 | | | Photo Cathy Dausman | | | | | | Despite a passionate plea from Gayle Somers to keep her café open for another month at the Hacienda de las Flores, the Moraga Town Council decided to close the popular breakfast and lunch venue at the end of March.
 What should have been a seamless transition for the Moraga chef, from her temporary location at the Hacienda to her permanent spot on Rheem Boulevard, collided with regulatory requirements and the Parks and Recreation Department's plans to get the Hacienda ready for the busy events season.
Café Hacienda was opened last May by Somers while she awaited the completion of her new location on Rheem Boulevard. For the town, it was a pilot project to attract more mid-week visitors to the Hacienda. The Town Council created a subcommittee last fall, which included the Hacienda Foundation, the Moraga Park Foundation, the cafÇ operator and Parks and Recreation director Jay Ingram, to guide the future of the onsite café.
The subcommittee met four times with mediator Maura Wolf from the Leadership Center at Saint Mary's College. "We took a two-prong approach, asking 'what's the big picture?' and 'how does the café fit into that?'" Wolf explained.
Somers hoped to become the sole user of the kitchen. Under the current agreement with the town, every Friday afternoon Somers dismantles her operations in the kitchen and transports her food in the cold units located in the nearby Casita.
"The Hacienda is used for weddings, classes and different local groups; we could not give Gayle the exclusive use of the kitchen," said Ingram. "That was the basis for the committee's recommendation to close the café at the end of the month," said Claire Roth, former president of the Hacienda Foundation. Somers agreed to leave, but then she bumped into one regulatory hurdle after another, including new ADA compliance regulations that went into effect Jan. 1 and needing to re-apply for a fire district permit that had expired after six months.
During the Town Council meeting March 19 Ingram explained that the hardwood floors have to be refinished so the Hacienda will be ready for the events season that is a big revenue source for his department. "I do not see how Gayle could be operating a restaurant as the work is done."
The Town Council ruled to close Café Hacienda on March 31. "Maybe some local churches could house you while your construction is completed," suggested Councilmember David Trotter. Somers confirmed that she is seeking another temporary space so she can keep her team employed.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA