Carmel's Holiday Saturdays Begin With a Coffee Toast at the Mouth of the Valley

"Thank you for recognizing us as Carmel's most beloved coffee and coffeehouse," Dean and Janet McAthie wrote on their company's blog. "You are the heart of our business, and our team of 40+ dedicated coffee professionals is the soul."

They own Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Co., and they are inviting the whole town to celebrate this Saturday, Nov. 14. Two of the three coffeehouses joining in sit at The Crossroads Carmel and The Barnyard Shopping Village, near where Rio Road meets Highway 1. That same Saturday is also the first of a string of Saturdays on The Crossroads calendar that runs to Dec. 19. For anyone who lives in greater Carmel, the holiday season at the mouth of the valley starts with a coffee toast and then moves one Saturday at a time.

An Award Voted by Pine Cone Readers

The Carmel Pine Cone ran its 2026 Golden Pine Cones results in the Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, 2026 issue. Readers, not a panel, chose the winners. The paper's September promotion said only subscribers to its email edition could vote, and ballots closed October 4.

Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Co. won both Best Coffee and Best Coffeehouse. The company says this year also marks 32 years of roasting in Carmel, going back to 1994. The roasting runs on a 1940s-era machine the crew calls Big Vinny. The company says Vinny has produced well over a million pounds of coffee. The company counts more than 40 people across the three coffeehouses, the roasting room and the office, and some have been there for decades.

The two awards cover different things. The company describes Best Coffee as the certified organic beans it roasts in small batches. Best Coffeehouse covers the rest of the visit, from the hello at 6:30 in the morning to the barista who starts your order before you reach the register. That second award comes down to people at the counter, and two of those counters are at the Crossroads and The Barnyard.

Saturday, Nov. 14, Across Both Centers

The company calls the party The Golden Cup: 32 Years of Craft & Community. Each coffeehouse will have live music, Golden Cup drinks made with its best-selling Foglifter and Cone Peak blends, free cookie pairings, and a few giveaways. You don't need to register. Members of the leadership team will be at each location to greet guests.

Other things are happening at the Crossroads that day too, and the set times decide the order. Here is the full Saturday, using the roaster's schedule and the Crossroads events page:

The roaster suggests its own route. Start at The Barnyard, catch the afternoon set at the Crossroads, and finish on Ocean Avenue with the beach a few blocks away. The Barnyard set ends an hour before the others, so that order is the one that lets you hear all three.

The morning at Pet Food Express is worth leaving time for. Peace of Mind Dog Rescue is a nonprofit founded in October 2009. It finds new homes for dogs whose senior guardians can no longer care for them, and for senior dogs in shelters. The event ends at 1 p.m., right as the music starts across the center.

The Barnyard gets going a day earlier. It lists a Patrick James trunk show on Friday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Saturdays After the Toast

After Nov. 14, the Crossroads calendar keeps a steady weekly pattern. Each Saturday has something on it, and by the end of the month the holiday programming takes over.

1. Saturday, Nov. 21. Pet Food Express holds a free Paw Print Paint Party from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You and your pet paint a picture together and take it home, with supplies provided. From noon to 2 p.m., Golden Oldies Cat Rescue brings adoptable cats. The group focuses on cats who are entering or already in their golden years.
2. Saturday, Nov. 28. The Crossroads celebrates Small Business Saturday with festive décor, strolling carolers, and in-store specials and promotions at several shops.
3. Saturdays, Nov. 28 through Dec. 19. Strolling carolers walk Crossroads Boulevard from noon to 4 p.m. every Saturday, stopping into shops along the way. That makes four Saturdays in a row.

In between, the Star of the Store pet photo contest runs at Pet Food Express on Monday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You drop in to have your pet photographed, and votes are cast in the store. The winner gets a free pet wash, and local winners are entered in a drawing for a professional photo shoot.

The Crossroads also runs a Holiday Window Decorating Contest for charity through the whole season. A panel of judges picks first, second and third place. Winning businesses get prizes, including a donation to a local charity of their choice. The windows stay up all season, so you can see them on any visit, not just on caroling Saturdays.

The animal events add up. Between Nov. 14 and Nov. 21, the Crossroads listings include two rescue adoptions, a pet photo contest and a pet painting party, all at the same store. Both rescues focus on older animals. That gives a household with a dog plenty of reasons to bring it along on these November Saturdays.

The Barnyard Between Stops

The Barnyard is the first stop on the coffee route and an easy place to linger. Its homepage lists several shops as open now.

• Carmel Groomers, at 3694 The Barnyard #F22, is useful to know with a pet photo contest coming up.
• Modfruit, at 3650 The Barnyard, Suite D-23, sells vintage, artisan and stationery goods, which helps once holiday shopping starts.
• Pieces of Heaven also appears on the center's "Now Open" list.
• Hatch Southwest Kitchen, at 3658 The Barnyard D11, serves New Mexican and Southwestern-inspired food. According to Edible Monterey Bay, it opened in February 2025, so it has been part of The Barnyard for well over a year.
• Aabha Indian Cuisine serves lunch and dinner and has a newly remodeled outdoor patio, according to the center.

One regular Barnyard draw is out of season. Monterey Bay Farmers Markets lists the Barnyard Carmel market on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May through September. Until it returns, the Saturday stretch from Nov. 14 to Dec. 19 is what brings people to the mouth of the valley each week.

If the Golden Cup is your first stop of the season, Stu Heydon starts at The Barnyard at 1 p.m., and Casey Frazier plays the Crossroads until 4 p.m.

At Scherling Properties, we love seeing the towns at the mouth of the valley come together like this. If you see Stacey in line for a Golden Cup on the 14th, please say hello. We'd also love to hear which Crossroads window you think should win this year. Let's Connect.