Café Gratitude Director of Operations, Chandra Gilbert, has been spearheading the Gracias Madre project since the time that it was just in the idea stage. In addition to her innumerable responsibilities overseeing the entire Café Gratitude company, she is the co-designer of our gorgeous restaurant as well as the co-creator of the menu. To Gracias Madre’s design, development and menu she brings her impeccable aesthetic sense, her creative vision, her inspiring and multi-faceted management skills, and her passion for and inherent mastery of food. All of this is combined with her more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant business, the majority of those spent as a chef in various capacities. coque iphone It has been a lifelong dream of Chandra’s to open an organic, vegan Mexican restaurant, so opening up Gracias Madre is literally a dream come true! Lindsey Kraten, proud General Manager of Gracias Madre, grew up in Santa Cruz, California. coque iphone x She has been passionate about the Spanish language and Spanish and Latin American cultures, food and the restaurant environment since her childhood. She decided that she wanted to be fluent in Spanish so she committed herself to learning in school, traveling to Spanish speaking countries and practicing every day with her friends and co-workers. coque iphone 6 During this time she received her degree in Hospitality/Restaurant Management at Le Cordon Bleu California Culinary Academy. coque iphone 8 Since then, she has been working in Latin-themed restaurants gaining experience in the industry with a focus on conscious and sustainable practices. Since joining the Café Gratitude family in June 2010, she has played an integral role in teaching and sharing the tools for transformation with our Spanish speaking employees, as well as being a bridge between English and Spanish speaking communities by facilitating conscious communication between speakers of both languages.