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Mojito Cafe offers Latin cuisine

Mojito Cafe, a restaurant that specializes in Latin American cuisine, opened at 7545 Lake City Way NE, on Nov. 3. Named for the famous Cuban drink, Mojito Cafe is a partnership of three friends, Juan Carlos Ganz, Peter Strauss and Luis "Luigi" Valenciana, all of whom are Latinos. The goal is to provide a welcoming place for everyone to enjoy authentic Latin cooking, according to the partners. Ganz, a native of Venezuela, says their restaurant offers cuisine from countries throughout the Caribbean region, including Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia.

Coffee Stop opens in Lake City

A new coffeeshop has opened its doors in downtown Lake City. Located at 3010 NE 125th, across the street from the Lake City Park, The Coffee Stop serves espresso, sandwiches, soups and desserts. The shop also carries a selection of antiques, housewares and used paperback books.

Lisa Robertson, owner of The Coffee Stop, worked from 1990 to 1996 at The Bells restaurant in Maple Leaf, where she began as a waitress and eventually worked her way up to become manager. A highlight of her time at The Bells was when the restaurant was selected to serve dessert (blackberry cobbler) to President Clinton during his visit to Seattle for the APEC conference in 1994. That feat earned Robertson a mention in the Seattle Times.

Robertson left The Bells following its sale by original owners George and Sally Bell. She went on to take waitress jobs at other area restaurants. Prior to opening The Coffee Stop in September, she worked as a waitress at Kenmore Lanes. She is a longtime Shoreline resident who graduated from Shorewood High School in 1980. She has three children: Jessica, age 15, Linda, 12, and Jonathan, 6.

Shaver to leave Civic Light Opera

The Civic Light Opera has announced that Jared Shaver will leave is post as managing director with the theater company, effective in December. He will continue to serve on the board. The theater group is currently conducting a search for Shaver's replacement.

Shaver had been with the semi-professional theater, located in the Meadowbrook neighborhood, for three years. During that time he directed three shows, "Voice from Syracuse," "Where's Charlie?" and, most recently, "Carousel."

Though he was reluctant to share details about his new employer, who, Shaver said, made him an offer too good to turn down, he did say he would be working for a wholesale business that sells many different kinds of products, such as denim and watches, in bulk. While he is taking a break from the theater world, Shaver said he would probably return to it at some point. "I'm sure that I'll be back involved with theater someday," Shaver said.

The Civic Light Opera is located the Jane Addams Theatre at 11081 34th Ave NE.

PNA Winterfest draws big turnout

The Phinney Neighborhood Association's 21st annual Winter Festival & Crafts Fair, held Dec. 1 and 2, drew more than 4,500 people, and grossed over $40,000 to benefit the nonprofit community organization's programs and activities.

More than 200 volunteers helped put on the event, which was sponsored by PCC Natural Markets, and co-sponsored by Red Mill Burgers and Fred Meyer. Other supporting sponsors and contributing businesses that helped with the event included the Jet City Maven, Greenwood Market, Starbucks, McCallum Print Group and Allegra Print & Imaging.

"This event is truly a neighborhood affair with support from several area businesses," said Ann Bowden, development director for the PNA. "We count heavily on this event for operating expenses for a wide variety of community programs - everything from the soup kitchen to the art gallery to our youth enrichment programs to the tool lending library - but we wouldn't be nearly as successful without (the sponsors and volunteers') support and generosity."

Short film shot in Wallingford

An independent short film was shot recently in the Wallingford district. Director/script writer Kevin Malin said his fictional documentary-style film, "The Story of Colette" examines the relationships of a young 20-something woman. He plans to enter the film into film festivals as well as make it available for distribution both in DVD and VHS format. Most of the scenes were shot in Wallingford, with an additional scene shot at Magnuson Park. Pictured above: director Kevin Malin, cameraman Ryan Purcell and actors Linda Lombardi as "Colette," and Andrew McIntyre as "Greg."