Elite Event: Beat the January Blues @ Danica’s Cafe!

Another beautiful Elite event. Brings a tear to my eye.
Held at the previous site of Café Medina, the owners had some big shoes to fill. And they delivered. The party was pretty bumping. The only problem? The place got so full that the staff had me sit at the bar counter, right where all the delicious goodies were coming out. I had no idea what to do with myself while trying all those wonderful samples.
It was really nice to meet some of the new 2015 Elites, as well as see some familiar faces. As usual, Ayla was working up a storm behind the scenes, making sure everyone had a bumpin’ good time. The beer was flowing, and people were talking.
Special mention goes to the staff — they really made the guests feel at home. And their food is especially delicious. Not sure how «traditional Croatian» the cuisine was, but I will definitely be back as a paying customer. This place really is something special.
Always a good time. Looking forward to the next event.

COFFEE! CHOCOLATE! COFFEE!!! CHOCOLATE! COFFEEEE!!! CHOCOLATE!!! COFFALATE!!!
Tons and tons of delicious goodies at the café, and it was amazing! I had so much at the end of the night I had to go for proper food after that huge sugar rush!
Thanks Ayala for organizing such a fantastic elite event! I will drop by this amazing little café in the near future for more Hot chocolate!
Awesome times were had with Unilocal Elites~!! See everyone at the next one!

This Elite party definitely made my Monday much more exciting! Held at the brand new Danica’s Café, which has taken over the previous space of Café Medina, this was a good introduction to the spot.
Greeted by the lovely Danica, I immediately loved the entire vibe of the space. I was then offered a selection of coffee, wine, or Parallel 49 Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale. I tried the lavender latte, which was as good as the one that Medina used to make.
We were also offered a good selection of bites. Mini shepherd’s pie, cheese scones, mushroom sandwiches, cookies, mini pumpkin muffins. I must say, I really enjoyed their baked goods. I would return for the sweets for sure.
It was really great to know where the name Danica came from, and the origins of the family. I really how the photos inside the café are of the family farm.
DJ Leanne provided some great beats for the party, and as always, it was great to see familiar faces and meet some new ones!
Thanks to Ayla for organizing such a wonderful night and to Danica’s Café for providing such a great space!

A BiG Thank You to Danica’s Café for hosting the first YEZ
Y-​E-​ZabavA– Of the Year!
ZABAVA-​Croatian for PARTY.
Jessie’s story about his Croatian mom Danica, was inspiring.
You can feel they all get their strength from her.
I can just see her now, with those chubby fingers making all those delicious treats for the family. All organic, before organic, all wholesome and natural before, wholesome and natural.
Ayla, another winning evening, to mark on your Title Belt of accomplishments!
Gabi it was great talking to you, and hearing about your adventures. Yes I still covet your jacket!
Wished I had more time to talk and meet Everyone, but alas I arrived a little late.
See you all at the next one

For my second time attending an Elite Event organized by Ayla, I was amazed by her expertly crafted planning of the entire night. The venue was located at Danica’s Café in Gastown and it had a warm, intimate, comfy and cozy atmosphere.
It was nice to meet new faces such as Lucas and Rachid and my Unilocal friends Marg, Simon, Mark, Vinnci, Wendy, Ramon…
Since this was an Elite only Event, all the Unilocalers were spoiled with amazing food and drinks. The baked goods and pastries were made with natural and organic ingredients!
I had their amazing latte and their amazing variety of sweet and savoury treats were light and delightful. Their cookies and all of their treats made with dark chocolate were amazing!
I must say that my latte really filled up me quickly, so I was too full to try everything single treat. I really loved their two different savoury sandwiches. One had mushrooms and veggies and the other one had smoked salmon and veggies.
Their mini shepherd’s pie was really cute and delicious and I thought it was some kind of cupcake!
There was some mushroom wraps were delicious too. Mushrooms are so healthy! Their amazing pastries were definitely Eastern European as it reminded me of some of the homemade pastries one of my coworkers would bring to work.
The staff at Danica’s were really hard working as they brought out lots of food and they cleared plates and cups from the tables.
DJ Leanne played some sweet tunes and it was fun to watch people win prizes near the end of the night.
Thank you Ayla for making this Elite Event a winner!
I

A big shout out to each and every one (chefs, cooks, dishwashers, servers, owners, entertainers, photographer, Ayla’s boss for signing everyone in) who contributed in making Monday night’s event an unforgettable one.
January in Vancouver is usually dark and gloomy but thanks to Ayla and Danica’s Café, there were so much food both sweet and savory to nourish our damp souls! I enjoyed the cookies and the small chocolate balls (I heard they were glutten-​free?) They were so moist. I love the smoked salmon and Portobello sandwiches, quiche, mushroom wrapped in phyllo pastry, shepard’d pie, and gluten-​free beef stew.
The beverage varieties were plenty. There were house white, house red, beer, coffee, and hot chocolate. The house white I got was crisp and refreshing. The hot chocolate was not too sweet which I enjoyed very much. The cappuccino was very strong.
The café is small but I the intimate atmosphere and the exposed brick walls made it so cozy I didn’t want the party to end and step out into the cold.
The staff was super sweet and attentive. They worked tirelessly throughout the night. They were so keen on taking away dirty plates and refilling our empty glasses. No matter how crazy the party got, the front of house continued to put on a genuine smile.
DJ was playing some funky tunes. Ayla, the master mind, kicked off the new years with such a home-​y event. Congratulations to the three lucky Unilocalers who won serious goodie bags! Until next time.

Thanks for a very fun evening with new and seasoned Elites. It was set at the perfect after work time and with lots of transport options listed and available.
I put another review on the actual Danica site.
The DJing fit perfectly. The food was a delight, for its flavours, variety and generous replenishing of all trays several times over. Owners and staff were so numerous (read:gorgeous too) it was first class treatment all night. It was especially nice to be offered the choice of wine, beer (yay Parallel 49), and yummer coffees and teas.

Delicious hot chocolate accompanied by tasty sandwiches and to-​die-​for mini desserts are how you can beat the January blues! Wine and beer was flowing and catching up with Unilocal Elites is always a fun way to start the year.
I’m a self-​admitting dessert lover and to learn that Danica’s only uses organic ingredients without the use of white sugar was amazing! This café has won my heart and I’ll be back to take more of the delicious goodness home. The pictures of the farm on the wall are a reminder of how this family got their start when their grandmother moved to Canada and how important it is to eat healthy without sacrificing taste of course.
Thanks to our fearless community manager, we got a taste of this amazing gem!

Out on a school night?! Woah… Who says Monday’s have to suck?
Grateful for wine, chai lattes, finger food and a good time. Thanks Ayla and Danica’s Café for hosting such a party. It’s worth leaving the hubby at home!
Really love the portobello sandwiches, mushroom rolls, sweet treats and more. I’ve been here before when it was still Medina, but looking forward to revisit and try the full menu. They make their bread in-​house too! Don’t you love fresh bread?
Danica’s is a family owned café with killer chai lattes — very aromatic and delicious!
I wish I won that pie so I didn’t have to go home empty handed. But I’m sure if made someone’s breakfast a lot happier!
Looking forward to the next shindig!

What a lovely place! I was so happy that Unilocal was able to find such a fantastic location that celebrated local organic food options — Ayla is amazing :) The food that they served at Danica was delicious and satisfying — and with my little one on the way I was really happy knowing that it was totally natural! I even asked for some honey water to help with my cold and even the honey was organic! High five!
Not only were the food and drink options rockin’, but the Unilocal raffle prize was a lot of fun too even though I didn’t win. First prize was an AMAZING looking pie. We eyed it jealously the entire evening.
The music was great, I can’t wait to see the pictures, and I was so happy seeing so many fabulous Unilocal elites again in the new year (many of us celebrating our beautiful shiny gold badges now!)
Thanks Ayla for putting out a fantastic event and for gathering us all together on such a cold wintery evening! I can’t wait for more shenanigans for 2015!
Bonus! I also got to chat with Gabi, who was in from Phoenix to visit Ayla — she was super nice and gave me good insight into the Unilocal community outside of Vancouver.

Good times to be had by all.
Great company. I enjoyed that it was elites only. And the space was intimate so we get all cozy and chat.
Food was amazing!
Drinks were top notch.
The service was super friendly. You can tell they really are passionate about organic food and sustainability.
Ayla and Gabi are so cool! Can’t wait for more.

Well Ayla, welcome to 2015 with an Elite only party… and thank you! A small intimate venue to kick off the new year, and oddly enough I just had coffee here 2 weeks ago before realizing I would be coming here again to ring in the new year with some Elite’s in tow. It was already odd enough that we created a ‘non-​smoke pit’ huddle outside waiting to go in… when we were allowed to, and had to be called in asking us why we didn’t just come on in… well I guess we just didn’t realize!
Once in, the normal name tag writing and mingling with Elite’s new and old, kind of like a high school reunion just that you have to add some new faces and make some new friends. A perfect setting, with tables, as usually we are all standing up at these things… yet the space of Danica’s and the Elite’s crowding it up made it difficult unless someone did sit down. The food came right when the doors were open to us, and we were warned… warned of all the goodies that would be going down our throats like: mini shepard’s pie (this was a hot item in two ways!), gluten-​free chocolate bites, assorted cookies, smoked salmon sandwich’s, mini baked cheese biscuits. just to name a few. Then. as in all Unilocal parties. there was the beverage’s… from white and red wine, beer, hot chocolate to latte’s, the staff here was amazing… I repeat… amazing. as much as we were crowding up the walkways like a fire-​hazard the people who worked the joint were dodging us, taking plates, serving drinks and bringing them to us… full on work from them to get it done!
I think I got in a few photos, and can’t wait to see those, they had a raffle, with Lucas taking the pie. it was a fun night, and I made friends with 3 other elite’s that I have never met. After trying the foods they had for us this night I am looking forward to coming back here, it probably will not be this packed. but I bet the food will be still excellent. Congratulations to all you 2015 Elite’s… as Ayla said in her speech… I will be seeing all of you around as well… let’s keep this year going strong… thanks Ayla again for the great gathering… awaiting the next one!

Awesome venue! Ayla had raved about this place and it’s been on my list so I was so excited that she decided on this place for the kick off.
The drinks were great, food was fabulous especially their sandwiches, can’t wait to go try their full menu. Not only that got to mingle with fellow Unilocalers! Thanks all for a great evening!
Value ⁵⁄₅
Atmosphere ⁵⁄₅
Service 4.5÷5
Quality 4.5÷5
¹⁹⁄₂₀

Good experience with great food and wonderful people.
Great way to start the new year.
Great to see some new faces and love meeting new people.
Thank yo for organizing this Ayla! :)

Before I came to this event I wondered where Danica’s was located. Imagine my surprise (and delight) to see that it’s the old Medina location! It’s got the same cozy brick décor and spruced up with some massive black and white photos from the family farm in Alberta. And this is what I love about these events — we learned more about the owners (Danica is their grandma!) and their philosophy about what they’re serving (tasty, organic, natural ingredients).
We got a really awesome sampling of their food including shepherd’s pie, beef stew, and more. I’m in love with so many of their baked goods including the mini biscuits and cookies. Even better was spotting the lavender latte still on the menu which seems fitting since that was one of my fave things from the Medina menu.
Thanks to Ayla for organizing such a fun event! It was great having a live DJ and being able to mingle in a smaller group.

Surprised to find Café Medina moved elsewhere, in its place is the 7 weeks new ‘Café Danica’.
I was fortunate to be invited to a happy hour hangout party there tonight, and experienced the fabulous café drinks as well as the great sandwiches.
I tried a café latte, it came in a bowl similar to the real Parisian style, with a bit of spices that gives it a twist too.
Then I had their vegetarian Bella mushroom sandwich and smoke salmon sandwiches… both tasty and I think the bread was extra good, crunchy and flavorful. I will be coming back here for lunch sandwiches for sure.
The sweets did not disappoint either. And very friendly stuff, it won’t be long before they have a wait at the door. I am coming back next week. :)

This was technically my first Unilocal Elite event as a Unilocal Elite and I honestly have to say that I was very impressed! I came without knowing what to expect and I left with a full belly and a few new acquaintances.
The majority of the food was delicious but my friend and I found the venue a bit loud and since we sat right by the door, it was pretty annoying how the temperatures would go from extremely hot to freezing cold. Overall, we had a good time and enjoyed the music, food and drinks!

3 cheers for the amazing servers/​baristas! They were really attentive, refilling people’s drinks and serving up hot chocolate as fast as they could! My favourite drink was the Lavender Latte. A nice hint of lavender, and pretty presentation.
The sandwiches were good, and I heard the bread was baked in-​house! I really appreciate how Danica’s uses organic and non-​gmo ingredients (made me feel less guilty for nibbling on those sweets!) My favourites were the mini pumpkinseed cranberry muffins, and something like a spanakopita type appy! I also appreciated how most of the food was served hot and fresh.

Thanks Ayla & Danica’s for a mellow, yummy, cozy kickoff to 2015!

Another Amazing Elite Event!!! A great way to beat the January Blues…
Thanks to Danica’s Café… Always a blast to mingle with Unilocal Elites. This is the first Unilocal Elite event of the year great location. It’s not my first time here and it wont be my last.
With great food, drinks, music and people what else can you ask for? I started with a tasty cup of Americano. Soon after food started to flow into the room. Portobello sandwiches, smoked salmon sandwiches, gluten free sweets, cookies, mini Shepard’s pie, mini muffins and more. So many options. Really yummy delish organic local foods is how they do it here. Drink choices were white wine or red, 49^th Parallel beer, tea and whatever coffee you little heart desires.
This new little family ran café is really cool love the atmosphere. The Dj played some cool tunes while we enjoyed great food, drinks and chatted with other elites. They had a raffle and no luck but for those who won took home great prizes. I wish I won that pie, it looked amazing!!! Overall a fun Monday night! Cant wait to come back!