Today we’d like to introduce you to Anamaria Čavlina-Kent.
Hi Anamaria, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a Croatian home in Ohio where coffee, food, and family were most important. I spent my youth surrounded by that culture until my parents decided to move to San Diego with the intention of providing my brother and I a better life with more opportunities. It was a difficult transition, as we had no friends or family. So, my brother and I kept busy with our dogs and one another. Once we began to make friends in school, we were able to have a little more fun. Before I was old enough to work and didn’t feel like hanging out with my friends, I would watch One Tree Hill. I absolutely adored the cafe in the show and always dreamed of having one of my own.
Once I was of age, I began working in the food and beverage industry. I always liked being around people and providing great customer service. Plus, I am always moving fast, so working in a face-paced environment felt natural to me… and I also really liked the food, so all-in-all, it was a perfect fit. Once I was out of high school, I was in and out of college because I honestly had no idea what I wanted to major in. I had so many dreams, and school seemed to tie me down. I moved to Los Angeles and back twice. After I moved back to San Diego the second time, I went to school full-time, majoring in Business Administration, while working full-time in the mortgage industry. I was a couple of classes away from transferring to finish my bachelor’s when I somehow, kind of out of the blue, took a leap of faith and decided to open a cafe with my mom in 2018. After opening in the middle of a pandemic in 2020, I currently am a very busy bee trying to do my best to provide the highest quality products & service, be a good wife, friend, daughter, sister, niece, and human.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been far from a smooth road, personally and in business. It took nine months of back-and-forth nonsense with the county to get permits approved to start construction. Once we started, we were finally able to turn an old run-down karate studio into a modern, custom-built cafe. I had hopes of opening in January 2020; however, a lot of life changes happened. I met and started dating my now-husband, and the Corona Virus began to surface. One extremely positive and amazing thing entered my life, as one extremely detrimental pandemic began to enter everyone’s life. We held off on opening as the media continued to report the dangers of this virus. During the shutdown, my husband helped (aka I sat and watched him) set up the rest of the cafe and do all the tech stuff I suck at.
Finally, after almost two years of building up the cafe, actual blood, sweat, and tears, we opened in June 2020 during the craziest time imagined. Not only were we open during a pandemic, Alpine was on fire. Aside from trying to run a business and stay sane, I tried my best to provide to all the first responders and law enforcement officers saving our sweet little town. I would come into the cafe at 5am, every day (even days we were closed), to brew coffees and make drinks for all the first responders before they left for the day. In addition to providing fuel for our heroes, I decided to raise money and send out food and snacks to their staging stations. My husband and brother would go out and buy everything, then run the food to all staging stations, feeding hundreds of law enforcement officers and first responders. I was overwhelmed with the support and work; however, giving back to the folks who gave their all for our home was one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences. Opening your first business, especially during a pandemic, took a toll on my mental wellbeing. It was one heck of a rollercoaster trying to stay sane and positive, as everything around you seemed to be falling apart. Fortunately, I had awesome team members and family by my side during this crazy time!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Cleveland Cafe prides itself on quality products and quality service. Mama bakes all the pastries and cookies with love. We offer a full coffee and tea bar, crepes, paninis, avocado toast, bagels, and many awesome grab & go items. All house-made products and grab & go products are organic, all-natural, and non-GMO. We don’t cut corners on quality. All of our offerings are really, really, really good, however, we are known for our cold brew! It’s smooth, delicious, and really gets the job done!
What’s next?
We have several big plans for the cafe. One thing we can talk about is expanding our team and expanding our hours! We’re currently open Tuesday – Saturday from 8 am – 3 pm, but that will be changing soon! The rest of our big plans have to be a secret, for now!
Contact Info:
- Email: clevelandcafe91901@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/clevelandcafe/
- Facebook: facebook.com/clevelandcafe9
Image Credits:
EJH Studio Epoch Visuals
