Carpe Cafe satisfies an appetite for arts
Carpe Cafe is more than a place to get a cup of coffee, although you can get a great dark chocolate raspberry mocha.
The new cafe in downtown Smyrna is an extension of Carpe Artista, a nonprofit looking to cultivate the arts and creativity through instruction, mentoring and arts programs.
“This is sort of the hub for that,” says Ron Alley, executive director of Carpe Artista. “The profits from the shop go to programs for Carpe Artista.”
The atmosphere is welcoming with touches of the unusual and mismatched furniture — all donated. The music changes throughout the day, from retro rock ‘n’ roll to current hits as artists apply paint to canvas and friends catch up at a corner table.
“You know how you see all the time where musicians or artists are sketching out their next big idea on a napkin?” asks Susan Gulley, one of Alley’s partners in Carpe Cafe. “This is that place. That’s the visual we have in our head for this place.”
Gulley says the coffee shop provides a relaxed atmosphere artists need to thrive and feel comfortable enough to create.
“We wanted to do something to build that community hometown place neighbors go to,” Alley says. “It’s a dual purpose. It’s a coffee shop, but it’s also an attempt to revitalize the area. We are working on a movement to create an arts district here.”
On the menu: More than a coffee shop, Carpe Cafe serves breakfast, including muffins, cinnamon rolls and a breakfast casserole, as well as sandwiches, soups, salads and sweets for later in the day.
The signature chicken salad is made with pineapple for a sweetness that makes it memorable. The Carpe Stack is the cafe’s club-style sandwich with turkey, roast beef, bacon, smoked Gouda and pickles.
You can also banish the chill with a savory soup such as tomato basil bisque, beef and vegetable, loaded cheesy potato, chicken tortilla, broccoli cheese and mulligatawny, a spicy Indian-style soup.
What’s the cost: Breakfast muffins are $2 and less, and breakfast sandwiches with baked egg soufflé and Canadian bacon on a wheat or English muffin are $3. You can also get a breakfast casserole with baked egg, cheese and ham for $3.
Cheese grits are served only on Saturday for $1.75 a serving.
Sandwiches are $5 and less. Soup is $2 for a cup and $5.50 for a bowl. Additional sides are $2 or $2.50.
Combo meals, with a half sandwich and cup of soup or side salad, are $5.50.
Desserts are $2.
What to know: Carpe Cafe is a programing arm of the larger non-profit arts organization, Carpe Artista. The mission for the coffee shop is to provide revenue for the instruction, materials and programing necessary to keep Carpe Artista going.
Currently the cafe staff is limited to mostly volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, contact Carpe Cafe.
Even if you don’t like traditional coffee, you can still find lots to love at Carpe Cafe. Try an infused tea, hot chocolate, iced coffee or soft drink.
Breakfast is served to 10 a.m. during the week, with lunch beginning at 11 a.m.
Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday
Carpe Cafe
115 Front St.
Smyrna
615-984-4040
Recent Comments