On a recent Monday, Allison Deschaine did something that countless baristas across Southwest Michigan had already done a dozen times that morning -- she pulled a pair of espresso shots, steamed a pot of milk and poured a silky smooth latte.
However, as the last drop of milky foam entered the mug it was immediately apparent that this latte was special. A gleaming white rosetta, laid expertly by Deschaine's hands, was framed by a golden brown crema ring, creating the image of a perfectly centered fern leaf floating in a coffee colored pond.
It’s called latte art, and it’s one of the many personal touches that every barista at Kalamazoo’s Black Owl Cafe puts on each cup of coffee, or tea, that they serve.
"Every coffee drinker takes their coffee a little different," Deschaine says. "At Black Owl cafe we try to help people branch out and try something new."
With 40 house blended teas, specialty vegan hot chocolate, an array of espresso based drinks and five separate ways to brew an individual cup of coffee, at
Black Owl trying something new isn’t the problem, the issue lies with making a decision on what to try.
The cafe, which employs 10 baristas opened on Sept. 1 with lines out the door. Co-owner Garrett Krugh says more than 500 people came to the shop on day one and that Black Owl has been averaging more than 200 visitors a day since then.
Located at 414 Walbridge in Kalamazoo River’s Edge district, the cafe also offers a soup and sandwich lunch and dinner menu. Meals are served beginning every day at 11 a.m.
"It's not just something you can get through a drive through that is processed and not good for you," Deschaine says. "We have a relatively cheap sandwich meal that is made using local ingredients."
Items such as a roast beef panini on gruyere bread with provolone cheese, dijon mustard and a red cabbage slaw are created daily and sell fast, causing the menu to change not just with the season, but sometimes with the hour.
But what it all comes down to is coffee, and that is something that The Black Owl Cafe knows well.
As co-owner Darren Bain puts it: "That is how you start the day, that is the battery to every toy in the world."
• The Black Owl Cafe is open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, see their
Facebook page.
Writer and Photographer: Jeremy Martin, Second Wave Media
Sources: Darren Bain, Garrett Krugh, Allison Deschaine, Black Owl Cafe
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