Safari Cup Chicago 2009-2013
The Southport Corridor is a only a few blocks away from the famous home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field. Our store was right on the Brown Line CTA station of Southport.
Our customers became a big part of our lives – as they had done in Birmingham, Alabama. We watched as couples dated, married had kids and then got to know the kids.
Often, after we finished our shift on Saturday morning, we would head down with a few of our customers to a truly authentic Irish Pub in Clark Street, Johnny O’Hagan’s where you could enjoy true Irish food served up with one of the best Guinness pours in the City.
I even have one with a young lass who was fascinated by my roasting coffee. Here is a photo of little Sophie watching after the roast.
Her Dad – a good friend – would complain that his Saturday morning sleep-in was broken by his daughter wanting to come down to the Safari Cup to watch me roast. It was a true pleasure to see the sparkle in their eyes and the smiles on their faces as the roasted beans would come tumbling out of the drum roaster.
Sharon worked her heart out in the kitchen as always making the food from scratch and in-house. This was one of the culprits to her working so hard especially on a Saturday and Sunday morning when the big brunch crowds would line up all the way outside the store….Sharon’s Breakfast sandwich was ever popular…
If you want to see more of Sharon’s Safari Cup menu in Chicago, click here…….
Even one or two of our staff became close friends. Our favourite was Nikki who was with us from the very beginning. She had a great work ethic, was great with the customers and treated the business like it was her own. She now lives in Arkansas with her husband and two kids. Sharon still keeps in touch and we miss her warm smile and cheerful banter.
Chicago is a city that knows how to handle snow storms. Unless the storms are really big. In 2011, we experienced the biggest snow storm to hit Chicago in 40 years. To see what a 22 inch snow storm can do, click here……….