Ingleside Presbyterian's Rev. Gordon (left) with Melanio Duarte's niece, Juliana and his sister Celia. Sup. Avalos (right) gave the award. Image courtesy of sfgov.org.

Caffe D’ Melanio was awarded a commendation from the Board of Supervisors May 17 in recognition of their contribution to the neighborhood and in memory of Melanio Duarte. Melanio’s sister Celia accepted the award and is now running the business with Juliana, Melanio’s niece. Ingleside Presbyterian’s Rev. Roland Gordon called Melanio ‘a very rare human being’ and thanked the board for honoring Melanio and his contribution to the Ingleside.

“It was good to watch him (Melanio) and his companion Laurie (Martin) work as a team and it was a beautiful sight to behold,” Gordon said.

The entire awards presentation can be viewed here. Microsoft Silverlight is required to view. Scroll down to the Recognition of Commendations link on the right side of the page. It’s between items 45 and 46 on the agenda.  Avalos begins his remarks just after the 1:41:00 mark, and Gordon’s are just before the 1:47:00 mark.