The Casbah's vision is to co-create a community space where people from many backgrounds can come together peacefully and share good food and tea, and feel a sense of home and family. At the Casbah, our goals are:

• To create an atmosphere that uplifts the soul.
• To serve the healthiest, tastiest food possible--made with the finest ingredients and care.
• To treat our patrons with the kindest hospitality.

The Casbah Teahouse is owned by Carol Ann Krueger. In 1995, she rented a building in the old arts district of Tucson and set up shop with the Creative Spirit Gallery - a retail store up front with the Casbah Teahouse in the back. Now going into our 13th year, the Casbah Cafe has become a natural juice bar, cafe and bakery.

Her Story

Carol Ann Krueger grew up in a large family and had a lot of home experience cooking for many people. She lived on the Farm, a large spiritual community from 1974 to 1978. At the farm she she worked in the community kitchen, helping cook large vegetarian meals, and making tofu and tempeh in the soy dairy.

She had her first child at the Farm with a midwife, and in 1978 with her first husband, Timothy, moved to Detroit and opened the Yellow Bean Trading Company, a soyfoods deli and natural food store. In 1979, along with the Soy Plant in Ann Arbor, she helped co-found the Soy Crafters Association of North America. In 1981, three children later, she moved to California and became enchanted with the Grateful Dead scene, and became a traveling gypsy crafter selling her handmade crystal jewelry. She was part of the traveling vending community for many years, when she wasn't homesteading in the mountains of Arizona.

Listen to Michael Franti talk about Carol Ann and The Casbah.