As the Pittsburgh wind picks up and the Fall cold sets in, college students smoke cigarettes with one hand while struggling to hold onto their groceries with the other. An elderly woman wearing a fur coat and a head wrap leans on her cane and waits for the bus. A mother and her daughter walk hand in hand, their cheeks flushed. Businessmen in suits make a stop at the bank. Others seek refuge within the warmth of Te Café, on the corner of Murray Avenue and Beacon Street in Squirrel Hill.
Te Café, with its butternut squash colored walls, wood paneled floors, and quiet ambiance, radiates calm. The glass storefront beckons to shivering passersby. The Autumn menu is drawn on blackboards with vibrant chalks: Maple Maté Latté, Tea-Mulled Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice Latté, Apple Spice Black Tea.
Jackson Pollack inspired artwork adorns the walls. The paintings showcase big blasts of colors: red and orange blurs, juxtaposed with neutrals grey and blue. The lamps hang down to almost height level and are trendy and chic- yellow bulbs with brown spots, red and yellow shades. WYEP plays softly through the sound system, opening customers’ ears to new music- inspiring creativity and fostering friendly energies. People begin to unwind, and escape the pressures of the every-day over cups of freshly brewed tea.
In front of the glass storefront sit two young men on red pillowed, comfy-looking chairs. They quietly discuss the various possibilities for psychological experimentation. Parag, the manager, a kind, smiling man, fiddles behind the red and platinum countertop, preparing for the evening crowd.
7:30 the place is packed, but there is an agreed upon etiquette amongst Té Café’s community: speak softly. No cell phones- but if you must – be quick and considerate. Two women crochet blankets and sip their matté lattés. An old man sips his tea and reads a book from the community bookshelf.
An electric socket strip rests atop the silver bar where five black stools invite people to take a seat. A man in his 50s, a work shirt and slacks, gives Parag Jamaican Jerk hummus to taste. Parag calmly announces that the hummus is for everyone. One by one the customers make their way to the counter. They taste the hummus and chat with Parag.
Seven platinum tables dotted with black chairs provide seating for Te Café’s community. A cozy couch bar stretches from the glass storefront, providing more seating. Of thirty seats, by 9:00, almost every seat is full. People begin to help themselves to the community bookshelf, and to the board games located at the back of the shop. A young man with a shaggy beard posts a doodle on the “Art Board,” by the bathroom.
But Te Café wasn’t always the warm, clean place that it is today. Just a year and a half ago, in the middle of April, the two entrepreneurial lawyers who decided to open Té Café as an alternative to the buzzing corporate coffee shops, were forced to close after the cafe took an economic downturn. However, after only four weeks of being closed, the store was bought, and Parag Gohel, a former employee, took over as manager. With the help of the community and Te Café’s loyal community of customers, Parag has quickly brought the once dead and empty Té Café back to life.
Te Café is a wonderful place to work, relax, and think. I highly recommend their pot of English Black. It is the closest thing they have to coffee (caffeine wise), and you get your own personal timer—you can brew the strength of the tea to your liking.
I hope you enjoy!