Most coffee shops are content with serving delicious offerings in mugs and cups, but for two local businesses, their goals are more expansive, sharing foods that share the stories of their respective cultures.
Both Colombia and Vietnam are world-renowned for their coffee beans, but two local entrepreneurs are using their businesses to share the food of those nations too.
At Taste of Colombia, located in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood, the deep, nutty smell of roasted, single-origin coffee beans fills the air.
The business, located at 4801 West Montrose Avenue and only open to the public on weekends, has grown significantly in recent years.
“We started with only three bags of coffee: Colombian Supremo, Colombian Sierra Nevada and Colombian decaf, and the customers were requesting a variety of coffee,” said Naima Barajas, the co-owner of the business.
Today, they carry beans from 10 different regions, including Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Brazil. Always roasted in small batches during the week. On weekends, Barajas uses them for drip coffee, espresso or slow, gentle pour-overs, depending on what customers want. They also make pastries inspired by home.
“The Pan de Bono is one of the main things from Colombia here. Originally, it’s only cheese, but we give the option of guava, Nutella, quesito, ham and cheese croissants,” Barajas said.
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The establishment also offers meat-filled arepas, which are as flaky and delicious as the Cuban pastelitos they offer.
Sharing her native country’s coffee culture with her neighbors has been one of the best parts of their evolution.
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“And you see the reaction from the customer and that is very rewarding for us,” said Barajas.
Meanwhile in the West Loop, the new Vietfive Coffee, located 1116 West Madison, is one man’s effort to connect his Vietnamese roots with his adopted home in Chicago.
“We grow and harvest our coffee from our family’s farm in the Central Highlands of Vietnam,” said Tuan Huynh, the owner of Vietfive Coffee.
Robusta beans are the stars; roasted in Bridgeport, but ground and put to use here.
“It’s a slow-brew process,” said Huynh, who previously worked with coffee company Cafely, advising them on their Vietnamese coffee bean sourcing process, prior to starting his own coffee company.
Using giant filters, water is poured over the ground beans to extract their essence.
“Classic is with sweetened condensed milk served over ice,” he said.
There’s food too, like giant banh mi, housed in D’Amato’s bakery loaves, filled with all manner of pork or veg with a slight Vietfive twist. Also, banh mi empanadas and pâté sô.
“The pâté sô is a Viet-French puff pastry; inside is ground beef, and the other option we have is five-spice tofu,” he said.
Huynh says he’s excited to be able to share his passion with his new neighbors.
“To share our culture, share our story, and it’s through Vietnamese coffee that we do it,” he said.
Both stores sell whole-bean and ground coffee, if you prefer to brew your own beverages at home. You can find more information in the links provided in the story.
