Sipping tea in the Back Home Again Café feels like relaxing in a patio garden—even in the depth of a Vermont winter. Climbing vines cover the ceilings of this restaurant and beverage bar in downtown Rutland. Hand-hewn post and beams, some resembling trees growing along the walls, section the dining room into cozy corners and booth. Every seating nook reveals original craft work: a painted harvest landscape, macramé curtains, willow baskets, and raw-edged leather. Pressed flowers are embedded in the thick, shiny varnish on the wooden tables. The proprietors of the Café, members of the Twelve Tribes religious community, made nearly all the furnishings by hand. The Back Home again specializes in mate, a Latin American beverage similar to herbal tea. The barkeep explains that mate is an alternative to caffeinated drinks; you’ll be wired all night! For a more conventional meal, enjoy a blueberry-maple smoothie with the Reuben. Cooks bake the rye bread in house. Along with the food, enjoy the entertainment. The Café is usually low-key, but on evenings, the cooks and waiters bring their fiddles for music and dancing. It’s all part of their religious community’s culture. Because of the Twelve Tribes’s commitment to organic and local ingredients, be prepared for a wholesome culinary experience. The caveat: the Café is closed on weekends for the Sabbath. Want to find more great businesses in your area? Visit GlobalYP the online local yellow pages.