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chicago

Everybody’s Coffee In Chicago Shares The Love

By Argyle Night Market, Cafes, chicago, Cornerstone Community Outreach, Everybody’s Coffee, Illinois, new gotham coffee community, North America, Rich Troche, Staff Picks, USA, Wilson Abbey, Women and Children First

 

everybody's coffee chicago illinois

Everybody deserves great coffee. There’s no arguing that. Everybody’s Coffee, snuggled near Uptown Chicago’s bustling Sheridan Road, and breezy Lake Michigan herself, makes it their mission to ensure everyone feels welcome in their space while getting the great coffee they deserve. “Filter Coffee, Not People” regalia unashamedly adorns the walls and counters. A bowl of buttons reading “Everyone is Welcome” sits near the register. You may have seen the Everybody’s bicycle-driven coffee cart out and about town or at the Argyle Night Market held in the summer. And what may be the most special part of the cafe is a wooden plaque hanging near the door. Its purpose is simple: to share the love of coffee with those who are not able to obtain it for themselves.

The “Share the Coffee Love” board has been running just as long as the cafe has, a lively five years. Having an accessible way to encourage others to give back to the Uptown community was a priority for the cafe from the start. Patrons will simply order a drink to have written on the tiny tag and hang it on a nail to be claimed. The tags are cute and humorous: one reads “8oz Coffee for a Mom” and another, “Free Coffee for Someone Who Uses Reusable Bags!” This past holiday, a regular purchased $100 worth of drinks for the community. Rich Troche, one of the company’s founders, even offered a hand in writing out the many tags of espressos, cortados, coffees, what have you. The giving doesn’t stop at the customers, either—baristas are also given the option to donate their shift drinks to share the love.  Anything goes when sharing coffee love.

everybody's coffee chicago illinois

everybody's coffee chicago illinois

Troche is one of the shop’s four founders, each of whom shares a common vision to cement connection with the Uptown community and encourage everyone, from the baristas to the regulars, to give back to and take care of those around them. When the company began roasting offsite this past year, they did not hesitate to share the proceeds with their neighbor, Cornerstone Community Outreach (CCO), a non-profit organization that assists in finding housing and living necessities for individuals and families in need. In 2018 alone, CCO was able to accommodate over 300 homeless persons within their facilities and permanently house 27 families and 28 individuals. CCO also provides food for the hungry, specialized care for the elderly, and living necessities to low-income and/or unsheltered families.

“Because of CCO’s decades of dedication and the vast numbers of people whose lives have been changed by the services offered there, Everybody’s has partnered with them in their ventures,” says Troche. “Last year, we began to donate all proceeds from our hand (manual) brewed coffee, and this year we added on a donation for every pound of coffee we roast. This way proceeds from the cafe and roaster go straight back to Uptown. The more coffee we roast, the more we are able to support our neighbors in need.”

everybody's coffee chicago illinois

Everybody’s is also the street-level face of the Wilson Abbey, an auditorium that works to host events with schools, churches, and businesses in Uptown and its surrounding neighborhoods. Down the hall are two event spaces, a large concert hall, and a black box. Among the organizations that use the Abbey are the Uptown Baptist Church, neighbor to the Abbey, and Women and Children First, a feminist bookstore. Coffee events are no stranger here, either, of course. In conjunction with the New Gotham Coffee Community, Everybody’s held The Great Lakes Coffee Showcase a few years in a row. In 2017, the Midwest Regional AeroPress Championship was also held here. Weaving Everybody’s into the constant flow of cultural events helps keep them connected to the heart of the Chicago community, even all the way Uptown.

everybody's coffee chicago illinois

At the time of writing, Everybody’s was showcasing a collection of self-portraits by the Uplift Community High School. There’s no shortage of books signings, live music, and local artist events. Local writers’ groups, parenting clubs, and board game meetups consider this cafe the ideal spot. There is a seat here for everyone and a cup of coffee hanging on the wall for someone who needs some warmth in the chilly Midwest. Everybody’s Coffee walks the walk of a safe space where humans can connect in one of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods.

Everybody’s Coffee is located at 935 W Wilson Ave, Chicago. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Casey Chartier-Vignapiano is a freelance journalist and coffee professional in Chicago. This is Casey Chartier-Vignapiano’s first feature for Sprudge.

Photos by Eric Perez for Sprudge

The post Everybody’s Coffee In Chicago Shares The Love appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Chicago: Crush The Rush Is Coming Your Way Friday

By Aligned Modern Health, caffe umbria, chicago, Crush the Rush, Dr. Steve Heffner, events, Illinois, la marzocco, Wire

Like the Guitar Hero version of Tom Sawyer set to Expert level, this Rush demands to be Crushed. Or since this is Chicago, maybe it needs to be Shellac’ed. Either way, the La Marzocco team competition is coming to the Second City tomorrow, August 23rd, and there’s still time to get involved!

Taking place at the Caffe Umbria roastery, Crush the Rush is essentially a coffee good time in the guise of a competition that pits teams of three against one another in hand-to-hand barista combat. Combat in this case comes via eight pristine drinks—no spills, no stains, just a perfectly made beverage—and the requisite “side work,” which could be anything really, all under the immense pressure of a time trial. After the time trial, a finals round will occur, and the team with the best shops will be crowned the Rush Crushers of Chicago.

But it’s not all go go go competition, Crush the Rush is so much more. Along with coffee and pastries as well as lunch provided by La Marzocco, attendees are welcome to take part in a barista ergonomics talk, “The Right Way To Stay Health Behind The Bar,” delivered by the Director of Physical Medicine at Aligned Modern Health, Dr. Steve Heffner.

Due to cancellations, competitor slots have re-opened for Crush the Rush Chicago, so if you’ve got two other quick-acting friends, you can sneak right and steal all the glory for yourselves. All you have to do is register via Eventbrite, which can be done here, all for free!

For those looking to Rush but maybe not so much Crush (read: compete), the whole shebang is completely free to attend and no tickets are required. La Marzocco does ask that you RSVP via the Facebook event page. It’s all going down tomorrow, August 23rd at Caffe Umbria’s roastery. For more information on Crush the Rush, check out La Marzocco’s official website, their Facebook event page, or the Eventbrite page.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

All images via La Marzocco

Disclosure: Sprudge is the official media partner of Crush The Rush.

The post Chicago: Crush The Rush Is Coming Your Way Friday appeared first on Sprudge.


Source: Coffee News