By Abha Thakkar
Northside Planning Council

The Covid-19 pandemic has left us with so much to grieve — the loss of normalcy, the loss of schooling for our children, and, most importantly, the loss of life. In the wake of all that, we are also seeing its catastrophic effect on entire industries. And, so, the Northside loses Manna Cafe.

Manna closed on June 28. The announcement weeks earlier on social media was met with an outpouring of grief from customers all over the region. Manna wasn’t just any other restaurant. For so many of us, it was a crossroads of our community, our second office or where we reunited with long-lost friends. That they also offered a menu of comfort food that was sensitive to so many dietary needs and made up of whole ingredients, left us with the impression that they were tending to every part of us.

Barb and Mike Pratzel, Northside residents and owners of Manna, chose the Northside because it was important for them to serve their neighbors.

“Closing Manna was the hardest decision I think will ever have made in our lives. Manna filled a gaping hole in the north side, for good food, a place to gather, a local coffee shop, a bakery, and for nearly 15 years we were rewarded in our efforts by the loyalty and friendship of our neighbors near and far… So many friends were made. So many connections. So many customers met other customers and staff, and those friendships will last a lifetime,” said Barb Pratzel in a statement to the Northside News.

They have promised us a cookbook, “filled with recipe favorites and a story of a business, shared by owners and staff and customers alike, that made us all better, on the inside.” We can’t wait.