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Friends and family fill the newly opened Clubhouse Cafe on Friday, January 5, 2024. The Clubhouse Cafe officially opened on Monday, January 8th.
Photo ET Rodriguez
River Avenue between 158th and 153rd streets has been under development for at least two decades, with the addition of the Bronx Terminal Mall, a skate park, residential buildings, and small businesses. Now, new coffee shops are also calling the area home.
The Clubhouse Cafe, located at 812 River Avenue near Yankee Stadium, is a new venture by South Bronx United (SBU). South Bronx United (SBU) is a soccer-focused organization that has served approximately 1,600 people since 2009, providing academic support, mentoring, and workforce development to youth. Junior high and high school students for one year.
In October 2022, SBU opened a clubhouse at 814 River Avenue, a residential building above the cafe. After a year of planning and a weekend soft opening for friends and family, Clubhouse Cafe officially opened for business on Monday, January. 8.
“We have two paths [to job training]” said SBU Founder and Executive Director Andrew So.
One is through SBU’s origins in the soccer program, where members of the program learn to become coaches and mentors. Even so, Mr. So said he was still thinking of another way to provide real-world work experience to his 16-24-year-old youth at SBU.
“It’s a perfect fit for a cafe development,” he added.
The cafe employs three employees under the supervision of head barista Diamonique Edwards, who has spent her entire professional career in the food industry. Cookies, croissants and muffins provided by Mott Haven’s Mottley Kitchen, tea provided by Harney & Sons, and coffee founded by Colombian-born Steve Sutton and based in Brooklyn We offer coffee from our own company, Devocion. From beans to brewing, you can do it faster than at a regular store. He also sells his SBU merchandise, including jerseys and reusable coffee cups.
This small coffee shop features murals with positive messages such as “Bring Your Integrity” and “Be Your True Self” and is the only coffee shop of its kind serving the community. For residents living along River Avenue, it’s the only place they can enjoy a “drink” before catching a train on 161st Street or a bus along 149th Street without having to go elsewhere.
“I’m so excited,” said employee and SBU graduate Carla Lewis, 25, who was taking orders at the cafe’s “Friends and Family” day on Friday, Jan. 5. Especially since there are so many delays. ”
South Bronx United also offers an academy where 200 students a year can practice academics and take college preparatory courses.
“It’s really amazing,” said Kaylee Flores, 18, an SBU graduate and Clubhouse Café employee. “It’s helping with family matters and here at school. It’s a better opportunity.”
Flores joined SBU in 2020 and is currently a law and social studies student at John Jay College. And Flores isn’t the only success story.
According to its website, SBU’s members have a 100% high school graduation rate, 94% enroll in college and 55% earn a bachelor’s degree. That compares to 22% districtwide, according to the 2022 U.S. Census.
“We’re really excited to open our doors to the community and have a place for people to come and feel like their own,” So said. “Our goal is to bring our mission and impact to the broader community so everyone knows who we are.”
ET Rodriguez can be reached here: [email protected]. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes.
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