Saverio opened in April 2011. He had been working in the coffee business for 10 years prior to that, for a company called Saeco, who manufactures espresso machines. When Philips bought out the company, he saw the writing on the wall and began to search for alternatives. He began fantasizing about owning a cafe. It wasn’t until he took a trip to Italy with his sister, while sitting at a cafe a friend of his recommended and some life altering events that he decided that upon his return home he would launch himself into this dream. Something about sitting at that cafe, watching the people come and share their stories and then go on with their day helped him solidify his resolve to make this dream happen. 2 months later Philips ended up closing his department and working internally, so it was meant to be!

He started out with a traditional Italian espresso bar, where there were no seats, but soon realized that this style of coffee culture did not work in North America. And so it has become the nice little cafe bar it is today.

What he loves about this community is the sense of family he shares with his patrons. They have all become actively involved with his cafe and will play a role in some of the decision making of the cafe. You can sometimes see Saverio run polls on his Instagram, asking his followers and major fans’ opinions. A side note, apart from delicious coffee you can also buy other Italian products such as pasta, sauces and olive oil. It’s a true little corner of Italy in there !