L’Espresso Organic Café may be in the heart of the Arts District, but it’s the size of owner Kelly Zeidan’s heart that should resonate with Edmontonians.
He has a standing offer: the café is available to the arts community.
“Some of the local artists they approach us, and they want to display some of their artwork, and we always say we’re more than happy to do so,” said Zeidan. “We’re very flexible with anybody who wants to use our café and it’s free of charge.”
Some groups have taken him up on these offers for displaying art or hosting arts events, like poetry readings, but not enough.
“I’m happy to share it with everybody, this café is always open for the arts. We’re proud to announce ourselves as part of the Arts District.”
He credits his generous heart to being a family man.
His kids grew up in the business and one employee has been with him for 15 of the café’s 20 years. Zeidan kept L’Espresso open during the pandemic to ensure his staff could keep getting paid. They also hire newcomers to Canada until they’re able to get on their own two feet.
Family is central to Zeidan and the foundation for his love of the industry. When he moved to Edmonton from Lebanon he worked with relatives in restaurants and that’s where he fell in love with cooking. He got a degree in education and worked as a systems analyst, but it didn’t stick.
“I always came back to the restaurant [industry] because cooking and working with people and meeting people, it’s my passion,” said Zeidan.
L’Espresso strives to stand out, with coffee beans sourced from small farmers and then roasted in Calgary.
“We have a custom blend for our coffee. The beans we have here you can’t buy anywhere else.”
L’Espresso also serves up individual-sized pizzas, a daily soup and sandwich deal but he tries to make everything stand out.
“We have a panini, and I know you can get those anywhere, but I have my own recipe and it’s very popular. The wraps, we make sure we do our wraps a little different,” says Zeidan, who noted L’Espresso also does catering.
L’Espresso Organic Café is a place that artists can turn to, but Edmontonians should also remember this place when they’re enjoying events at Winton Churchill Square. Consider a local coffee from a place that can, unfortunately, be forgotten when major events take over the area.