Cafe by the Ruins on Multiply!

Internet is back on and we are OKAY. Thank you for your concern and messages. We are fortunate that we were not directly affected by the typhoon. Lolo, Nanay and I stayed warm in front of the Yangco fireplace for most of the storm. But now the storm has cleared and we are left with all the chaos. All access roads to Baguio are still closed but I know the workers are working as fast as they can to clear the roads. Supplies are beginning to run low but we have enough.

We are doing our best to help those around us pick up the pieces of their lives. The landslides have devastated many areas of Benguet taking entire barangays down. The rescue efforts have changed from RESCUE to RETRIEVAL. The We are running a soup kitchen and relief center out of the Cafe by the Ruins. As of 12:00 PM today we've served close to 2,000 packed meals and we are still cooking. We are trying to get this food to the evacuee centers that have not been reach by other relief efforts. The Cafe by the Ruins and Cafe Sabel staff  (a total of 40 employees) cook and pack the food and we have a group of about 15 volunteers that help distribute the food. They take a jeep we borrowed to the evacuation centers to bring the food and water. We are also providing some of the recuers that are digging up the landslides with snacks of bananas and camote.

So many families in Benguet province are in need of supplies such as blankets, sleeping mats, candles (many areas have no electricity yet), slippers, boots, clothes, diapers, sanitary napkins and other toiletries. We are accepting such donations from the citizens of Baguio but are focusing more on food. We have received so much rice, monggo and beans. We are also buying vegetables and cooking it here.

The access roads are still closed driving the prices of food higher and higher everyday. We are accepting cash donations to buy the food, containers and relief goods that are needed to help. We will be feeding people for as long as its needed and we would like to give money to the family of the ones that have passed away to help with burial expenses. Many families have also lost everything own and we hope to be able to give them some basic things such as pots, pans and utensils to start life anew.  If you would like to help us help the people of Benguet you can deposit into

Hi friends! We are looking for artists to display their exhibit in the Cafe by the Ruins for 2009. For more information please send us a personal message. Thank you! :)

Ladies and Gents! Strawberries are back on the menu! Whoopeee! :D Drop by soon and grab a bite of Baguio's special delight! :)

Hello everyone! For anyone interested to get the Cafe's book, Memories and Recipes, in the US, please send a check for US$ 17 to Suzanne Llamado ($15 for the book and $2 for mailing), PO Box 2276, Sebastopol, CA 95473. As soon as the check is received, the book will be in the mail. Thanks, (Mama)Su P.S. Please pass!

Here are links to the reviews of our cookbook!
Digesting Memories by Sylvia Mayuga
20 Years of Gastronomic Memories by Martin Masadao
The Café That Children Built by Krip Yuson

The book is available in National Bookstores and Powerbooks outlets nationwide. You can also get a copy from the Cafe by the Ruins (limited signed copies!) and directly from Anvil Publications.

Hi everyone! It's been a busy year for the Cafe by the Ruins! We had our 20th Anniversary celebrations in March and in August we launched our first cookbook, Cafe by the Ruins: Memories and Recipes! We're only putting up links today but please look out for everything else that will soon be popping up on the Cafe by the Ruins Multiply site! See you!