These is especially true around various holidays.  The other night, in our cafe, we were making traditional holiday cookies which required frying in vegetable oil.  Our good friends and almost family, Kelly and Peter Perry with their children were working with us to create this delicious treat that, then, gets saturated in honey.   There we were all standing around the stove, while Peter fried and I assisted.  The question came up “Why do we always end up in the kitchen?”

Remembering as a young child and then as a newly wed in another tradiontal Italian family….the homemade pastas, bread, pastries…..even the smell of  boiled homemade wine to saturate one of our pastries, wafted in the air.  Most often this was a Sunday event unless, of course, it was a holiday.  Then, every day or evening (depending on your work schedule) was spent in the kitchen… I remember the famous words from my own Aunt Mary or my husband’s mother Agnes “Eat…you’ll feel better.”

And so it went, equating eating to love and feelings of comfort and safety.  Many of our old world relatives were not very demonstrative in their verbal expressions and so feeding you well was their way of saying “I lovwe you” and “You are important to me”.  Those programs stay with you forever and so the warmth of the ovens and the smells of the various delicasies draw all into the saftey and security of the kitchen.

My wishes to all….may you always feel the love of those important to you….whether it be a hug or a homemade cookie…..Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year.

Being a grandmother doesn’t make it any easier.  Now I help my children and my grandchildren – sometimes tearing myself in two so that everyone feels equally loved.  We are running all the time – with work and volunteering.  Then trying to fit in time for friends, spouses, running errands, and working out.  Put on top of that busing grandchildren to their committments, which have gotten way out of control.  Soccer, baseball, football, ballet, gymnastics, girl scouts – you name it, the list goes on and on.

And so we forget to take a few moments for ourselves.  Savor a cup of coffee, stare out at the view, leaf through a current magazine, or just chat with a co-worker, friend, relative, or a friendly face even.

That’s what Dominick’s Cafe is all about — not just the place to get a quiet anything.  We certainly have a special knack for take out and to go orders.  You can even call ahead and we’ll have your order waiting for you.

But if you’re in the mood to be kind to yourself – to just take a few minutes to break away from the chaos – stop in!  The relaxing atmosphere, soothing music, personable staff, and most of all delicious homestyle food will make your “minute vacation” a worthwhile escape. 

Just say “help me escape” and you will get a free coffee or tea on the house.

The world, outside of the family circle, could never understand the dynamics of a close knit multi-generational family – the rivalry, though not necessarily sibling becomes second nature – striving in an unconscious way to be the best, most favored man or woman in the entire family network. Just thinking about the complexities makes one tired especially noting that the generational width may extend beyond a hundred count.

Holidays are the hardest when there is a crack in the family glue.  Being left out or ignored plays hard on feelings especially when a rift separates those as close as sisters and brothers.  The guess work as to where everyone stands and on whose side you are aligned boggles your mind especially when the “he said she said” never really tells the true tale, which aligns itself somewhere in the middle of the chasm.

Another interesting phenomenon  that occurs in a family falling out is that outsiders are never privy to the inner workings of this most recent split.  To the rest of the world it is a very special and unusual grouping – this large extended family -bringing with it envy and jealousy from those who wish they could be a part.

Little do they know how hard that task is and yet…..when danger, illness, or outside discord occurs, the wagons circle and once more all hands will pull to protect that which is most cherished – family.

Our cafe is run by family, initiated by family, and relies on family tradition to keep us one of the most sought after gathering places for the feeling of days gone by.  To all the families out there, remember, there is ever a more trusted love than the bond that ties a family together……make sure everyone you cherish in your family knows how important they are to you.

Stop in our cafe in Uptown Kingston…..tell us you love your family and have a free cup of coffee or tea on us.

We work in air-conditioning, we live in air-conditioning, our cars our air-conditioned, most all businesses that we frequent are as such……so for those few moments in Uptown Kingston, New York when we step outside, will we mimic the Wicked Witch oof the West (“I’m melttt…..ing!!!!) or will we just be happy to be who we are, where we are and enjoy that which we cannot change.

Stop in at Dominick”s Cafe for a frozen cappacino……bet that will put a smile on you face!

Happy Hot Summer and stay well.

How can you splurge on transformation or an extra special luncheon treat when the economy is crumbling around us?  How can you sit in our cafe, savoring the aroma of a perfectly made cappuccino when there are wars going on all over the world?  How can you enjoy the melt in your mouth flavor of Jane’s Ice Cream when there a people going to bed hungry all over the world?

It’s the home of the free but more important….it’s the home of the brave, and the compassionate, and the generous, and the caretakers…….America is the home of the greatest grouping of all people who never fail to come to the aid of other human beings….no matter if it’s clear across the world or right in our own backyard.

There is really no such animal as an “American” per say……but the blending of so many peoples makes “America”….a beacon of hope…….this is America – my love, my pride, my home……….

Then, comes the tentative time, a birth, death, divorce, legal altercations… when your needs far exceed anyonelse’s and suddenly….the quiet….like the inside of a hurricane descends on the family.   The phone calls, texts, emails, facebook entries all come directly to you…..”What’s wrong?…’What can we do?”…’I'll be right there.” and the catch all “How many people are we feeding?”  You are the center of the universe, surrounded by all the planets in you solar system…..and suddenly, it clicks, the reason for the necessity of this large, DNA extravaganza that is called ”family”.   Sometimes, you can’t live with them….but never can you live without them!!!

There wasn’t even TV until I was six. Then it was only Wrestling, followed by “I Love Lucy”, “Ed Sullivan”, and “Perry Como”.  So began decades of individual isolation.

I am writing a BLOG and I don’t even know what that stands for….there are so many abbreviations with the onset of electronic communication that our one on one, face to face interactions are slowly becoming “passe’.

Will it come to no talking?  Will we evolve into a race with no vocal cords?

My heart warms when I sit in our cafe.  True, there are some laptops, some cell phones, some other hand helds….but for the most part the low hum with soft music in the background is the sound of people enjoying verbal communications with friends and colleagues.  Stop in and rejoice at the sound of your own voice over a nice cup of coffee!

The rain doesn’t seem to stop the cars from racing down North Front Street to beat the red light, though.  Oh, how I hate that traffic light. It doesn’t give anyone a chance to glance around and appreciate the wonders of historic Uptown. We have such a unique array of boutiques, restaurants and galleries.  Of course, if someone would just rip down the Pike Plan (as one of the restaurant owners suggested), maybe all the passing traffic would become aware of what we have to offer.

Must get back to work now….that’s where the “Hair Today” comes from….someone has to support a new up and coming cafe that is taking the Hudson Valley by storm.