Cafe Cocomo, nestled in the Dogpatch area, came alive with the warm San Francisco sun, and the buzz of excited locally consicous yelpers this past Sunday at Yelpin' La Vida Local. Yelpers descended upon the unique space, which boasts a plethora of free parking, a lovely outdoor patio, and a massive dance floor – to learn about more ways they could support amazing local non-profits and how to get more involved in their local community. Attendees were able learn about a slew of outstanding local resources, all while enjoying exceptional performances by talented artists and performers, and while sipping on phenomenal wine and nibbling on incredible local bites.
Guests wandered around Cafe Cocomo's lush green outdoor area, and were able to sample an exquisite array of fine wines from Sonoma Valley Portworks, Barber Cellars, Starlite Vineyards, and Flora Springs Winery. To complement the variety of wines, were a plethora of swoon-worthy desserts. The Cookie Department had an impressive variety of addictive innovative cookies. That Takes the Cake was a massive hit with their moist mind-blowing cupcakes – they even had a massive Yelp cupcake!. PieTisserie's darling pie booth was swamped with sugar fiends, axiously waiting for bites of their fruity heavenly pies. Kika's Treats - comprised of chocolate-covered caramelized graham crakers, paired beautifully beside Sonoma Valley Portworks fabulous dessert wines, while Smitten Ice-cream churned out cold fresh deliciousness to a mesmerized crowd – from their unique Radio Flyer ice-cream wagon. To counteract the never-ending supply of decadent sweets, many yelpers made sure to fill up their cups with healthy refreshing House Kombucha on tap.
While exploring the variety of exciting desserts and wines outside on Cafe Cocomo's patio, yelpers were able to learn about how bread can help build community through Danny of Sour Flour, they learned how to make art from organic materials at The Farmer's Block, they learned how to stay on top of the thriving local urban art scene through 1AM Gallery, they learned how to stay connected to the local music scene through Seaweed Sway, and they learned how to be exposed to a wealth of talented comedians and local musicians through amazing Snob Theater. While perusing these outstanding local resources, guests were serenaded by Snob Theater's dazzling line-up of acoustic performances by the lovely lady trio of Waste Band, the soulful crooning of Benjamin Anderson, and a fun upbeat musical comedy number by Andrew Moore.
The warm good energy that flowed around Cafe Cocomo's sun kissed patio traveled inside Cafe Cocomo's massive interior just as freely. Guests were greeted by an interactive video Robo.to, set-up, while they sampled a diverse number of natural affordable skin-care product samples from the glowing enthusiastic staff at Yes to Carrots. The lovely Cressie Mae – showcased her impressive hula-hooping skills – while armed with a number of her own hand-made collapsable hoops for guests to rock. Blue Sparrow Pilates represented at an informational booth – where attendees could learn more about the the stirring dance performances by the Blue Sparrow Pilates Dance Group donning costumes by the fiber artist Bo Choi, and the energetic - space-inspired dance numbers by MGM Grand.
It was the inspiring presence of exceptional non-profits lining Cafe Cocomo's far wall corner and along Cafe Cocomo's upper floor level that truly filled the space up with love and positive vibes. San Francisco is blessed to have such a wide spectrum of wonderful non-profit organizations, which really seek to create change and improve upon the world around us. It was great to hear first-hand how these organizations work and what they seek to accomplish in our community.
Attendees learned how they can help rescue and foster dogs through Wonder Dog. They learned how Curry Without Worry fills hungry bellies up on a daily basis – with curry and love. Larkin Street Youth had a vast amount of information on how they help vulnerable youth move beyond the streets, while City Youth Now talked about how they diligently work behind the scenes to address the unique needs of children and youth under the jurisdiction of the SF Juvenile Court System. Spark discussed how they provide life-changing apprenticeships to youth in under-served communities (they even had delicious cupcakes on hand), while the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center informed attendees on their ongoing quest to strategically direct a significant concentration of resources to families in distressed and under-served populations in the Sunset. Project Open Hand shared how they have been providing "meals with love" to people with living with serious illnesses in the Bay Area, while Shanti elaborated on their efforts to provide emotional and practical support to people living with life-threatening illness. Engineers without Borders relayed to attendees, how they help address people's basic human needs across the globe, by providing necessities such as clean water, power, sanitation, and education; while Friends of the Urban Forest spoke about how they make the world a greener place by promoting community planting, maintenance, education and advocacy. ZSpace Theater promoted their quest to fuel the development of American theater by nurturing new voices, new works and new opportunities in the SF Bay Area, while CounterPULSE – a theater and production space in San Francisco, demonstrated how they help support local artists and activists through their innovative programs. Old Skool Cafe – brought mini sweet-potato pies and coffee for attendees to indulge in – from their non-profit which houses an inspiring youth run supper-club, while City Guides helped spread the word about their free informational and fun tours of the city. La Casa de las Madres provided invaluable information about how they offer a comprehensive continuum of support for victims of domestic abuse, while The Arc presented about how they offer primary resources for people with disabilities. EarthShare also represented, by explaning how they connect people to environmental non-profits through workplace giving, volunteer opportunities, and environmental education. It was definitely a full house of exceptional individuals and organizations.
On hand – on the upper level of Cafe Cocomo – surrounding the diversity of non-profits – was Fog Harbor Fish House serving fresh divine crab cerviche and a tuna appetizer, and Don Pilar pouring samples of their smooth tequila. Both were huge hits, with attendees, who waited anxiously to get their photo taken in Orange Photography's fun and interactive photo-booth.
And of course – who could forget the talented group of individuals who DJed, sang, played, and performed their hearts out – on Cafe Cocomo's main stage on Sunday. DJ William Wardlaw, who always brings it – at Yelp events, and Roy Two Thousand, got the crowd going with a five star guitar and DJ collaboration. Maiden Lane - comprised of the musical collaboration of the son of Phil Lesh, bass player of the Grateful Dead, and the former lead singer of country group "The Jenkins," dazzled attendees with a truly rock out energetic and soulful performance. El Radio Fantastique closed the event – with a musical production that utilized an applaudable array of instruments and sounds. Singer Giovanni DiMorente commanded the stage with his wistful melodies – backed up by a profoundly talented band of performers – that obviously love what they do. The music throughout the event was definitely what's up. Truly.
What better way to spend a gorgeous Sunday – than with wonderful people, inspiring organizations, talented performers, delicious food, and superb wine?!
You can read all about people's experiences at Yelpin' La Vida Local here. Please feel free to share your own thoughts about the event as well. Photos from the event can be found here.
To retrieve your photos from Orange Photography's website – – please go here. To find your video link from Robo.to – just go here.
Thank you!
