Cafe Gitane at 30 Years

Summary

All Of It Podcast Summary: "Cafe Gitane at 30 Years"

Podcast Information:

• Title: All Of It
• Host: Alison Stewart
• Producer: WNYC
• Description: ALL OF IT is a show about culture and its consumers, engaging thinkers, doers, makers, and creators to explore the what and why of their work within the vibrant cultural landscape of New York City.

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Introduction

In the December 5, 2024 episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart celebrates the 30th anniversary of Cafe Gitane, a beloved Lower Manhattan establishment that has become an integral part of Nolita’s cultural fabric. The episode features an in-depth discussion with Luke Levy, the owner of Cafe Gitane, and Isabelle Lola Brown, the author of a newly released book titled Cafe Gitane at 30 Years, which chronicles the cafe's history, its impact on the community, and includes personal stories, recipes, and photographs.

Background of Cafe Gitane

Alison Stewart introduces the significance of Cafe Gitane, noting its pivotal role before Nolita became a recognized neighborhood. Established in 1994, the cafe provided a sanctuary for artists, creatives, and locals seeking a place to relax, enjoy quality food, and foster community connections. The episode delves into how Cafe Gitane became a cornerstone for the creative energy that later defined Nolita.

The 30th Anniversary and Book Launch

Celebrating three decades, Cafe Gitane has not only survived but thrived, maintaining its relevance through consistent quality and authentic atmosphere. Alison Stewart highlights the launch of Isabelle Lola Brown’s book, which compiles the restaurant's origin story through interviews with patrons, staff, and key figures who contributed to its success. The book also features cherished recipes like avocado toast, grilled eggplant, and Moroccan couscous.

Isabelle Lola Brown shares her personal connection to the cafe:

“I grew up going to this cafe and I've seen it change, not that much, but I’ve seen it evolve over the last 22 years of my life” (03:13).

Personal Reflections

Luke Levy reflects on the validation the book brings to Cafe Gitane’s legacy:

“It's been validated with the book. So it's something that's been, it's concrete now” (02:08).

He expresses mixed feelings about the milestone but remains optimistic about the cafe’s future:

“Hopefully, we'll have this conversation in 30 more years” (02:34).

Isabelle Lola Brown reminisces about the personal relationships fostered at the cafe:

“The same chef who's been there since I was literally six months old, the same dishwasher... there’s so much continuity” (03:19).

Cafe Gitane's Influence on Nolita

The conversation shifts to Cafe Gitane’s role in shaping Nolita. Isabelle recounts how the cafe served as a social hub, transforming into a "social club" where patrons could connect deeply:

“You could be alone, and by the time you leave, four hours later, you're with 10 people” (11:24).

Luke Levy elaborates on the creative influx the cafe attracted:

“The creative people in the neighborhood was amazing, amazingly so” (07:00).

He credit’s the cafe’s authentic vibe and community focus for its lasting appeal:

“To stay real... that’s the main thing” (03:28).

Community Stories and Listener Interactions

Listeners contribute anecdotes highlighting Cafe Gitane’s impact. Stories include cherished memories of first dates, vibrant menus, and the cafe’s role in fostering international connections. One listener shares:

“I spent my twenties enjoying their vibrant menu and having many wonderful first dates and dates with friends” (09:32).

Another inquiry addressed the potential expansion of Cafe Gitane into Red Hook, Brooklyn:

“...there are two new G10 on the works. And LA is more... so I have two new G10 on the works” (10:11).

Future Plans for Cafe Gitane

Looking ahead, Luke Levy discusses plans for expanding Cafe Gitane to other locations, including Los Angeles and potentially Red Hook, Brooklyn:

“I'm working on that. The point being that I'm working also in LA, so I have two new G10 on the works” (10:11).

He emphasizes maintaining the cafe’s authenticity and welcoming atmosphere in new ventures:

“It's just a mix, you know, where I've mixed some of the dishes... and then other dishes... there is a feel of Morocco” (13:08).

Conclusion

The episode concludes with anticipation for the book launch celebration scheduled for December 13th at Cafe Gitane. Alison Stewart invites listeners to engage with the community by sharing their own Cafe Gitane stories via call-ins and social media.

Isabelle Lola Brown reflects on the enduring legacy of the cafe:

“It was literally Luke and the Mafia... they were fine with it” (12:17).

Luke Levy appreciates the ongoing support and shared memories that have solidified Cafe Gitane as a cherished institution in Nolita:

“I'm focusing more on that. And in time, Red Hook will... it’s been long enough” (10:42).

Key Takeaways

• Authenticity and Consistency: Cafe Gitane’s success is attributed to its genuine atmosphere and unwavering commitment to quality, both in food and community experience.

• Cultural Hub: The cafe has been instrumental in fostering creative connections, serving as a social epicenter that nurtured the growth of Nolita’s cultural scene.

• Community Engagement: Listener stories and interactions underscore the deep personal connections that patrons have with Cafe Gitane, highlighting its role beyond just a restaurant.

• Future Expansion: Plans for new locations reflect the desire to extend the cafe’s legacy while maintaining its authentic and welcoming spirit.

Notable Quotes

• Isabelle Lola Brown: “Everyone described it really as a social club more than anything interesting” (11:22).
• Luke Levy: “To stay real... that’s the main thing” (03:28).
• Listener Howard: “I had a lot of friends who worked and lived there... we would share a bottle of Sauternes” (18:34).

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This comprehensive discussion encapsulates Café Gitane's enduring legacy, its pivotal role in shaping Nolita’s cultural landscape, and the heartfelt connections it fosters within the community. Whether you're a long-time patron or new to Cafe Gitane, this episode offers a rich exploration of what makes this establishment a cherished landmark in Lower Manhattan.

Transcript

[WNYC Studios]

Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Before there was an area known as Nolita, if you were downtown and you wanted a break, coffee, maybe something to eat, you could head over and grab a seat at Cafe gitam for its 30th anniversary. A new book spotlights the institution's origin story and explains how it became part of the cultural fabric of Lower Manhattan in the 90s and early aughts through interviews with patrons, wait staff and the individuals who helped build the restaurant into what it is today. There's also a few recipes for avocado toast, grilled eggplant and Moroccan couscous. As it is explained in the book, a big part of what makes Cafe Gitane special is its atmosphere, where customers can sit and hang out for hours, created by the own owner. And my next guest, Luke Levy. In the foreword, he states that their one job is to, quote, feed the people and make them happy. The book is titled Cafe 30 Years. And the owner of the cafe, Luke Levy, is here. Nice to talk to you.

[Luke Levy]

Hi.

[Alison Stewart]

And the author of the book, Isabelle Lola Brown, are here to discuss ahead of the book's launch celebration next Friday, December 13th at Cafe Gitane at 242 Mott Street. Isabel, nice to meet you as well. Hi, thanks for having us listeners. We want to hear from you. Have you been to Cafe Gitane on Mott Street Street? Are you a regular? How did you first discover it? What's your favorite dish to order? Have you ever spotted anybody famous there? Share your best Cafe Giton stories. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. You can call in and join our conversation or you can text to us at that number or hit us up on social media at all of it. WNYC 2124-339692-21243. W n y C so Luke, let's just start with the big question. Your 30th anniversary, what does it mean to you personally?

[Luke Levy]

It's. Well, first, it's somehow it has been validated with the book. So it's something that it's been, it's concrete now and I don't know, I have mixed feelings. I think it's something that it would be more in retrospect. So perhaps we'll have this conversation in 30 more years. Hopefully. Hopefully.

[Alison Stewart]

What does it mean for you?

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

Well, I grew up going to this cafe and I've seen it change, not that much, but I've seen it evolve over the last 22 years of my life. So for me, the most fun thing is walking in, in the morning and seeing a group of people that I love, my friends there. When it used to be 20 years ago, I would go in and see family, friends, and seeing that shift and walking. And then also seeing, you know, the same chef who's been there since I was literally six months old, the same dishwasher, Luke, It's. There's so much dishwasher.

[Luke Levy]

I'm not the dishwasher anymore. I used to be. Yeah, I gave up the title.

[Alison Stewart]

Why do you think Cafe Gitane has stayed relevant and beloved for three decades?

[Luke Levy]

I think the main. The main thing that has been like a focus, really, that I've been focused on all these years, and I think that could answer. Is that to stay real. Yeah, in every sense. And I think that the main. My main focus that the key to the place. So at every level, whether it's when I built the place and I designed the place and so on, there was not in any way like, okay, I'm going to be like, this cafe in Paris or this place or this. It was just, okay, how do I feel? How would I want. What would I want to put on this wall, et cetera, et cetera, objects that I liked and so on. And then at every level, the people that are higher, are they sincere in a way that they're not putting on the whole act? And all the way down the line, it's just really. I think that would be the main thing. And more so now where I feel that it's needed more than ever to bring that out, to stay real. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Isabel, what did the idea to put this book together? It's this big, gorgeous photo book and.

[Listener]

Stories as well, and recipes as well.

[Alison Stewart]

Where did the idea come from?

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

It was my college thesis.

[Alison Stewart]

It was your college thesis?

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

Yeah. I was in school at Bennington in Vermont. It was my sophomore year, and I had just interned for Gia Tolentino, who was a software at the New Yorker. And I was getting to shadow a lot of her interviews and transcribe them. And I loved getting to watch and see and learn from her. And I wanted to kind of take on a project after that internship of my own. And I thought if there was anyone I was going to interview, it would be the staff at Cafe Gitan, just because I grew up going there, and I knew so many of the stories, but I knew there were a lot more. So first I interviewed the chef, David, thinking it would Be an article. And I asked him about his story. And we sat in the cafe, he was cooking and he would have to, you know, we sat at a table, he'd have to get up every few minutes to make an order, come back, we'd keep going. And then I interviewed Luke. And then all of a sudden everybody wanted to be interviewed. And I was like, this is not gonna be an article. And like 300 pages later, I was like, okay, I think this might be a book.

[Listener]

My guests are Luc Levy and Isabelle Lola Brown. We are talking about Cafe Gitane 30 years ago. 30 years anniversary, I should say. The book is out now. Listeners, we want to hear from you. Have you been to Cafe Gitane on Mott Street?

[Alison Stewart]

Are you a regular?

[Listener]

How did you first discover it? 2124-339692-22433 wnyc. Let's go back to 1994. There is no Lolita around.

[Luke Levy]

No, no, Nolita, I think came, I would say, about two or three years later. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

In the early beginnings, what inspired you to open Cafe Chetin?

[Luke Levy]

It was just like a feel, you know, I go a lot by feelings and so on. And it's just the first location having that wall, the church wall, the wall of the old St. Patrick's Cathedral that it really felt like to do a cafe. There was nothing else that I would think of. And the place felt. It just felt peaceful. It still does it a certain sound. It feels like a bubble. But mostly it's the people, the creative people in the neighborhood was amazing, amazingly so. Some of it lived on the Bowery and some of it lived around that, on Elizabeth Street, Mulberry street, and so on. But the level of it was unreal, really. They were not known yet. But I was mentioning it to Isabel earlier, you knew, and they knew that somehow they would make it. They were fine with it. That there was no. Yes, of course, there was the struggle of being an artist and being creative. But there was no doubt in their mind about being known as achieving whatever their goals were. And there was amazing amount of creative people and people who later on became all in their respective fields known and acknowledged.

[Listener]

And so, yeah, what did you want to serve when you lived down there?

[Luke Levy]

At first, yes, I had no clue. But truly, truly, because my. I love food, I love good food. I recognize good food, I enjoy good food. But really my whole thing was on design of designing the place and making it comfortable, which was really very, very important to me. And about feeling in the neighborhood and so on. And Then the food part started to hit me. Like, whoa. I have no kitchen. I have no tools to work with. I just had bought a little Black and Decker toaster oven. So now what do I do? And I was really, really fortunate to meet my consultant. And she's more than a consultant. She's a friend of mine, a longtime friend of mine. Her name is Chloe Osborne, and she's the one who came up with all these incredible recipes and food, and she's really. I give her total credit for that. Yeah.

[Listener]

Let's read some texts. We love Cafe Gitane. It absolutely created Nolita and brought so many interesting people together. Our favorite dish is the palm salad with salmon. Someone else said, I lived there in the mid-90s, loved to meet friends there. It was like our living room. Relaxed and good food and coffee. It says, I can't believe gitane is now 30. I was nearly floored to hear that. I spent my twenties enjoying their vibrant menu and having many wonderful first dates and dates with friend. Many good memories on Mott Street. And Sami has a question. Is there a plan to open Cafe Gitane in Red Hook, Brooklyn? Months ago, a logo appeared on the window, but no activity. Mysterious.

[Luke Levy]

No, no, it's a fact. It's going to be. We are. I am working on that. The point being that I'm working also in LA, so I have two new G10 on the works. And LA is more. It's a larger. It's like a bigger kind of project. So I'm focusing more on that. And in time, Red Hook will. And hopefully soon anyhow. Yeah, it's been long enough.

[Listener]

Isabel. You know, I'm curious how the patrons and the staff talked to you about being in Cafe Chaton when it first opened in the 90s. That I remember it, too.

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

Everyone described it really as a social club more than anything interesting. You'd go there and you could be alone, and by the time you leave, four hours later, you're with 10 people. Five of them you knew, and five of them you met, and you all ran into each other. People describe it as. As a really beautiful place, pre technology.

[Listener]

Oh, interesting.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

And a lot. A lot of the people I talked to who. Who had been going there since opening day, opening week, opening year, really were reflecting on what that felt like to be at this place at such a peak moment in art and in the neighborhood and what that was like and how this cafe happened to feel like the center of gravity for all of those people and all of the projects they were doing.

[Alison Stewart]

It's sort of interesting how that person said how it created Nolita. What do you think about that?

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

Yeah, I mean, Inez, who's a fashion photographer. Inez and venue, they're amazing. They've been coming to the cafe forever. But a quote she said when I was interviewing her was, you know, she'd been in the neighborhood forever. And she said it was literally Luke and the Mafia.

[Luke Levy]

My dear friends.

[Listener]

Your dear.

[Alison Stewart]

My good, good friends.

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

And I thought that was really funny. And a lot of people had a very similar sentiment that, you know, it was a lot of men on folding chairs on the sidewalk, and it was a lot of the old Italians in the neighborhood. And Gitan was one of the first places that came in.

[Listener]

Yeah.

[Luke Levy]

If I may, on another level. Totally on another level is that the energy at that time was moving east. In other words, before that, most of the energy, creative energy and commercial energy and so on, was more in soho. So it was moving. There was like a natural feel towards that neighborhood. I mean, putting it at a different level. Yeah. Something to that effect.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Listener]

People can tell for your accent you're not from New York.

[Alison Stewart]

Where are you from originally?

[Luke Levy]

Morocco. From Casablanca.

[Alison Stewart]

And that was important to you to include in the cuisine? Yes.

[Luke Levy]

Yeah. Again, when I was describing about, you know, my sense of trying to stay real and things like that, it was not about, okay, I'm from Morocco, therefore I'm going to emulate my. All the Moroccan dishes and so on. And it was really. It's just a mix, you know, in other words, where I've mixed some of the dishes, some of my sister in law's dishes, some. And then other dishes, of course, that Chloe, that I mentioned before came up with. And there is a feel of Morocco. What I think is where I put more an emphasis on Morocco is on the welcoming side. It's something that's very important to me. It's been very dear to me that in terms of service and that I like to think that I have a staff that's very welcoming. So that's my Moroccan part.

[Listener]

Okay.

[Luke Levy]

You know, that's where I put. I went a little extra on that.

[Listener]

My guests are Luc Levy and Isabel Lola Brown. We are talking about Cafe 30 Years. That's the name of the book and it is the anniversary. I'm curious about what people liked to drink there. I mean, we talked about the food a little bit, but also what did people do? Would they go and just sit and drink coffee? Did they tell us a little bit about that?

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

Yeah, A lot of people I talked to who Were kind of the early inhabitors of the space said that it was the first place in the neighborhood you could get a good cup of coffee. That wasn't like a thing then. Right. And I think that's been very consistent. We've always had good coffee. And also, you know, the juices are fresh squeezed every morning. And the menu has been very consistent since the beginning. It hasn't changed very much. We've had the same orange juice, the same. There's no like syrup coffee type of things. Like, it hasn't gone in like a trendy type of way. And then in the evening it's more wines.

[Luke Levy]

I think also the big surprise was that we were probably the first one to have a watermelon juice, a fresh watermelon juice. And that people. That's like a big, big seller, A big part in the drinks. Yeah.

[Listener]

Truthfully, when you think about what it did to the neighborhood initially, who were the people who weren't so sure about having Cafe Gitane in the neighborhood?

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

Well, there's a funny story about Moby that I'll let Luke tell.

[Luke Levy]

I'll let you. You're much better at this than. Go ahead.

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

Well, you're gonna have to correct me, but I believe that while Luke was building the cafe, Moby approached him and said something along the lines of, you're ruining the neighborhood in a.

[Luke Levy]

Half joking, half joking.

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

But then he came back later as a customer often. And then I think he ended up opening his own tea shop nearby. So he must have been inspired.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, how did you do that? Balance of bringing something new to the neighborhood, but also retaining what the neighborhood was about.

[Luke Levy]

Well, the good part is that at that moment I had no experience. Really. Really, that was my biggest trend. So it's just as I came along, I really didn't know in advance what was going to happen. I didn't know in advance that all this creative bulk was existed. I didn't know about this energy that I spoke about that was moving from the Soho and so on. So I just did all the things I like to do and then I went along with it. What helped is that before that I have a strong visual background, photography and film and so on. So that sort of helped me connect, obviously, with all the creative people in the neighborhood. And it was really not something that I really thought of, digested and dwelt on. It was just. It really happened. Yeah. It's an interesting phenomenon in the book.

[Listener]

There's not only gorgeous pictures of the people who went there and people in the neighborhood. There's also really good recipes. Tell me what recipes you wanted to make sure were included in the book, Isabel.

[Isabelle Lola Brown]

The two that I knew had to be in there were the couscous because that's just a very iconic dish at the cafe, and the roasted chicken sandwich, which is basically everyone I know's favorite lunch dish in the world. So those were the priorities to me. And then we sort of filled in the gaps. The menu itself is pretty small, so we actually included a lot of recipes. We included the baked feta, the oranges and olives, the heart of palm salad, the grilled eggplant, the meatballs, the salmon. It's a majority of the entrees and appetizers actually.

[Listener]

Let's talk to Howard on line one. Hi, Howard, thanks for calling all of it.

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, hi. I'm very familiar with Nolita. Spent a lot of time there because I had a lot of friends who worked and lived there. One of my best friends had an Australian restaurant on Mulberry street. So I would go to Cafe Gatana, went to a lot of restaurants and bars of Nolita. I liked no Lead a lot. It had like a small scale feel to it and also had a, I wouldn't say such a creative crowd, but an international crowd. You met a lot of people from different countries in the neighborhood. And when my friends father would visit from Australia, he would invite me to sit outside Catan and we would share a bottle of Sauternes.

[Listener]

That's awesome. Thank you so much for calling in.

[Luke Levy]

Just one, if I may. Yes, again, as far as there's a little bit of a history with the Australian feel to it, is that Chloe, Chloe Osborne, my consultant, is Australian, so that there was a whole crowd, my original crowd, whether it was in the south or customers I had love Australians, New Zealanders and so on. We even had the I remember at the time Vegemite on the menu.

[Listener]

The book is titled Cafe 30 Years. I've been speaking with the owner Luc Levy and general manager and the author of the book, Isabel Lola Brown. There will be a celebration next Friday, December 13th at Cafe Dijon on 242 Mott Street. Thank you so much for coming in.

[Luke Levy]

Thank you, thank you.

[WNYC]

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