Mezzanine offers culture, coffee
By Jon Busdeker on May. 31, 2007
The Mezzanine Café is like that hip, trendy coffee shop in New York, Seattle or San Francisco where business folks get their coffees and the college kids sip lattes.
But instead you’re still in Lynchburg among locals who say hello and make you part of their “extended family.”
The Dance Theater of Lynchburg owns the café, but the day-to-day operations are under the control of Jawansa Hall and Michelline Obeng. They call themselves the “creative directors.”
The couple, both originally from Lynchburg, are “artsy people” who have degrees from Virginia Intermont College. Hall, 27, is a graphic designer and Obeng, 25, is a photographer.
When the moved back to the Hill City last June, they started talking with Keith Lee, the artistic director of the Dance Theater of Lynchburg, about the space.
Hall said they “bounced off some ideas” and Lee told him to “make it happen.”
“And here we are,” Hall said.
The Mezzanine Café, named after the mezzanine located upstairs at the café, opened in October 2006. Obeng calls the place a “coffee shop with food.”
The Mezzanine Café’s has a limited menu that sticks to sandwich basics like turkey, roast beef and chicken salad. The sandwiches will change depending on the customers’ tastes, Hall said.
“Customers are really in control of what we’re doing,” Hall said.
One sandwich that’s always in demand is The Van Gogh.
“It’s like the Mezzanine classic sandwich,” Obeng said.
The Van Gogh is a warm, oven roasted turkey sandwich topped with melted provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato. It’s served on an everything bagel and accented with a touch of honey mustard dressing.
The sandwiches — all named after famous artists — include chips and cost $5.95. Add a drink and lunch is less that $7.
The café also has a veggie sandwich for Lynchburg’s herbivores.
For dessert, there’s cheesecake or one of café’s caffeine creations.
Hall and Obeng pride themselves on their one-of-a-kind coffee and espresso drinks. The drinks served at The Mezzanine Café can’t be found at those other “star” shops in town— not even if you offer them a few extra “bucks.”
“We try to make things fun,” Hall said. “…Our focus is coffee drinks.”
One special drink is the Scouts Honor. The foamy, rich coffee drink is a mix of coconut, chocolate and caramel. The drink tastes like a Carmel Delite Girl Scout cookie.
For people who don’t like the “frou-frou” drinks, they have regular coffee.
“We have people who hate coffee that like our coffee,” Hall said.
He explained how The Mezzanine Café’s coffee is fresh and the beans are roasted the day before they arrive at the shop. After two weeks, the beans are discarded.
“We work hard to keep everything fresh,” Hall said.
And that includes the café’s appearance.
The café part has a couple of tables and two brown couches that you could get lost in. On the walls are black and white photos. The stereo is locked on music from local artists, and wireless Internet is available.
In the back, there’s sort of a library meant for studying or reading. At night, lit candles make it a chilled spot for hanging out.
“It’s a cool, comfy atmosphere,” Obeng said.
The Mezzanine Café is also an art gallery that features local artists including paintings, ceramics and photography.
“We’ve had a good range,” Obeng said.
The spot’s most recent show is a collection of works from the clients at DePaul Family Services.
When representatives from the group home approached Hall about displaying the works, they wanted something small. Hall gave them whole gallery and made it an official opening with flyers and a reception.
On the weekends, local musicians perform in the gallery space.
For events, check http://www.the-mezzanine.com or visit their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/mezzaninecafe.
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