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.
LeRoi Moore was injured in an ATV accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi was immediately transported to the University of Virginia Health System for treatment where he remains in serious condition.
…
Beginning tomorrow in Charlotte, NC, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones saxophonist, Jeff Coffin, will be sitting in with Dave Matthews Band while LeRoi recovers.
I haven’t heard of William McDonough until I read this article in Vanity Fair. He has an office in Charlottesville and he’s pretty much a baller. He brings a philosophy and vision for modern design and architecture. The front of his site reads:
I believe we can accomplish great and profitable things within a new conceptual framework—one that values our legacy, honors diversity, and feeds ecosystems and societies . . . It is time for designs that are creative, abundant, prosperous, and intelligent from the start.
But, in a nutshell McDonogh’s thinking a can be thought of a as mission to bring our consumption habits back to a natural life cycle. I don’t think I can really do a better job than the Vanity Fair article or the video below, but this guy is pretty amazing.
Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up for your week in review.
We got villains dissing on wine bars, gunshots at the Outback and some Grecian food. Don’t forget to stop around back to sample our smelly PR move, celebrity wannabies, and your favorite musical acts. When you leave, grab the gift bag– it’s full of tats, lawsuits, and monkey sex. Enjoy!
Apparently, this dude is on an existential quest to discover and record the locations of all 2,100 historical markets in Virginia. I am not making this up.
This is the real deal, folks. If you disagree, you obviously have not the powers of the bearer of thunder and lightning, nor the gentle powers of a storm demon who brings death and disease to your village. »Read More
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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!
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