By RACHEL HARRIS

LULING – The swish of coffee machines accompanies the subtle saxophone of jazz legend Miles Davis playing in the background, while Luling residents relax in a homey atmosphere and enjoy the gallery of artwork that surrounds them.

Mochaccino’s Gourmet Coffee and Tea, located at 50 Wade Street, Suite 9, is not just the only coffee shop in Luling, it is the best in the South, Luling resident and regular customer Celinda Berard, said.

“It’s just like being at home. No, better than being at home,” Berard, a coffee shop fiend, as she calls herself, said. She enjoys visiting with neighbors and church friends at the coffee shop and often invites new guests to accompany her and her husband, who admit they visit anywhere from three times a week to once a day.

Customers like Berard enjoy the tranquil setting and cozy atmosphere, but there is more to admire than the shelf displays of coffee beans.

Adorning the walls of the shop are paintings and drawings of local artists and those from as far away as Canada. Anyone is allowed to hang their work, owner Dawn Forshag said. There is no hang charge like many galleries with a minimum 10 percent commissions.

“I enjoy seeing the artwork, which is ever-changing,” Forshag said, “and it allows me to give back to the community.”

The coffee shop has sold 185 paintings since its opening in August 2000.

Paintings range from landscapes to children’s work, plantations to modern designs. Everyone’s tastes can be found here, Forshag said. Recording artist Tori Amos’ personal artist, Paulina Stuckey, a Canadian native, displays her whimsical paintings of imaginative creatures in the Mochaccino’s gallery.

People are attracted to the coffee shop because of its prime location, great atmosphere and good products, Forshag said.

The strip mall on Wade Street, where the coffee shop is located, allows customers from the Luling neighborhoods to drive to the shop without dealing with traffic on U.S. Highway 90. Children can also ride their bikes there, which was an important to Forshag in her planning.

The coffee is made from a top-of-the-line espresso called Lavazza. Mochaccino’s offers customers a wide variety of coffee products including espresso, caffe latte, cappuccino, caffe Americano, iced coffees, teas, hot chocolate, Italian sodas, and the specialty – the Mochaccino, a chocolate-covered coffee.

Dessert options range from pastries to cheesecakes and gourmet chocolate cakes. Cakes can be purchased whole or by the slice.

In August 2001, the shop began offering lunches including three chicken wraps, fajita wraps, two bagels, seven kinds of soups and bag lunches. The lunch menu was added to entice customers to visit from noon until 2 p.m.

The addition proved successful. Forshag said about 150 customers visit each day. Most people tend to pass through on the way to work.

Mochaccino’s recently expanded its gift selection to include ceramic teapots, gift bags, greeting cards and candy. It does not stop at coffee and art. Forshag, an avid reader, keeps a personal book collection on the shop’s shelves. She loans her books to customers and friends and has even created a sign in/sign out policy.

A cork board hangs near the doorway, displaying photographs of shop regulars posed with their Mochaccino’s mugs all over the world. There are pictures from Paris, Ireland and Italy pinned to the board.

A sign overhead reads “Where in the World is your Mug?”

The people who visit are not just customers, Forshag said, the employees know them and know about their lives.

Forshag graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond and moved to Luling in 1997 with her husband, Mark Forshag.

She opened Mochaccino’s after spending three years as a pharmaceutical representative. She traveled around the country and found herself enjoying the comfort of coffee shops along the way. When she grew tired of traveling and became more interested in being home with her family, she decided to open her own shop, fulfilling her dream of being a small business owner.

Forshag said she thought Luling needed its own coffee shop, and after three months of preparation, it opened in the Point Robert shopping center.

The shop has done very well and Forshag said she will stick around as long as people want to come.

In fact, Forshag, who is seven months pregnant, plans to work at the shop even when the baby comes. She pointed to a corner behind the counter and laughed, explaining there may be a crib in the shop in a few months.

When asked how she named the coffee shop, Forshag said it just came to her one day.

“All females loved chocolate,” she said.

Editor’s Note: Every now and then, the L’Observateur staff will profile a River Parishes location where people tend to gather. If you know of a special place, contact Robert Roan at 985-652-9545 or send an e-mail to lobnews@bellsouth.net.