- New Deal Cafe
-
New Deal Cafe 
Type Consumers' cooperative Founded 1994 Headquarters Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Key people - Terri Rutledge (President)[1]
- Karim Kmaiha (Head Chef)
Products Restaurant and coffee house Website newdealcafe.com The New Deal Cafe is a restaurant and community coffee house in the historic Roosevelt Center of Greenbelt, Maryland. It is a rare example of a restaurant operated as a consumers' cooperative,[2] as it is owned by over 200 member patrons.[3]
The Cafe features performances by regional musicians,[4] and hosts several music festivals each year, including the Green Man Festival, Crazy Quilt Festival, and the Greenbelt Blues Festival[5]. The Cafe walls are decorated with art by local artists. The arts and entertainment activities are managed by the Friends of the New Deal Cafe (FONDCA), a separate tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
The Cafe menu focuses on Lebanese cuisine, and includes a variety of vegetarian and meat items.[6]
The Cafe is a commonly cited example of a "community living room" or "third place", part of the Third place movement.
Its name comes from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, which was responsible for the Cafe's home in Roosevelt Center, and the founding of Greenbelt.[7]
History
The New Deal Cafe was founded by a group of Greenbelt residents in 1994.[8] In November 2004, over 600 people attended an open house to support the project.[9] From 1995 to 2000, the Cafe operated as a part-time coffeehouse in the Greenbelt Community Center. In April, 2000, the Cafe obtained a lease and opened its current full-time retail space, which was doubled its size in 2005 with expansion into an adjacent space.[10] For several years, it struggled without a kitchen on the premises, and debt increased.[11][12] However, in June 2008, the Cafe built a kitchen as part of a 4-month renovation using volunteer and professional contract labor,[13] and began a partnership with chef Karim Kmaiha and his wife, Maria Almeida to operate the restaurant.[14][15]
References
- ^ "Board Meeting Minutes: July 6, 2009". New Deal Cafe. http://newdealcafe.com/about/documents/2009/2009_07_06_minutes.php. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
- ^ Knepper, Cathy D. (2001), Greenbelt, Maryland: A Living Legacy of the New Deal, Baltimore, Maryland: JHU Press, pp. page 218, ISBN 0801864909, http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title_pages/1680.html
- ^ "New Deal Cafe Members Area". New Deal Cafe. http://www.newdealcafe.com/about/members.php. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
- ^ Halpern, Sue (May/June 2002), "New Deal City", Mother Jones, http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/commons/2002/05/commons.html, retrieved 2007-07-07
- ^ Tousignant, Kristi (2008-06-12), "Greenbelt holds fifth annual blues festival", Maryland Gazette, http://www.gazette.net/stories/061208/collnew182822_32365.shtml
- ^ "New Deal Cafe Lunch and Dinner Menu". New Deal Cafe. http://www.newdealcafe.com/food/dinner.php. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ Riley, Denise (2000-08-17), "GOOD EATS: The New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt", The Washington Post, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-30894240.html
- ^ Holmes, Tamara E. (2003-11-27), "New Deal Cafe: a community affair", Maryland Gazette, http://www.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2003/200348/entertainment/diningoutfeat/189570-1.html
- ^ "A Short History of the New Deal Cafe". http://newdealcafe.com/about/history.php. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
- ^ "New Deal Cafe Business Plan". New Deal Cafe. October 10, 2007. http://www.newdealcafe.com/about/documents/2007/business-plan.php. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ Ngbea, Marcus (2007-11-01), "New Deal Café makes cuts to stay open", Maryland Gazette, http://www.gazette.net/stories/110107/greenew170540_32371.shtml
- ^ Hopkinson, Natalie (2001-06-14), "Co-op Cafe Is Struggling to Survive", The Washington Post, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-445859.html
- ^ McGill, Natalie (2008-04-10). "Renovations bring hope for new start at Greenbelt cafe". Maryland Gazette. http://www.gazette.net/stories/041008/greenew180335_32357.shtml. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ^ Tousignant, Kristi (2008-06-19), "New Deal Café hires culinary expert", Maryland Gazette, http://www.gazette.net/stories/061908/prinnew183744_32371.shtml
- ^ Woods, Bay (2008-06-26), "The New Chef, Karim Kmaiha, Is the New Deal's New Deal", Greenbelt News Review: pages 1,10, http://www.greenbeltnewsreview.com/issues/GNR20080626.pdf
External Links
Coordinates: 39°0′10.12″N 76°52′35.51″W / 39.0028111°N 76.8765306°W
Categories:- Consumers' cooperatives
- Cooperatives in the United States
- Restaurants in Maryland
- Greenbelt, Maryland
- Buildings and structures in Prince George's County, Maryland
- Maryland stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
