I first met Summer Shacklette over two years ago through a mutual friend. The three of us jumped into her truck to explore some of the northern beaches around Tola and ended up having lunch at the then-beachside restaurant of Mukul.
Over drinks there we shared a bit about ourselves, as expats first meeting each other are known to do.
Back in Dallas, Texas, Summer had been an Art teacher, a vendor of wines, had gone to culinary school, had worked as a pastry chef in a 5-star restaurant and in a 5-star hotel, and had opened and run her own pizza parlor. Whew.
I realized immediately that she was energetic, creative, generous, smart, full of life, and really had a heart for Nicaragua and its people.
Summer and her partner had bought a property in San Juan del Sur twelve years earlier. They had just moved here full time and were building their house.
But she had another dream too, a personal dream of opening a small, simple cafe/restaurant in San Juan del Sur, with sandwiches and salads and good wine.
Over the years, she spoke to us about her dream many a time.
Flash forward to today, a week after its grand opening.
John and I went to her restaurant, Vibe, for breakfast after John learned she had biscuits and gravy. It was delicious.
Biscuits and gravy for John. French toast, fruit salad and bacon for me. French-press coffee for both.
John has tried to make biscuits at home. But he’s a self-professed biscuit-making spastic and, along with the fact that our fancy stainless steel oven doesn’t heat over 350 degrees, his biscuits have come out as cannonballs.
Summer’s, on the other hand, were perfect. And just like that she’s made a new, loyal biscuit-craving customer.
John then had a huge slice of berry cheesecake. Who has a berry cheesecake with breakfast? But it was freshly made and John was going to be her first customer to try it. I was too full to even have a bite. He ate the whole dang thing.
Her salads and quiches and meat loaf sandwich will have to wait for another visit.
If you’re at the church plaza, walk to the SW corner behind the food stall and look past the large two-story school that often has youthful band music wafting out of it, up towards the hill. There on the right, just up one building from the corner across from the plaza, is Summer’s restaurant, Vibe. She’s open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 to 5.
If you’re familiar with Zen Yoga, it’s in the same building.
Say hi to Summer when you’re in there. She’s a good person to know.
Besides knowing how to bake and cook, she knows how to make dreams in Nicaragua come true.