Photograph by Michael Defilippo
Jeanarae Penn slings coffee at—and owns—the simply named Coffee House, one of the few cafés in these parts that stays open very late (3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, midnight on other nights). Her South City cafe is convenient for night owls, a magnet for “characters,” and, with 17 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week, a haven for folks ready for another chance. —B.K.
- I was a drug-and-alcohol counselor, and I got tired of watching people die, so I thought I would open a coffeehouse and get away from it. But when I opened the doors, guess who was there? God has a funny sense of humor.
- I love all of my recovery people—they’re my people. We have about 17 AA meetings a week here. I’ve been sober myself for 24 years… I’ve had drunks come in here and insist the bottles of syrup are liquor. They can’t imagine people playing pool and putting money in a jukebox if there’s no liquor.
- The first year I started here, I don’t think I ever slept—that’s how much coffee I drank. I thought I was gonna O.D. on caffeine. I vibrated when I walked. Then I figured out that a little goes a long way.
- I’m not very artistically inclined, but I can make hearts and some of the simpler shapes in the cappuccino foam. The trick is not to overheat the milk; you want foam with no air holes in it, silky foam.
- A lot of Americans can’t handle a bold cup of coffee or espresso. A lot of people don’t want to taste the coffee, but they want the caffeine, so they ask for combinations of sweet syrups or flavored creamers in it..
- People have complicated the coffee drink. Now, it’s like let’s do an almond soy, double-skinny blah blah blah. Why bother? The coffee drinks have become diluted. As Americans, we need 1,000 choices because we’re not satisfied with the simple things.
- My dog, Bear, used to like coffee. He loved to eat coffee beans if a few fell out when I was filling the hoppers. And if I set a cup of coffee down, he would wait till my back was turned and drink it. He liked it with a little bit of milk.
- Behind the counter, you’re always on your feet. Sometimes it’s very exhausting. You’re like the bartender and the priest—you’re listening to everybody’s woes.
- As a barista, you can get hit on a lot. I used to say, “Thanks, but I’m not available right now.” Often, they would be so offended they wouldn’t come back. Now they can see the wedding ring.
- I resisted offering WiFi for a long time, because I think people have lost the ability to communicate one-on-one. They isolate when they’re on their computers. People used to sit down and have conversations and meet each other. That doesn’t happen so much anymore.
