dispensers of various nuts, grains, dried fruits and other ingredients.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One of the last things she showed me was fake ice cream, which she says tastes pretty close to the real stuff.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One thing though about a lot of these products is that they seem pretty expensive when you do not really make much money. However, it probably just depends on how you weigh it, and whether the benefits outweigh the cost.

The Verdict: I was pretty impressed with Kroger and I'm really excited to go back and figure out what I might like to try out. Though I don't think I'll ever be vegetarian or dairy free, there are so many health benefits to removing as much gluten as possible and just shopping organic in general, so I'd like to learn ways that I can modify my own diet to make it healthier.

Best Paired With: A Kroger card for discounts and the movie Food Inc. It is such an informative movie. It really makes you think about the modifications that are made to our foods now days and consider what you can do to help change things. One thing Kassy recommends is a Vegan, gluten free cookbook called The Flying Apron.

Bands Across the World Touring in Columbus, Ohio

Yesterday, after ordering my Cool Tour '10 ticket, I realized some of the bands are from other countries. I decided to figure out where the bands playing in the Cool Tour and Rock on the Range in Columbus, OH are from across the world using Google Maps.


View Ohio Summer Tour Map in a larger map

The Verdict: I learned a lot about where the bands come from and I was pretty surprised at the origin of some of the bands.

Best Paired with: Lots of YouTube videos, excitement for the upcoming summer and some road mixes.