Longhand by Spike Mafford Handwriting is a lost art. Photography has supplanted the art of painting, and storytelling changed completely when a photo could be made. Now there is little distance between what can be said and what can be seen. In this series, I’ve chosen to play with both. It’s a sort of archeology, excavating old documents which are like the bones of a dig; everything else is implied and one must imagine the setting of the artifact as well as the character or original writer. I love the words themselves, as they emerge and blend with landscape and portrait. These words become ghosts, footprints, tracings of time gone by. I like to photograph old buildings, temples, famous streets, locales with a lot of history, or evocative impact. I then layer in text and graphics with a congruent sensibility. I want to affect the viewer in subtle ways, to abstract an essential icon or to pick up strands of hidden history and weave them into the narrative captured by the camera in a place and time. I have been documenting places and moments around the world for over 40 years. Originally capturing the “found” moments and then moving in to a collaboration in history with unknown participants. I began sourcing documents with handwriting that was expressive and unique to the countries that I was working in. Combining some of this text into my photographic images brings this collaboration to life and carries forward the artistry of these long forgotten historical documents. I have traveled to Iceland to photograph the Saga, which document the foundation of Iceland, to Mexico where historical documents reveal the origin of Mezcal, and France, where I found original land holding deeds which, I then paired with architectural images. The handwritten script becomes part of the story being told in the work. I have also worked in to the archival pigmented prints with pastel, charcoal, inks and dry pigments. In addition to this layering of elements, a vintage frame, paired to the image, makes each piece unique.

Email carla@cafelago.com if you’d like to order. Orders require at least 48 hours' notice and are dependent on availability. Most items and prices are listed below; contact Carla for special off-menu requests. Mille grazie!

Instructions on how to bake your pan of Cafe Lago Takeaway Lasagna.

Answers to frequently asked questions.

Lauren Thompson joins Café Lago after ten years as Chef-de-Cuisine at Cafe Juanita. The arrival of chef Thompson will begin a fresh chapter for the beloved restaurant. When Café Lago owner Carla Leonardi met Thompson, she was struck by their shared respect for the simplicity of Italian cuisine and cravings for local produce, cheeses, and meats. Leonardi, notes, “This is a rebirth all around. Lauren is incredibly gifted and has put fresh eyes on all we do. Having her lead the Lago kitchen is a dream come true. She is bringing renewed energy into our world by respecting our Italian roots and keeping the dishes our customers love while simultaneously elevating Lago.”

Every Monday night until further notice, all the wood-fired pizzas are $15. We'll be open from 5-9:30 pm, and there are rules: reservations are encouraged, a maximum of six guests per table, one pizza per person, dine-in only, no takeaway, and be prepared for long wait times for Monday pizza. It gets busy!