From a birdie…
Hey, the owner of the Ivy Road Java Java just told me that they are closing down permanently in the next few days. The Java Java on the Mall was also on the chopping block, but was bought and will not be shutting down, but may be going through some changes (adding sandwiches, etc.)
Does anyone make Latte art in Charlottesville? Please tell me yes. I think the sad truth is no.
We just discovered the name for the new cafe in the former Milano space in Main Street Market will be “Calvino Cafe.” The construction is still ongoing. According to the promotional card, we should expect coffee and espresso as well as smoothies, breakfast paninis and wraps. The website is not up yet, but the card says things should open in December. We’re excited about this one.
Other side of card after the break…
From a birdie..
What the hell is happening with Greenberry’s? Last week, they were outta large cups for a couple of days…today I go in there and they’re outta lids…try driving with 4 cups of coffee to your office with no lids…How about instead of breakfast, they hav just the basic necessities to sell coffee?
A little birdie lets us know…
You probably remember that Milano moved to South Street in place of Verity Blue. The former coffee shop/furniture store space in the Main Street Market had been empty for a while. A lot of restaurant owners checked it out, but apparently the cost of installing a full kitchen was prohibitive.
As it turns out, the owners of Orzo have decided to completely rebuild the space and install their own coffee shop. You can tell that they are doing a major overhaul of the space if you look in the windows. The birdie also explained that the other part of the space was being used for a “yoga shop.” When asked about how this worked, the birdie didn’t know if it was a studio or what.
Anyone have more details?
Lovers of chain store doughnuts usually fall into one of two camps: you’re either a Krispy Kremer or a Dunker. Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts have dominated the chain-store doughnut landscape in the US for a long time now, each surviving their own ups and downs and carving out their own niche (KK is dominant in secondary distribution and Dunkin has started to re-brand itself as a coffee roaster that sells the occasional pastry) to survive in today’s slightly more health conscious environment.
I grew up at the counter of the Krispy Kreme in Goldsboro, NC, between my little brother and my grandfather, who used to take us there to get hot, fresh glazed doughnuts right off the line and a cup of milk to dunk them in. Moving to NoVa meant a dearth of KK shops and I was weaned onto delectable grocery-store bakery delights and reluctantly began to appreciate the more cakey Dunkin Donuts offerings and that they went well with their coffee. When I moved up to PA we had neither a KK or a DD within what is even remotely a reasonable distance and again I fell in love with the exotic and decadent offerings of local bakeries and small-town grocery stores. One fasnacht or strawberry/creme filled bullet from these places was enough to make me drop to my knees and swear fidelity, forsaken for all time the cheap, air-filled offerings of the national chains. I thought I would forever be happy to leave the dried-out KK boxes on the supermarket or gas-station shelf and get something fresh, moist and heavy from the bakery, and for a time, I was.
A little birdie lets us know that Greenberry’s Coffee and Tea Company is opening a new store in its existing location and is looking to build something up 29 North.
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!
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.
First off, this is not a post that I expect to get a whole lot of comments. That’s fine. But I had to relay to you all a series of events that happened to me in our fair ‘Ville today. God, this already reads like a “Subject: fwd:fwd:fwd:re:Angels are among us” email from my aunt.
Anygoo, it all begins this morning where a planned trip to Southern States led me to CVille Coffee for a hot cup and some food. I ordered, and was reminded that it’s cash only and there’s an ATM up on Preston by Bodo’s. Literally as I turn to leave, the guy behind me in line offers to pay for my food offering “Next time you see me in town, you can get me back.” »Read More
