Another of our famous Mallstars, Tony is owner of the hippest coffee joint on the downtown mall, Cafe Cubano. I don’t know anyone else in town that takes more pride in drawing a shot of espresso than Tony…be sure to ask for a cortadito (typical Cuban coffee: lots of sugar, espresso and a drop of milk…it will knock you on your caffeinated feet), and you will see the attention he gives to the tiny succulent shot. So I thought it would be great to find out more about the man behind the coffee…so here goes!
Starting a life and business in Charlottesville
Where were you before Charlottesville?
I was in Miami in the restaurant business, but when my wife was diagnosed with a serious illness we moved to Alexandria. There I partnered with a restaurant guy in the DC to manage a couple locations and we later sold the business to a South Korean group in 1992. That gave me the chance to move to cville. I started working in Richmond for about a year consulting for a restaurant group and later worked for UVa with a management consulting group.
Why did you come to Charlottesville?
My first wife, who passed away, had a sister that lived here. For twenty years we traveled to cville about 2-3 times per year. I was always impressed by the environment.
How did Cafe Cubano come about?
I had an opportunity to meet the brothers from Higher Ground Coffee. I loved their food and coffee and decided to buy it. My goal was to deliver a micro-concept on the downtown mall. I loved the diversity and “city” feeling of the mall. The customer base came from all walks of life. From movers and shakers to UVa professors and students to nerds to entrepreneurs…it reminded me a lot of old-town Alexandria.
Most of us are obsessed with the downtown mall usually out of convenience. What is off the beaten path? My interest in procuring a new breakfast spot has yielded a diamond in the cville rough: C’ville Coffee. Located at the corner of Harris and McIntire in what seems to be an antique/furniture business park, it serves up more than just coffee.
My curiosity with Cville Coffee began with the Chocolate Chip Honey Bunches I tried at the City/Farmers Market a couple of weeks ago. Something so simple and delicious surely had to come out of a creative kitchen, or at least a business that really cares about its customer experience.
About an Owner
I had lunch with Toan Nguyen, owner of C’ville Coffee soon after our introduction at the City/Farmers Market. We discussed everything from business to politics to the local “green” initiative. He has quite a colorful past, influenced very much by his wife’s career ambitions. She was a high-powered San Francisco lawyer in the 80’s, no doubt slinging together crazy private equity and leveraged buy-out deals in the hay day of financial market abuse (just a thought, not actually confirmed). Confronted with the realization that working for the Firm would not allow for a great family life, she told Toan she wanted to move back to cville where she attended Uva Law.
So the Charlottesville City Farmers Market is one way to participate in this scene, but there are many other places to embrace this spirit all over town. Courtesy of the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Buy Fresh Buy Local guide, here is the directory to end all directories for the local food scene:
I did something today which I have thought of doing many times but never mustered the motivation to do…walk from Belmont to work in the downtown mall. My hesitation was not out of fear for my safety but out of pure and utter laziness. Why walk when you can enclose yourself in leather seats, a nice morning breeze and 106.1FM? To add a little discomfort to my life.
I had an amazing morning this past Saturday at the Charlottesville City Market. There was something for everyone:
Vegetarians: from fresh young bamboo shoots to local strawberries and purple spring onions, the potential for a ridiculous vegetarian meal was easily within one’s reach
Jewelry: from conservative to on-the-edge, designed young and old were out strutting their stuff
Meats: there was some serious sausage grilling giving the market a nice smoky aroma
Politics: Obama 08′, Amnesty International, and a group petitioning against the proposed dam made sure you knew what their deal was
It seems not all farms are treated fairly, and our local sweetheart, Polyface Farm, seems be getting the cold shoulder from the USDA. Joel Salatin mentions he would like to sell custom slaughtered meat, but can’t. The irony here is that the government is OK with us eating his meat in any way shape or form, as long as we don’t give him money for it. It must be processed at a USDA approved facility bla bla bla. Have any of you seen Fast Food Nation? Would you prefer one of our local boys cutting the meat or the heathens in the meat factories? I know regulations are there for a reason, but they don’t always bring out the best.
Exactly. So cVillains, who’s for Joel selling us his meat?
I had the pleasure of attending yesterday’s UVa student presentation on the Charlottesville Glocal Food System. I know, Vanillavy is handling all of the “green” stuff this week, but a flyer for the event caught my eye and I thought it would be a great break from the office. This is (what appears to be) a yearly event for a class at UVA focused on the local food economy/eco system. The class, consisting of both graduate and undergraduate sutdents, is titled “Healthy Communities, Healthy Food Systems (Part III): Global-Local Connections”. Now that is a mouthful. The following presentations were made:
Another of our famous Mallstars, Tony is owner of the hippest coffee joint on the downtown mall, Cafe Cubano. I don’t know anyone else in town that takes more pride in drawing a shot of espresso than Tony…be sure to ask for a cortadito (typical Cuban coffee: lots of sugar, espresso and a drop of milk…it will knock you on your caffeinated feet), and you will see the attention he gives to the tiny succulent shot. So I thought it would be great to find out more about the man behind the coffee…so here goes!
