Cafecito hosts Mother’s Day brunch, brings Yuma County families together

Cafecito drew families from across Yuma County for a Mother’s Day brunch that filled its Downtown Yuma space from the moment the doors opened at 9 a.m. and kept serving until 1 p.m. A long line formed outside before the coffeehouse opened, turning the holiday meal into a visible reminder of how a local restaurant can become a gathering place as much as a place to eat.

The menu leaned into the kind of comfort food that fits the occasion, with Breakfast Sopes and Horchata French Toast Casserole among the featured items. Live music from DJ Rude added to the scene, giving the brunch the feel of a neighborhood celebration rather than a standard breakfast service. For families looking for a close-to-home way to mark Mother’s Day, Cafecito offered a simple option in historic downtown Yuma that combined food, music and an easy social setting.

The event also reflected the way Ashley Krizay and Travis Krizay have shaped Cafecito as more than a coffee stop. The business describes itself as family owned and operated, part of the Downtown Yuma community, with a motto of “Loyal to the Soil.” That local identity has helped the shop build a following that extends beyond regular morning traffic and into special occasions that draw grandparents, parents and children to the same tables.

Cafecito’s growth gives that community role added weight. The business says it started as a trailer at the local farmers market, then moved into a renovated 500-square-foot building on Madison Avenue before expanding into a space of a little over 10,000 square feet. The current location includes indoor and outdoor seating, a stage in the garden, a commercial learning kitchen and a full bar, making it one of the more distinctive gathering spaces in Historic Downtown Yuma.

The brunch also fits into a larger story about the Krizays’ business. Cafecito Coffee Company opened three years ago, and Travis Krizay and Ashley Simms launched it after the drowning death of their 2-year-old son, Atticus, in 2018. In that context, a holiday brunch that brought Yuma County families together was not just a sales event. It was another example of how a small local business can carry memory, hospitality and community identity into the center of everyday life.