Certain Something Special Had Begun May 28, 1999, the day before diesel first opened its doors was my 23rd birthday. I spent it helping to tackle the endless to-do list Tucker had carefully written out on a massive sheet of butcher paper. As I tightened bolts on the small round tables and arranged cups in …
A Life Richer Shortly after moving to Somerville and leaving an unsatisfying job, I found myself working at Diesel. I immediately felt uplifted by the vibrancy and high energy at my new job, surrounded by multitalented, hilarious, & hardworking coworkers, and by the devoted customers who made Diesel a part of their everyday. Moving to …
No Matter the Distance Hi, I love diesel! My friend Sam and I bonded at Diesel in college, and every time she visits, it’s our go to spot. We LOVED the photo booth and always used it as an excuse to goof off. It’s a special place in the story of our friendship, which I’m …
Fuel Diesel Cafe turns 20 in May. In September, my career in coffee will also turn that big 2-0. Being a fan of dates and anniversaries, holidays and the such, this isn’t really much of a revelation or surprise for me. It’s been on the brain for quite a while now, especially the past year. …
Pure Gratitude I’ve written so many editions of this love story, since I seem to have so many love stories to share. But the overarching similarity between them all is pure gratitude. I moved to Boston fresh out of college, and like so many who wandered through, I had no idea what I wanted to …
More Than Just One Story I don’t really know where to begin for my diesel love story. I guess it’s because it’s way more than just one story. There’s a Diesel love story for Diesel as an employer. I never imagined I would work there and start living one of those queer lives I used …
Royal Treatment These poems, as I see them, reflect conditions that prevail at the Diesel Cafe. The “Beautiful Sandwich” is a delight that calls forth how well Diesel patrons are treated day-by-day. Even the most ordinary order gets royal treatment. “When Grace at the Bliss Cafe Calls” is much more serious and describes a grief …
Group of Weirdos Hello Diesel and happy 20th birthday! I vividly remember when Diesel opened when I was a teenager and friends going to check it out on the weekends. I thought what is this place? I eventually became a customer, had a art show there then a few years later became a employee. To …
So Many Friends and Loves
Thanks a Latte In September 1999 one of my best friends (Mónica) and I moved to Somerville. We were fresh out of undergrad and trying to figure out our way in Boston. We were overwhelmed, optimistic, naive, excited, and felt the blessing and curse of new adulthood on our shoulders. We walked into Davis Square …
Slinging Lattes and Monkey Wrenches Just before falling head over heals in love with the love of my life, I was lucky enough to be part of the Diesel family. Slinging lattes and monkey wrenches along side some really lovely people made me feel at home in a new land. To this day, I consider Diesel to be …
Livin’ La Vida Loca Diesel, when it first opened, was the enemy. I was in the Someday Cafe camp. You probably don’t remember, but Someday Cafe was a grungy cafe in the current location of the creperie with a very, um, lived-in vibe. The menu was Star-Trek themed. Seating consisted of uncomfortable plastic chairs in …
Really Big Important Things I started working at Diesel in the Spring of 2013. I had packed one suitcase and taken a train from Rochester to Boston, one way. I had recently broken up with my boyfriend in NY, and what had at first been amicable turned violent. I was left broken, scared, lost and …
So, So Happy EDITOR’S NOTE: All 4 members of the Branch-Tomsho family wrote Diesel Love Stories. Read them all!
Everything Happens at Diesel My life is crowded with incident so there is nothing I cherish more than sitting down at a table with a book and my favorite tea right in the window of Diesel. Diesel is like my living room. Diesel is like my living room. Everything under the sun has happened there. …
57 Years of Memories The hardest part for me about writing this Diesel Love Story is that there isn’t necessarily a story: stories have beginnings, middles, and ends. I’m an English teacher now, I get to know that. And my story, of the real, meaningful, lasting friendships that came from working at Diesel Cafe only has a …
Good Time Then, More to Come -I moved here in late 2000, and in the spring of 2001 I asked my cousin for good places to sit and draw and people watch. She suggested this cafe in Davis Square. Some people like bars. I don’t. They’re loud and dark, I don’t drink beer, and standing …
A Magical, Percussive Dance Dear Diesel, It’s hard to overstate the importance this place has had in my life. There isn’t a whole lot that you weren’t a part of in some way or another. I started working at Diesel during my last year of college when I was 23. I worked for about six …
Love From A Distance My best friend and I grew up in Niagara Falls, NY. While I have stayed in the greater Buffalo area, just after college, John made the Boston area his home. He found his amazing soulmate there, they settled in Somerville near Davis Square. As we visited, we watched the transformation of …
Perseverance My Diesel love story almost didn’t exist. Back in 2007 I was 21 years old and dreaming of opening my own café. Thing was that I had never worked in one and didn’t know the first thing about it (or even if I really liked it), so I figured I’d better work in one …
Diesel Was My First Home I have always had a deep fondness for cafes because at their root they exist to cultivate community. In 2007, I had just graduated from college in upstate NY, was moving to Boston where my sister lived, and looking to work at a cafe. When visiting my sister in Boston, …
Want to Go to Diesel? Sometimes on Saturday mornings my mama wakes me up and says, “Do you want to go to diesel?” I think, “I’ll get to have a brioche egg sandwich and maybe orange juice!” and I put my clothes on as quick as I can. I also like raspberry lime rickeys and …
Brownies and 8-Balls My favorite memory of Diesel was going there with my friend Matt during review season at MassArt in the late nineties (Jeezus I feel old right now)..we would go to Diesel, grab a mint brownie and a peanut butter brownie (holy shit those were good brownies!) And we’d each get an 8-ball …
Friendship Bracelets When I pretended to leave last spring, I thought that it was Diesel and my time committed to its service that contributed to my burnout—in actuality it was the very essence that was keeping me (and has kept me) spiritually alive through this MA experience— I don’t think it’s a secret that my …
Diesel has piece of my heart…. after moving cross country to Boston I quickly learned about Diesel Cafe. I would spend hours there working on lesson plans, playing pool with coworkers and crushing on the adorable staff. The summer before starting graduate school I finally built up the courage to apply to work at Diesel. …
Diesel Kids 1999 – 2003 I am forever thankful for Diesel. Being one of only a handful of openly gay teens at Somerville High School from 1999-2003 was not easy. Having a place to go and escape where we could be ourselves and be accepted saved us. It was our second home. Pretty much every …
A Refuge and a Home I’ve started so many of these notes now, but I don’t know how to sum up my “Diesel love story” besides… Diesel is my family. From pilgrimages in college, to visits back now, Diesel has always been a refuge and a home to me. So much of who I am, …
The Place With the Motorcycle The first time I visited Diesel Cafe, I was a freshman at Emerson College. It was the fall of 2010, and I was only eighteen. I barely passed for an adult: “artsy” glasses, long sleeve shirt under a graphic tee, black skinny jeans. Still a hint of baby face. I …
Story Time I Guess When I moved to Massachusetts when I was 7 (15 years ago, OMG), my parents would often come to Diesel after work on Tuesdays, and hang out with their big group of friends that always showed up. It would give me time to play pool, eat one of your plate sized …
Diesel Love Stories 