lorcastamford-blog

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David Sedaris in Stamford!!!

The Best-Selling Author, Humorist and Contributor to This American Life Live at The Palace Theatre on April 11, 2019

We could NOT be more excited!! 

During Hurricane Sandy, when the lights were out in all of our houses for a few days, I turned to my handy headlamp and bookshelf and picked up “Me Talk Pretty One Day” which had been one of my favorite books in college, in 2004. None of my surrounding friends or family members had read it or heard of Sedaris and I dove right into a hilarious story about the family guinea pig’s untimely death. 

The entire group couldn’t stop laughing, crying, and laughing some more. Maybe it was the wine, the lack of hygiene, or the dire situation of being without power for a third day because of a horrible hurricane, but David Sedaris was making everyone lose their minds. He’s nothing short of a comedic genius, weaving moments from his childhood, current events, and his current daily life together into self-deprecating short stories. Every book that he’s released has been devoured since.

Stamford is super luck to welcome him to the Palace Theatre...tickets are still available here: www.DavidSedarisOnTour.com.

Lorca will also be giving away 2 tickets to see him live at the Palace. Stay tuned on our Instagram page to find out how to enter :) 

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Best of the Gold Coast!

On July 13, Lorca was officially honored as Best of the Gold Coast, and we pulled out all the stops to celebrate: 1,000 churros, 2,000 alfajores and (nearly) bottomless cold brew were on display at the Hilton Hotel, where Lorca joined other award-winning businesses in Fairfield County to show off our best stuff.

The annual Best of the Gold Coast award is organized by Moffly Publications to showcase, as they put it, “the best of everything” in Fairfield County. Readers and editors of Moffly’s five magazines -- Greenwich, Westport, New Canaan-Darien, Stamford and Fairfield Living -- voted Lorca as the best coffee shop on this illustrious list, an honor we were eager to celebrate in style with other winners at the event. Lorca owner Leyla Jenkins and manager Claire Sears-Tam made that impressive array of Lorca goodies to share with the crowd, and stood by to greet both newcomers and familiar customers. 

Constantin Oltean stopped by the booth to sample the churros with dark chocolate, and although he hasn’t yet been to the shop, he was already hooked.

“I love it,” he said. “I came back especially for the churros.” 

Megan Currie passes by Lorca on her way to work every morning, but she still made time to grab a bite from our table at the event.

“I love to support local businesses that are helping to grow Stamford,” she said. “At Lorca, the people are amazing, and it’s always busy!” 

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Five Things You Didn’t Know About Alfajores

Lorca’s signature cookie, the alfajore (or alfajor), is deceptively simple: just a creamy layer of dulce de leche (caramel) sandwiched between two buttery shortbread cookies, with a hint of flaky coconut. Yet, after a bite or two, the sweet reveals a complexity of flavor and texture that makes it difficult to forget (or resist). Here’s the surprising backstory of the cookie:

1) The first recipe dates back to the Moorish occupation of Spain The origins of the alfajore are murky, but it’s thought that the cookie made its first appearance after the Moors invaded Spain around 700 A.D. In fact, the name “alfajore” is believed to derive from the Arabic word al-hasu meaning “stuffed” or “filled”. The original alfajore, a very different-tasting dessert made out of ground nuts, honey and spices, is still made in certain parts of Spain.

2) It’s been widely popular in South America for centuries The confection crossed the ocean with the Spanish conquistadors and took hold in South America in the 16th century. Over time, the cookie evolved and adapted to reflect the continent’s rich cuisine, and is a staple in countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Brazil. There are dozens of different iterations of alfajores; Lorca’s cookies follow a traditional Argentinian recipe with dulce de leche and coconut.

3) The world’s largest alfajore was 36 feet tall.

In 2010, the city of Minas in Uruguay baked the biggest alfajore on record, to celebrate the treat’s history. The Guinness World Record-scoring cookie measured 6 feet 3.19 inches in diameter, 36 feet 1.07 inches in height, and weighed 1,022 pounds. That’s quite a mouthful.

4) Lorca’s own alfajore recipe is a family favorite

When Lorca’s owner, Leyla Jenkins, decided to make cookies to go with the shop’s selection of coffee and churros, she relied on her mom’s recipe, which remains a well-guarded secret.

5) Lorca sold more than 6,000 alfajores last year!

Needless to say, the cookies have made a big impression here in Stamford an continue to fly off Lorca’s pastry shelves.

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ok, maybe everybody's sick of these humble brags. but SERIOUSLY! when i'm surrounded by so many talented people who take it upon themselves to just build whatever amazing things they want out of love? how could i NOT brag? 

last night was like early christmas part 3. 

christmas part 1 being the moment i walked in and saw my brother's gorgeous mural started

christmas part 2 was the installation of that espresso machine, the workhorse of lorca

and christmas part 3 was last night when i walked in and mark had surprised me with this beautifully trimmed out pastry case. i had no idea he was doing this...his gift to the shop. i'm so incredibly happy and overwhelmed. it makes a perfect addition to the shop and atmosphere. it's a part of the family :)

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today mark installed the first of four floating booths. he made these from white birch (ct state tree) and angle iron. they are gorgeous! and incredibly, they hold enough weight for when people really over-indulge on churros, we won't have any embarrassing moments. 

these will be intimate booths along the mural wall for one person to use a laptop or for two people to have a quiet conversation. i'm loving them. 

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so, since we've been here from 6 am until sometimes 2 am and most nights at least 10 every night, buddy's been a permanent fixture at the shop. he's helped us....umm...trip over him, tell him to go onto his bed, and give us much needed love and support. 

i'm going to miss having him around all day every day. his head has been lovingly perched on our knees for breakfast lunch and dinner for the past few months. 

xo

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thanks, smitten kitchen for enlightening me on the fact that it's super easy to make homemade marshmallows. 

i've now made coffee marshmallows, vanilla marshmallows, and almond marshmallows. i think these will make fantastic sides for our amazing hot chocolates. cut into cute shapes :)

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A few days ago this La Marzocco FB80 got installed in the shop!!!!! Don't take the fact that I haven't written about it as anything other than the fact that I've been crazy busy getting ready for final inspection but...the beauty has landed! And she works like a charm. That night, I spent the night with my favorite 2006 Morgon and played with her. Super amazing feeling.

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It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop

- confucius

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Lorca featured in Stamford Advocate's This Week in Photos!

Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg / Stamford Advocate

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/slideshow/The-week-in-photos-759.php#photo-3773389

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yesterday james and i went to philly to visit my friend craig and check out ultimo and elixr's new space. 

ultimo's coffee was insanely good...and we got russian river's supplication!!!!! win win. 

elixr's space was pretty amazing...huge and absolutely beautiful. loving philly's coffee scene and it was great to see craig and eat a cheese steak. 

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chris started on the mural a few days ago...and this morning i just sat on mark's bench and admired it. 

i love my brother and i love this mural. i'm so lucky

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mark started putting in the communal bench yesterday!!

when he cut the white oak i said "mark, it smells like whiskey in here"

i had no idea that white oak is what most whiskey barrels are made out of...it's also the connecticut state tree. 

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before/after of the exterior. yesterday the guys finished up the tiling on the exterior. by the end of the week, the sign for "Lorca" will be up. 

getting there!

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today michael phillips from handsome roasters came into NY and helped train our new baristas!

it was a very exciting day. we went through the process of extraction, how to make a great cup of coffee, and then dove into espresso making. 

here are a few shots of the crew taking the reigns on the machine at the Joe Pro shop in NY. they all did a fantastic job and everything is looking really promising. 

all around an incredible learning experience for all

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slow and steady, but we're getting there! 

the tiling on the bar is up, the cabinets are in, the walls are tiled, brick is white-washed

the turtle always wins, right? i swear we'll open before 2015