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Continuation
Fred
Fulgencio, supervisor of the city's
Community Work Service program, is
impressed both with the food (he has a
Filipino back-ground) and the Danguilans,
whom he called an asset to the
city.
In an
entrepreneurial venture, the Danguilans
began buying sub-standard property around
town after moving to Anchorage from
Germany. The couple acquired the two-story
Sixth Avenue duplex from Yule Kilcher in
1994. Kilcher, grand-father of singer
Jewel, built the structure in the
1940s.
At the
time, it was being used as low-rent
housing for transients. The Danguilans
continued to run a roominghouse for
indigents while they renovated the duplex,
a tool shed and cabin on the property.
Eventually, they leased part of the duplex
to an espresso business, but when the
lease didn't work out, Juliette took
over.
The
cafe was a perfect way for Juliette to
stay active and involved in Anchorage
while providing the couple an additional
income. She knew nothing about running a
coffee shop, so it took gumption for this
career professional to line up with a
bunch of 20-somethings at a local seminar
to learn espresso-making. Sure, it was
easy enough to swoosh out mochas and
dollops of whipped cream, but in a town
where espresso stands are as common as
street corners, Juliette knew she needed a
way to stand out.
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First,
there was the name. She and Nez came up
with dozens of possibilities before
choosing Cafe D' Amor, which they thought
had a homey ring to it. Next, Juliette
began tinkering with the lunch menu. It
was bland. Why offer clam chowder, she
thought, when she could make a nice Thai
galanga? Out with the goulash, in with the
Indian mul-ligatawny. At First, Customers
were wary of the exotic fare, Juliette
said, but word soon got around.
Nothing
went over better than the adobo, a chicken
and garlic dish every kid in the
philippines grows up knowing how to make,
Juliette said. She won't reveal the secret
marinade she's developed to make her
version distinctive.
The
Danguilans aren't done with their cafe
yet. They hope to build an attached
solarium and eventually open for dinner.
Nez calls himself Juliette's janitor and
credits her with the cafe's
success.
Not
many people know that the Danguilans once
were childhood sweethearts in the
Philippines. Yet while Nez was smitten,
Juliette, just 16, refused to promise
herself away. Before leaving for America
in 1960, Nez predicted they'd see each
other again in 27 years. By remarkable
coincidence, both were living in Germany
exactly 27 years later when next they
met.
The
story they swear is true and still gives
them goose bumps. But why shouldn't a love
story be true here at the Cafe D'
Amor?
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