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 …
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. …
Coming of Age at Diesel In 2002, I moved to Boston (nearly sight unseen) with two friends from college (College of William and Mary in Virginia). We had no idea how to exist in the world, but found Diesel as a haven. Me (a fledgling gay man) and another roommate (a queer woman) spent hours …
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 …
So, So Happy EDITOR’S NOTE: All 4 members of the Branch-Tomsho family wrote Diesel Love Stories. Read them all!
My Deep, Queer, Freak Face “I work at Diesel”, I was always proud to say. As well as, of course, “No, not the clothing company.” “We are more – queer as in fuck you and less gay as in designer jeans”, I’d tell people in the era of my life that orbited Diesel Cafe. …
Want to Get Some Coffee Sometime? 15 years ago I was working at Diesel Cafe and had noticed this cutie who would come in to the cafe some times. One night they came in and all night I tried to get the courage to ask them out. When they left the cafe before I made …
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 …
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 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 …
My Imaginary Boyfriend I saw him in the produce section at the Porter Sq Star Market in 2006. I announced to my friend that he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen and then I followed him to the frozen food section, through check-out, and into the parking lot, where it became too weird. …
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 …
The Cute One That I Like I met Sam in 2013, but we didn’t start dating until 2018. He was a barista at Bloc and I was a coffee fan. His obvious kindness always stood out to me. You could see that his easy smile was infectious to the coworkers around him. He seemed to …
Diesel Love Stories 