Waffles from Memento Mori. | Memento Mori Plus, cookbook author Kristina Cho at Xiao Ye, and a festival for bread-heads Memento Mori, a macabre and mystical plant-based coffee shop, opened in Portland on Saturday, October 12. The name, a Latin phrase translating to “remember you must die,” informs the dark and eclectic decor. The cafe comes from husband and wife team, Correna and Justin Hernandez. The pair have been appearing across Southern California with their pop-up, Wicked Garden Cafe, since 2019. In 2021, they set up a permanent location in the Cartlandia pod to serve their Crypt Keeper caramel latte and Corpse cold brew, before relocating to Leikam Brewing. The duo paused operations at Wicked Garden on October 10 to focus on their dream — a permanent cafe. Memento Mori serves a full line-up of oat milk-based coffee drinks like the Werewolf mint mocha and the Wolfsbane with lavender and honey. The theme continues into the food menu with the Cemetarium Salad served with vegan barbecue smoked “chicken” and the various toasts offered as the Bread of the Dead. Make sure to try the house special, a blended Goth-a-Chino with flavors including mint cookie mocha, chocolate cookie chip, and more. The theming for the cafe was inspired by Correna’s love for anything dark and gothic. She’s been collecting decor for the cafe for years in the hopes she would be able to open something permanent one day. Kristina Cho at Xiao Ye Cookbook author Kristina Cho will pop up at Xiao Ye for two collaborative dinners in November. Cho will be preparing dishes from her new book, Chinese Enough, alongside dishes from Xiao Ye’s nightly menu. Reservations are available through Resy. A festival for bread-heads The second annual Bread Fest returns to Portland this weekend. Bridgetown Bites reports that this year’s event will include live demonstrations, bread samples, and vendors like Cairnspring Mills and Hi Gluten.