For many years we have made a point to attend the special lunches held at the Little Yellow School House in Isla Mujeres. It is a private school for children with special needs, solely funded by donations. There is no charge for students to attend.

Helping to prepare and serve these lunches has long been a part of the children’s education. These activities lead to the formalization of the Star Kids Café in 2024.

The cafe is open from Monday to Friday offering a good variety of specialty coffees, a few breakfast and lunch items, all at extremely reasonable prices. 

A special treat happens on Fridays, during high season, when a lunch dish is prepared by volunteer Chef Greg and his team. We met Greg many years ago. I enjoyed talking to him about his love of food and trying recipes from different cultures. Every winter he dedicates his talents to this venture. All of the volunteers are familiar faces as they have provided their time year in and out. 

Chef Greg’s specialty dish, offered exclusively on Fridays, is always delicious. Sometimes it’s BBQ brisket, a Cuban sandwich, or a curry dish. The day we visited it was Kung Pao chicken with rice and egg rolls. It was very tasty and only 100 pesos. 

The loveliest part of the dinning experience is that the kids are the priority. We are there to enjoy good food but the opportunity for the children to learn skills and improve their social interactions is the actual purpose. I’m always impressed with how patient everyone is as the cafe can get pretty busy on a Friday. It would be challenging for a restaurant of trained professionals to handle. So, do orders sometime take a while to arrive? Are they sometimes served without utensils, well sure. But isn’t that part of this beautiful adventure?  

Paula Lijo Martin is the volunteer in charge of social media for the cafe. She shared that “Everything is done within a structured, supportive learning environment. Students participate in different areas depending on their abilities and learning goals. Together with the kitchen staff, students are also taught simple kitchen tasks such as turning on the stove, preparing pancake batter, and basic cooking skills. Students also help with prep work like cutting vegetables, ham, and cheese before service begins. The front-of-house training, includes customer service, drink preparation, cleaning routines, and teamwork skills. The goal is to provide a real-life work experience while respecting each student’s pace, abilities, and strengths.”

Claudia, the teacher who has coordinated the café program since it started often describes the café as “another classroom within the school.”

We got the chance to meet Noelia, a very specialized teachers who works side by side with the kids. It was wonderful to watch her guide them through their responsibilities. Her patience and affection for the children was obvious. 

It was a pleasure to enjoy the food, the kids, the volunteers, and like-minded patrons. 

Kathryne here: There is a reason that Sue and I are supportive of this special school. Something that you may not know is that I am the mom of a daughter whose special need is a physical disability At 5 years old our eldest contacted meningoencephalitis which left her quadriplegic. Because of inclusive Special Needs education programs she completed school with her age group and then went on to get her Masters Degree in Disability Studies.

Kath’s quote: “I didn’t know I could love so deeply until I met my child with special needs.“

Love never fails.

When Esteban and his family came from the state of Tlaxcala to Isla Mujeres it was just going to be for a two week vacation. But soon the family found themselves gainfully employed and seven years later they are still here. And what a gift they are to this community!

Everyone who has ever met Esteban (junior) just adores him. For years I stayed in a hotel a few doors down from where he worked so I would pass him multiple times a day. He always shared a kind greeting and bright smile. He has the gift of hospitality, making everyone feel important and welcome. Last night when he delivered our dinner I got to have a short visit with him. He has a real love for family, community and food. I felt I had a kindred spirit. 

Esteban’s kitchen was created a year and a half ago. This family run business consists of Father, Esteban senior, son Esteban junior, sisters Ximena and Mishel and talented mother Lorena. 

Every day Esteban’s Kitchen features a daily special giving Lorena the opportunity to continually explore her passion for food. 

The daily features range from traditional dishes like mole to fusion dishes like teriyaki chicken fajitas. The day we ordered the special was shrimp tossed salad. Crispy greens, slivers of red bell pepper, sliced avocado and corn were topped with a generous serving a super flavourful large shrimp and a side of ranch dressing. It was refreshing and satisfying.

Our second selection was chicken enchiladas Suiza. It’s one of my favourite Mexican dishes. Tortillas are stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and chicken, in this version the chicken was pan seared pieces that gave it an additional layer of flavour. The enchiladas are smothered in a green sauce made of chilis, tomatillos, onion, & garlic and topped with a drizzle of Mexican creama. Then garnished with shredded lettuce and sliced avocado. It was a delicious and savoury dish with a hint of sour from the tomatillos and creamy goodness from the Oaxaca cheese.

With this cold snap we’ve been experiencing it was a nice option to stay cozy and have dinner brought to us. It’s easy to order. Just send them a message on their Facebook page or on WhatsApp. They deliver to the whole island, from north beach to Punta Sur. They are open seven days a week and would be a great option if you need to cater for a big group. 

Kath’s quote: “When love meets the kitchen, magic happens.”

Love never fails.

The literal translation of “Sabor a México” is “the flavour of Mexico”. And this gem of a restaurant is full of traditional Mexican fare. From breakfast items such as Huevos Rancheros, Yucatan eggs, and chilaquiles to burritos, tacos, and enchiladas. 

This new establishment is located in Villas San Miguel. Situated between the Malecon and the Zóloco it is surprisingly tranquil. The terracotta accents and Mexican tiled decor of the villas flow seamlessly into this new restaurant space, featuring a grand thatched palapa that gives it an open air feel.

We were drawn to a cozy table on a terrace overlooking the street.

We started with iced lattes that were creamy and refreshing with lots of coffee punch.

I can never decide between a sweet or savoury breakfast, so to enjoy both, we chose to share two dishes. A generous portion of three waffles was topped with a yummy berry compote and perfectly fresh fruit. Fruit is always so much better in Mexico. The presentation was gorgeous.

Our savoury selection was the Oaxaca omelet. Filled with spinach, mushrooms, ham and Oaxaca cheese.

This omelette had the best cheese pull I’ve ever seen! It was absolutely delicious. 

Manager Abdiel explained that the twelve guest rooms of the Villa are each named after a different Mexican city. So they have named their omelets and a few egg dishes using the same cities. The names are perfectly matched to the ingredients. For example the “Cozumel” features shrimp, while the “Tijuana” features steak, representing that area’s cattle country. And of course the “Oaxaca” featured the delicious cheese that state is known for. 

Sindy, our server who provided excellent service, shared that the Tijuana is her favourite. While I thought the combination of beef, ham, and Manchego cheese might be a bit much for me for breakfast, I can see myself enjoying it for lunch. 

The restaurant has a real family feel. Sindy’s aunt Magda works in the kitchen and along with the rest of the team creates beautiful plates. Abdiel and his father Candelario keep the operation running smoothly. 

The operating hours are currently 7:00 am to 3:00 pm but Abdiel shared that they hope to one day be open all day. He would like to offer Villa guests more access to pool side snacks. Candelario added that their future dinner menu will likely focus on really excellent steaks. Sabor a México is sure to become a fan favourite. 

Kath’s quote: “Gather round the table; love’s being served.“-authour unknown

Love never fails.

The start of sunrise from our bed.

D enjoyed every precious moment…that was until we weighed our luggage. I cant figure how I left a huge bag of stuff that I brought to the island for next year, gave away additional stuff, bought 0 souvenirs, and my bag weighed 7 pounds over!? Transferred stuff to my carry on back pack which I now do not know how I will get in the overhead bin….anyhoo.

I said goodbye to our beautiful vista.

We were visiting with Melinda and Richard when the D was successful in hailing us a cab. I said good-bye to the people of the island.

I said good-bye to the ferry port.

We enjoyed a beautiful ferry crossing and shuttle ride, bought vanilla, ate some Sonny’s Pizza, was charging my phone and there was less than an hour to board. That was a good thing cuz the ladies’ toilets had stopped flushing at the airport.

What was I coming back to?

My D (husband for almost 41 years), my six wonderful kids (including 2 SILs and a DIL), my five amazing grandkids, my enormous family (50+), two homes (one in the city, one at the lake), my one church, two gardens to tend, satisfying work to do and hundreds of Isla pictures and thoughts and a thousand precious memories. There, I counted my blessings….

Kath’s quote: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”― Terry Pratchett

Love never fails.

Our last full day on the island. The sunrise went on forever.

We had an extensive pool time as visitors Sue & Donna and Richard & Melinda all came over for a visit.

D made fridge omelets for breakfast, using up all most of the ingredients we had accumulated. What we couldn’t use, we gave to a neighbour from Minneapolis that we had gotten to know quite well.

We started saying good-bye to all the things that we loved about our casa.

Then it was off to Sonny’s for his amazing pizza. I messaged Gustavo goodbye when he was not at Isla Burger but we did catch Jackie at Jax. Going to miss all of our Isla friends.

We cabbed to our place to drop off our pizza leftovers for the airport the next day. Then we were off to Hortencia’s to join Maricruz’s birthday celebration. It was a very special time with a very special family. The were tears all around when we left.

Kath’s quote: ” Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.” — Rita Schiano

Love never fails.