Showing posts with label C&B. Show all posts
Showing posts with label C&B. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Local students distribute pre-Thanksgiving meals in Tompkins Square Park

Last Tuesday, a group of first and second graders from the New Amsterdam School on Avenue B prepared lunches for people in Tompkins Square Park who may need a meal. 

The students started by picking up granola bars, apples and other items from East Village Organic on First Avenue...
Ali Sahin, the owner of C&B cafe on Seventh Street, donated the bread and other sandwich supplies. He also came to the school on the corner of Fifth Street to help the students assemble the sandwiches and create the meals to distribute...
In total, the students created and distributed 50 meals to unhoused people in the Park with the assistance of the school staff...
Thank you to Owen Schiller for the photos.

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

C&B debuts expanded space on 7th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

As we've been reporting, C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin is expanding his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

And C&B recently debuted the new-look space, which includes the return of the record player (and records!) ... which had to go with the need for more storage in the spring of 2020 ... 
The expanded C&B doesn't include any indoor dining — just increased space for the staff to work as well as a longer to-go counter.

All this makes Ali pretty happy... or maybe it's just the heat!
C&B is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and coffee.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Expanded C&B Cafe nearly ready

As we've been reporting, C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin is expanding his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The C&B team is getting closer to a grand opening of the combined storefront. EVG contributor Stacie Joy got another in-progress look...
Still to be done, the new freezer installed, the custom cabinets put up and the much-anticipated return of the record player and albums.

Ali showed Stacie the plans on his phone as he pointed out the new pass-through, the marble countertops and subway tiles...
Ali doesn't have any plans for indoor dining — just increased space for him and the team and a longer to-go counter.
You can follow C&B on Instagram for grand-opening details. 

Meanwhile, the original cafe remains open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, February 4, 2021

C&B Cafe turns 6

A quick — and slightly belated! — happy 6th anniversary to C&B Cafe over at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Chef-owner Ali Sahin's A+ breakfast-lunch-coffee to-go shop opened in late January 2015

While it was certainly a challenging year for any local business (C&B's woes included a break-in), Sahin did have plenty to celebrate, including a successful crowdfunding campaign to purchase a new oven, a lease to extend the space into the vacant storefront next door and a headline-grabbing champagne assist as Biden won the presidency. 

Here's to the next six years... 

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

C&B is expanding on 7th Street

In some very positive local business news... C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin plans to expand his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports that, at the moment, Sahin doesn't have any plans for indoor dining — just increased space for him and the team and a longer to-go counter. 

While he has signed a lease on the new storefront, this is a long-term project, as per Sahin, so don't expect to see the expanded space anytime too soon.

Back in the spring, Sahin held a successful fundraiser to buy a larger, more efficient oven for the cafe. Since then, he has been cranking out even more tasty bread

C&B opened here in January 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to C&B Cafe on 7th Street

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Local cafe owner's champagne assist makes global headlines as Biden captures U.S. presidency

A Reuters photographer captured a moment on Seventh Street this afternoon as C&B Cafe owner Ali Sahin demonstrated his pouring techniques here during a Biden celebration between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Thanks to the reader for sharing this screengrab!

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

On 2nd thought, C&B finishes its curbside seating with the help of the DOT



Back on Friday, we noted that C&B Cafe on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B threw in the towel trying to build curbside seating.

As C&B shared on Instagram at the time:

Three different city/state officials came the last four days to give us different information about how we should practice the outdoor dining. Also we have four different emails from DOT about the guidelines suggesting different ways of building the spaces.

However, as EVG correspondent Stacie Joy reports, owner Ali Sahin (pictured above) was able to finish the seating area — with the help and encouragement of the Department of Transportation, the city agency overseeing the Open Restaurants program.

They unveiled the new space on Sunday ... which features planted lavender, rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, pepper plants, tomatoes, dill and other herbs and plants...



C&B is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

C&B foregoes curbside cafe space after city can't seem to decide on outdoor dining guidelines


[Photo via @candbnyc]

We've heard from several frustrated restaurant owners in the neighborhood who abruptly had to change their curbside dining setups at the request of the city — despite following the city's instructions to the letter.

Pete Wells at the Times reported on the mixed messages courtesy of the city back on July 2.

Under an emergency program launched on June 22 to aid the ailing restaurant industry, some 6,800 establishments citywide were authorized to serve food and drinks on sidewalks and curbside spaces.

Inspections have continued this past week, and places such as Il Posto Accanto on Second Street have had to tear apart their solid and previously OK'd curbside dining arrangement – within 24 hours or risk losing their outdoor dining permit.

C&B Cafe on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B posted about their experiences on Instagram yesterday:

This is how the story goes. Three different city/state officials came the last four days to give us different information about how we should practice the outdoor dining. Also we have four different emails from DOT about the guidelines suggesting different ways of building the spaces.

As you can imagine it is time-consuming and expensive to constantly change/build based on new information we get. Since the city is not covering all those expenses and labor we decided to keep the outdoor space as [owner Ali Sahin's] garden. He is going to try and keep these wonderful plants alive for the rest of the summer and hopefully find a permanent home for them once this thing is over.

Sahin decided against fighting the bureaucracy any further as C&B is primarily a takeout space to begin with.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A second look at Phase II dining in the East Village

Monday, June 1, 2020

A broken window and burglary at C&B Cafe



Someone broke the front window and burglarized C&B Cafe on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B last night... another local small business that was targeted overnight.

Owner Ali Sahin documented the damaged in an Instagram clip this morning. He will have to remain closed today.

Friday, May 22, 2020

[Updated] A new oven, and a new era at C&B Cafe


[Photo by Dave on 7th]

The new oven for C&B Cafe arrived yesterday here on Seventh Street near Avenue B.

As we've been noting, chef-owner Ali Sahin held a successful fundraiser to buy a larger, more efficient oven for his cafe at 178 E. Seventh St.

To help stay in business during the COVID-19 PAUSE, Sahin had been baking — and selling out of — between 30 to 40 sourdough boule loaves each day. (He also uses the bread for C&B's sandwiches.)

With a new, larger oven, he'll be able to increase his output as well as offer a wider variety of bread.

Stacie Joy stopped by to check out the new oven, which arrived on a truck from Ohio. Before the professional installation commenced, some neighbors from the building next door showed up to help load the oven inside the space.

To make room for it, Sahin did away with the small seating area in the back...









If all goes well, then the oven will be ready to turn on today...



Updated 5 p.m.

Stacie was there today for the official Oven On moment...

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Checking in on C&B



Text and photos by Stacie Joy

You might have read about C&B Cafe chef-owner Ali Sahin’s fundraising efforts to buy a new oven for his cafe at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Ali is currently baking about 30 to 40 sourdough boule loaves each day that the restaurant is open. When the new oven arrives (it’s being transported here currently from Ohio) he’ll be able to make many more loaves daily, plus different varieties.







Work has already started to transform the back room into a bread-baking station, with workers updating the electrical panels when I arrive. Ali’s sold the tables and chairs that used to occupy the space to make room for the oven, a workbench and maybe a stand mixer. (Ali’s not sure about that yet well as the limited space.)



He looks crestfallen when he tells me that he might have to remove his much-loved turntable and record collection to create additional storage. Rumor has it he’s already gifted out some albums.



The yeasty, crusty yet airy breads are sold out each day, and they are available by preorder only. If you want the sourdough (and trust me, you want the bread) send Ali a direct message on Instagram or stop by to place an order.

He’s also baking in-house loaves for his to-go sandwiches, with a modified menu that includes his breakfast sammies (available with pork belly when in stock, chorizo or beef sausage when not, plus optional sliced avocado) and a grilled cheese.



Saturday, April 18, 2020

C&B is selling its tables and chairs — to make room for a larger oven


[Image via Instagram]

Chef-owner Ali Sahin is selling off the tables and chairs in the back of C&B Cafe at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Details below!)

When restaurants are able to reopen for dine-in service following the COVID-19 crisis, C&B will remain a take-out only spot. However nice it was to sit back there and listen to the cafe's turntable playing some classic jazz, R&B or disco... Sahin has plans for that space.

His bread-making has gotten quite popular, and he is in the process of buying a larger oven with the help of a crowdfunding campaign.

As he noted in the campaign pitch:

I always made homemade bread for the cafe, but since the virus hit I’ve been making 30 loaves a day myself to keep the cafe afloat. What I came to realize is that the cafe needs to adapt in order to survive. I want to bring a bread oven in the back so that I can transform the cafe into a bakery and keep the essential supplies coming for the community, while keeping my own people on their feet.



Here's more from an Instagram post this morning:

It is a strange feeling getting rid of these things that gave more comfort to me the last 5 years than any bed or couch I lay down since I left my parents’ home.

Now I need to make some room for the oven as well as some cosmetic upgrades to the back room. So most of our furniture, and tableware are for sale now. Tables are $50 chairs are $30 each. Plates and bowls are $5. If you really need something like this but can’t afford it I will give you a pair for free.

Sahin has been putting in 80-hour weeks — mostly by himself — to keep C&B afloat during this crisis. He continues to pay his staff, whom he didn't want to put in harm's way by coming to work. One C&B employee did volunteer to return to work. The other C&B staffers continue to get paid.

Meanwhile, Sahin's bank informed him this week that there weren't any funds left for his small business in the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program. Eater yesterday reported on some of the NYC "small" businesses who did receive the loans, including $10 million for Shake Shack and Potbelly. [UPDATED 4/20: Shake Shack is returning the $10 million.]


C&B is open Saturday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Daily bread at C&B Cafe



C&B Cafe, 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, is one of the many local businesses who had to dramatically adjust its method of operation in recent days. For now, the cafe, which opened in January 2015, is able to offer sandwiches for takeout.

Chef-owner Ali Sahin has also been busy making 4-pound loaves of sourdough that take three days to prepare.

He discusses it in an Instagram post:

I have been baking bread in the cafe for almost 4 years. Some days bread would come out perfect but for the most part it was inconsistent and I didn’t care as much. Funny enough last 2 weeks my bread is coming out perfect. So I have been baking bread everyday. Bread is holy where I come from. I was thought a wasted crumb is a big sin.

So don’t waste a crumb of it and share it with others. I was told that if my bread rises so would my house. And my house did rise to be a successful cafe. Starting from [March 19], I am shrinking my menu to sandwiches only. I will keep baking bread as long as I have flour so you can keep ordering sourdough if you need bread at home.

C&B will be closed on Friday, so Ali can "go visit city offices to find out what kind of relief they are offering to small business." You can order bread by stopping by or sending a DM via Instagram.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

C&B Cafe is no longer part of Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place


[Photos by Steven]

C&B Cafe's time at Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place has come to an end.

Back in September, the C&B logo was replaced at 39 St. Mark's Place with signage for Bar Ilegal. However, C&B was still operating in the space on weekends.

Late last week, signage arrived on the door noting that Bar Ilegal — originally a temporary "mezcal den" with live music — was returning ... while the cafe business had closed...



C&B Cafe debuted here in March 2019 in this spot just east of Second Avenue, making this the second East Village outpost of the well-liked cafe that opened on Seventh Street near Avenue B in January 2015.

C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin was brought in to be the executive chef for Paper Daisy, the cocktail bar that opened last March via the owners of Boulton & Watt and Drexler’s, among other credits.

Meanwhile, C&B Cafe continued on at its original location at 178 E. Seventh St. No word at the moment if Sahin has any role with Paper Daisy now. We reached out to Paper Daisy for more information.

Paper Daisy took over the space that belonged to Cafe Orlin, which closed in October 2017 after 36 years of service.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to C&B Cafe on 7th Street

C&B Cafe now part of new venture taking over the former Cafe Orlin space on St. Mark's Place

C&B Cafe debuts outpost on St. Mark's Place

C&B is weekends only at the moment at Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place

Monday, September 9, 2019

[Updated] C&B is weekends only at the moment at Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place



This post has been updated...

Over the weekend, the C&B logo was replaced at 39 St. Mark's Place with signage for Bar Ilegal. (Thanks to Brian I. Oxman for the photos!) The letters on the door read "11C Mezcal Bar."



--

Updated 9/10

According to a Paper Daisy rep:

C&B is still in operation. We are operating weekends only at the moment while we work on growing Paper Daisy. Bar Ilegal is a collaboration between C&B and some friends who are doing a brief pop-up in the space during the evenings. While the space looks different for the time being, we are still serving the same product on the weekends as always.

--

C&B Cafe opened in the late winter in this spot just east of Second Avenue.

Some background. C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin was brought in to be the executive chef for Paper Daisy, which opened in March and whose creative team features East Village residents Jaime Felber, Darin Rubell and Thomas Flynn. Combined, their local credits include Boulton & Watt, Drexler’s and Mister Paradise.

Meanwhile, the 4-year-old C&B Cafe continues on at its original location at 178 E. Seventh St. near Avenue B.

As for this St. Mark's Place address, Cafe Orlin closed here in October 2017 after 36 years of service.

Previously on EV Grieve:
C&B Cafe now part of new venture taking over the former Cafe Orlin space on St. Mark's Place

C&B Cafe debuts outpost on St. Mark's Place

Monday, March 4, 2019

C&B Cafe debuts outpost on St. Mark's Place


[Photo by Steven]

C & B Cafe opened this past Thursday in its new quick-serve spot at 39 St. Mark's Place just east of Second Avenue.

They're open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for coffee, breakfast and other cafe fare (as well as some vinyl-records listening) — similar to their Seventh Street location.

The spot is adjacent to the opening SOON (today?) cafe-bar Paper Daisy. C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin is also the executive chef for Paper Daisy. (Still waiting for more info about Paper Daisy.)



And not to worry, C&B fans: The 4-year-old C&B Cafe continues on at the original location at 178 E. Seventh St. near Avenue B.

As for this St. Mark's Place space, Cafe Orlin closed here in October 2017 after 36 years of service.

Previously on EV Grieve:
1st sign of activity at the former Cafe Orlin space on St. Mark's Place

No trespassing (or hunting or fishing) at the former Cafe Orlin

Cafe Orlin will close after 36 years in business (34 comments)

C&B Cafe now part of new venture taking over the former Cafe Orlin space on St. Mark's Place