Music, food, coffee and tea, spoken work, graffiti, art, family, and togetherness.
A quirky little art-oriented café has opened downtown. I first wrote about Loud Brew Cafe last April, when I met up with the founders Angela Espinoza (business consultant) and Chef Dred “Melek” (barber for Buffalo rap group Griselda, who is also tight with Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and Conway the Machine). I stopped by this past Sunday with a friend, to see how they had transformed the space over the last few months, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. It turns out that Sunday mornings are mainly for friends and family gatherings, so there were limited offerings, but we still stuck around for a cup of coffee.
Last year, I wrote, “The idea for Loud Brew Café is a place where artistic talents from all walks of life can come together to share their experiences. Music, food, coffee and tea, spoken work, graffiti, art, family, togetherness – these are all of the electrifying elements that are being incorporated into this all encompassing urban social club. From rap to reggae to r&b to classic rock, music will be the commonality that everyone will share.”
As for the overall concept, according to Chef, he told me, “I grew up helping my mom and pop cook. I always wanted to help around the kitchen. Later, I cooked at my buddy’s after hours spot for a couple of years. I have my signature dishes, like my famous Rasta Pasta, and my chicken and waffles that I’m going to be putting on skewers. We will also have salads, soups, and sandwiches. Loud Brew Café is going to be headquarters for all of my projects. The space (upstairs, first floor, and basement) gives me a lot to work with. This is just the first phase of the business – we have a lot more planned that we can’t talk about right now, but we will continue to roll out a bunch of different elements.”
Loud Brew Café is still undergoing a soft opening of sorts, as Chef finds his bearings. He’s experimenting with the menu, and concentrating on activating the space as an art-driven destination. He has a lot of ideas for the evolution of the café, many of which concentrate on the arts and families. It will be interesting to see how this unique café setting develops in months to come. One thing is for sure – there is now a homebase for some of Buffalo’s most notable music acts and fashion forward players, including Griselda, Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, and Buffalo Kids. There’s even a small VIP lounge in the back for visiting performers, including rappers and songwriters.
I recently took a trip to Wynwood Walls in Miami. These types of urban art-oriented shops and cafés were integral to the overall cultural integrity and identity of the neighborhood. I have great hopes that Loud Brew Café will have a creative ripple effect as it establishes itself in coming months…