The creative passion behind the caffè is what makes the space so special to so many. The art of conversation, consideration, and being taken care of in a way that feels like home establish the energy of the space.
Baking is Kathy’s passion, and buying her own oven was non-negotiable. She loves concocting new treats using quality ingredients. Most mornings, you can find her in the shop’s kitchen greeting customers with a “Good Morning!” and an oven mitt in hand. Notably, her influence shines throughout the menu, including her popular Breakfast Bagel Bomb and handcrafted Healing Herbal Tea.
Being avid home gardeners, many menu staples come from the couple's own backyard garden. In their hoop house they grow lavender, lemongrass, and hot peppers for Caffè Casa's house-made syrups. Their homemade soups also boast homegrown vegetables when available. In the summer, pamper yourself with the peppery punch of homegrown arugula also straight from their garden. John’s green thumb extends into keeping the plants at the caffè alive and vibrant. They even winter-over lemon trees indoors, pulling off a rare harvest of Michigan-grown citrus. This past winter, the lemon trees produced their most bountiful harvest yet! This is only possible with the help of a rich compost comprised of all the organic waste produced by the shop.
When John and Kathy Beebe signed their lease for Caffe Casa in 1992, they began their dream of running an Italian-style mom-and-pop coffee house together.
In addition to food and drink, appreciating art has always been important to John and Kathy. In the past, the caffè hosted art showings from painters to illustrators to photographers to and more; now a permanent collection of local art adorns the gallery walls. As hobby ceramicists, sharing art with the world came naturally to them. John even hatched the idea for Art Hop with Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. in the early 1990s.
In keeping with their ethos, recycling, upcycling, composting, and repurposing are the standard and have always been. The piano was rescued from the landfill and is now an art piece itself. The gallery and high-top tables were built using reclaimed bowling alley lanes from the historic Gilmore Department Store. John drafted the original design concepts, which were then fabricated by a WMU student.
Over the past three decades, John and Kathy have worked to cultivate a space that is equally inviting as it is unique. Caffè Casa remains defined by the same care, intention, and community focus the couple started with in 1992.
