{"id":3116,"date":"2014-12-16T11:13:35","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T16:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/?p=3116"},"modified":"2014-12-16T11:17:29","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T16:17:29","slug":"navajo-nation-museum-coffee-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/navajo-nation-museum-coffee-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Navajo Nation Museum Coffee House"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Navajo<\/a>

Navajo Nation Museum Coffee House<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s All About the Coffee or Is It?<\/h2>\n

By Roberta John<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

WINDOW ROCK, AZ. – When it comes to coffee, it\u2019s all about the coffee or is it?<\/p>\n

Not if you\u2019re going to drink coffee at a newly-opened coffee house here in the Navajo Nation capital\u2026.more specifically, at the Navajo Nation Museum.<\/p>\n

There is coffee and then there is gourmet quality coffee.<\/p>\n

Entrepreneur Robert Fontenot states, \u201cWe want people to enjoy our gourmet flavored coffee and have a high-end experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the owner of two other coffee shops \u2013 Coffee House and Express Yourself in Gallup, New Mexico, Fontenot said, \u201cIt is important to look at the quality of your ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the different flavored coffee is hand done and hand-pressed.<\/p>\n

However, he emphasized that it\u2019s not just about the coffee, but the experience.<\/p>\n

In fact, Fontenot said the staff he is training want the new high-end caf\u00e9 to have a theme called \u201cAn Espresso and Specialty Drink Experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fontenot echoes his staff\u2019s view on how they want customers to feel and was quick to point out that you when you\u2019re slow as molasses in the winter, the Navajo Nation Museum Caf\u00e9 is the place you want to be.<\/p>\n

As a second generation share cropper originally from New Orleans, Fontenot knows the value of sharing life stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandparents didn\u2019t have running water,\u201d Fontenot reflected. \u201cMy family has always been big on sharing stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

His initial calling came about six years ago when he came out with a church group and helped out community members within the Church Rock, N.M. Chapter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to know about the Navajo culture,\u201d he said. \u201cI was drawn to the place and found the Navajo people have an enchanting spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

He soon became a substitute teacher at Tohatchi Middle School and was taken in by some Navajo families who shared life stories with him.<\/p>\n

In 2012, the Coffee House in Gallup went up for sale. Fontenot and a partner pooled their resources and purchased it.<\/p>\n

He was then approached by Navajo Nation Museum Department Manager Manuelito Wheeler to see if they would be interested in operating a similar coffee house in the Navajo Nation capital.<\/p>\n

Manuelito said it has always been his goal to have a successful coffee house on the Navajo Nation.<\/p>\n

Fontenot was just what he was looking for\u2026.And it was no coincidence the two met.<\/p>\n

Navajo culture resonates at the Navajo Nation Museum Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

From a distance and dovetailing nicely is a beautiful Navajo shade house that gives it a warm and inviting welcome.<\/p>\n

In actuality, the Navajo shade house is made of PVC pipe that\u2019s been fired to give it a little rustic charm and true Navajo character.<\/p>\n

Manuelito said he wanted to transform the new caf\u00e9 with a Navajo curb appeal and a Navajo accent to lure in new customers.<\/p>\n

It may just be Navajo Nation\u2019s Best Kept Secret, but Manuelito and Fontenot hope not for long.<\/p>\n

There was a soft opening on November 24th, but they\u2019re banking on new clients that will navigate themselves to revel in the new coffee caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

After all, Navajo cultural protocol is all about sharing stories\u2026.and what better way to do that than with a high-end cup of gourmet coffee nestled against towering red-yawning walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want everyone to share their stories here at the Navajo Nation Museum Caf\u00e9,\u201d Fontenot stated. \u201cOur goal is to have a standard of excellence. We want to provide a high-end quality coffee experience for everyone. And it all begins with your favorite coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fontenot said they will eventually open at 7 a.m. to accommodate people who want to take care of the first order of business right after the crack of early morning dawn and close around 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Echoes of Navajo tradition will remain so your senses will experience authentic imagery and details of Navajo history.<\/p>\n

Manuelito said the caf\u00e9 will keep the existing black and white vintage photos of early Navajo history as a reminder of where the Navajo people came from.<\/p>\n

Naturally, there are hand-carved pine wood tables and benches that pull it altogether to give the eatery a down-to-earth country bravado. Meticulously-designed wood furniture by Navajo Nation Museum staff provides a nice accent and dimension to the Navajo Nation Museum lobby. The stylished furniture was cut fresh from the Chuska Mountains, compliments of the Navajo Nation Department of Forestry.<\/p>\n

The Navajo Nation Museum Caf\u00e9\u2026.where the quiet sway of ancient Navajo wisdom and modern-day culture weaves together to create a new story and a new palette of deliciousness.<\/p>\n

A place where the experience is as satisfying as the flavor.<\/p>\n

The menu reflects the sophistication.<\/p>\n

In addition to a host of flavored coffees from Espresso, Cappacino, Lattes, Mocha and hot or cold drink called Moolicious,, Fontenot said they also offer \u201cBuild Your Own<\/p>\n

Premier\u201d omelette, salad or sandwiches in the future, noting, \u201cWe don\u2019t want to rush into this; however, we want to take it slow and let the coffee house breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

So if you like it hot or cold\u2026.perhaps it\u2019s time for you to enrich your coffee experience and appreciate life\u2019s simple pleasures at the Navajo Nation Museum Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

And if lunch is faster than the Grinch stole Christmas, you still have plenty of time to enjoy alfresco dining nestled against towering red canyon walls.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s rewind\u2026.Just think\u2026.it all started when two individuals from two different cultures crossed paths and now they\u2019ve come full circle here at the Navajo Nation Museum Cafe.<\/p>\n

It must be karma\u2026.and a recipe for success.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Navajo Nation Museum Caf\u00e9 or the Navajo Nation Museum, contact them at (928) 871-7941 or www.navajonationmuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s All About the Coffee or Is It? By Roberta John \u00a0 WINDOW ROCK, AZ. – When it comes to coffee, it\u2019s all about the coffee or is it? Not if you\u2019re going to drink coffee at a newly-opened coffee house here in the Navajo Nation capital\u2026.more specifically, at the Navajo Nation Museum. There is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[323,482,1032,329,1073,220],"class_list":["post-3116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-navajo-events","tag-az","tag-coffee","tag-coffee-house","tag-museum","tag-navajo-nation","tag-window-rock","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3116"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3120,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3116\/revisions\/3120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}