Costalegre Community Message Board

From La Manzanilla Message Board

The Cocina Alegre is an employee owned business made up of Mexican women from La Manzanilla. The purpose of the company is to train and use the talents of these women to give them opportunities for advancement and self improvement combining their skills in cooking with the wonderful fresh abundance of fruits and vegetables of the Costa Alegre. It also uses their talents to produce quality items in the sewing room, primarily making colorful items for the kitchen.
DID YOU KNOW?
They produce fine marmalades, jams and salsas; fresh baked goods; wonderful frijoles like none you have ever eaten; salads and soups to go; catering dinners and cocktail parties is a specialty; and all right there in their beautiful sparkly white kitchen in their exciting building at Calle Maria Acuncion #137.

In the costura (sewing room) they are making many interesting items - table cloths, place mats, napkins, hot pads and even sewing bags for a charitable group "Give Little Give a Lot" (GALS) which benefits Mexican women. Alterations are done promptly and with professional expertise. Custom sewing is also available.

Mornings at Cocina Alegre start with a big smile followed by a great cup of coffee and your choice of baked goods (bran muffins, banana bread, biscuits and jam, etc). Prices are very reasonable. Each day there is a special salad and a cold soup to go.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Their space is graciously provided rent free, but in order to succeed THEY NEED EVERYONE'S SUPPORT. It is easy - please buy their products for your own use or as a present when you visit someone. Suggest visitors take some products back home with them.

The tienda is open Monday-Saturday 8:00AM to 2:00PM and
4:00PM to 6:00PM.

http://www.cocinaalegre.com/

Scott ...

Not that this calls for a vote ... BUT ... this is my favorite post of all the posts I've seen here.

If everyone could understand the importance of the support needed by business owners in this area ... it would be terrific for the locals!

I'm going to check out the website ..

good job in finding this place.

I'll be looking for this place and these gals.....thanks for the info!

Yes it amazes me the support and cooperation that 'seems' to go on in La Manzanilla. I'm assuming the free rent of their place might be with a little gringo help ... but just a guess.

Here in Melaque some people are still trying to find out the results of the AVA's fundraiser. They shouldn't be able to hold things like that without making the results public; that mean on message boards since they advertise there. There might have been some people here for only a few weeks that might have been feeling generous ... but they'd still like to know the total results of the drive and that their money went to good purpose.

Also I've been trying to find out for 6 months if the baseball stuff they are gathering in Barra is for hardball or softball. Every time I ask the question I never get an answer. I was going to drive down with some stuff. Shoe just asked the same on TOMZAP and no answers.

The cocina is located on the street that runs parallel to the beach in La Manzanilla.

It's on the same side as Palapa Joe's and on the next block down going towards the jardin.

They make GREAT stuff! The place mats, napkins and oil cloth purses are wonderful too!

I could go on about how wonderful this place is but just go there yourself and find out. Don't forget to bring your pesos!

Yummy!

No "seems to" about it, Sparks: La Manzanilla truly does enjoy a tremendous spirit of support and cooperation. Maybe it's because we're still small and tight knit enough that (practically) everyone knows everyone else. Also, perhaps because we've attracted some of the "best of the best" extranjeros, a number of whom live here year 'round. Foreigners and locals work hand in hand to make this a better place to live (and visit).

Cocina Alegre is just the tip of the iceberg. Some other ongoing efforts that exemplify this multicultural ethos of gringos and nationals working and laughing side by side to benefit the community are: Cisco's Amigos spay and neuter clinic, Tienda Amistad 2nd-hand low-cost clothing events, Manos Ayudante used-book store, the recent fund raiser for the Centro Salud, the recycling program, the La Catalina Foundation/Multicultural Arts Center's free English and math classes for all locals and free summer art classes for children, and many more private exchanges to help and support local citizens. The results of fund-raising efforts are generally posted in a timely manner re: how much money was raised and to whom or for what it's alloted.

Given our rapid growth, no one can say for sure how long this spirit of cooperation and support will last. We can only hope that we continue to attract like-minded people to carry on the tradition.

Regarding the donation of time and money to worthy causes...

If the effort that you are considering is well organized they
will be able to offer you a tax deduction receipt. The La Catalina Foundation (http://www.lacatalinafoundation.com/) falls
into this category.

The other efforts are very obvious in their accomplishments (e.g. the dogs are clean and spayed, the book shelves are full of new and interesting books, the elders of the town are helped, etc...)

I guess what I'm saying is the follow through of the people that are doing the good works is very important. Find something that you believe in and
gently help it along. This can be done with hands-on help, communication of the cause to the greater community or money. I recommend doing all three...if you can.

I believe we are blessed with very caring people in our little village. I could wax poetic about thinking globally and acting locally but that would be stating the obvious.

Just wanted to UP this good set of posts

I just wanted to let everyone know that Cocina Alegre is closed. It's unfortunate but true. (it went out of business)

I just wanted to let everyone know just in case someone drives over the hill looking specifically for this business.

Regards