Hi, I’m Joanne Rodriguez and I LOVE baking, art, and music. I’m from a tight-knit Puerto Rican and Honduran family that does everything together. My favorite music genre is rap and I play a nonstop loop of Lil Yachty, Beyoncé, Drake, and J. Cole. I’m very passionate about hopping on current trends (I can juju on that beat SO HARD). In terms of school, I am on the pre-med track and I plan on majoring in Human Biology with a minor in psychology.
Waffle Hour
Waffles, pancakes, coffee, and tea. The perfect spot for brunch or an afternoon snack, Beans and Leaves, a quaint café, is a hidden gem of Forest Avenue. This restaurant is known for serving up warm and fluffy Belgian waffles with a personal twist. You can order a Belgian waffle with specialized toppings, a red velvet waffle, or even a churro waffle! This small café sits a max of twenty people and has amazing service with staff that tends to your every need. There’s no need to worry about dropping a fork or running out of creamer because they’ll be there with lighting speed. But, my sentimental experience with this local business is not merely founded on my love of Belgian waffles, it is built on friendship.
Beans and Leaves’ waffles helped to fortify my friendships. Before heading to the café my friends and I usually go to the park and attempt to exercise. On the walk from the park we usually pass the rush of disheveled drivers heading home from a long day of work and local restaurants and shops, hinting at the next place we should try. We chat on these long walks and eventually bond over waffles in the café. After a relaxing walk or jog through the park we end up buying waffles as we claim that “we deserve this” because of the “workout” we just did. Walking back to the table with a waffle decorated with a mountain of toppings, my friends and I prepare ourselves for long-awaited chats. Using this time to catch up with one another, we inform each other of small developments in our lives. Whether it be the dumb thing my brother did yesterday or a cute boy in one of my classes, we always enjoy waffle hour.
