Garden Club strives to promote local businesses
Russellville Cultura Garden Club’s first meeting of the year was held Sept. 12, and the theme was coffee beans. The hosts of this meeting were members Martha Sibley and Doris Woodruff.
They had special guest Hugh Bui, owner of Destination restaurant, speak at the meeting about his special Vietnamese coffee. He even brewed some for the group.
“He adjusted it to our tastes so it was a little weaker than normal, but it was great coffee,” Sibley said.
Bui also gave them a little history lesson on Vietnamese coffee.
He explained that Vietnamese coffee and food is influenced by the French culture because of the French invasion and control of Vietnam beginning in the 1800s. Because of that, the Vietnamese slow-drip brewing process is similar to the French press style, Bui said.
“It’s very concentrated after it is brewed. You mix it with condensed milk, and if you were in Vietnam, it would most likely be served over ice,” he said.
The smooth-yet-strong taste mixed with the sweet condensed milk was a big hit with Garden Club, according to Sibley and Woodruff. It made them more passionate about promoting Bui and his restaurant and coffee.
“We want to help the city in its efforts to revitalize downtown Russellville, and part of that is promoting local businesses like Destination,” Sibley explained.
She said local businesses have done a lot for the Garden Club in the past, like when they helped fund the purchase of new planting pots for the downtown area.
The Club, in turn, wants to give back to the community, in addition to yearly projects like decorating downtown with floral arrangements and their special decorations for fall and Christmas.
Bui said he is grateful for the Club’s effort and enjoyed getting to share his knowledge with them.
“Destination has been around for about two years now, and I’m glad that I get to introduce the area to the different style of food and coffee that we serve,” he said.
