Welcome to the updated Caffeination Cascadia! Since I started writing weekly on the topic of Pacific Northwest coffee culture in July of 2013, I’ve covered more Northwest beans, brews, cafés and customs than I could have imagined. Yet through it all, I’ve realized that the people behind all these components are the main forces driving the evolution of coffee in our region. As such, as promised in my first post of 2016, this year I’ll be shifting to focus more heavily on profiling the diverse range of roasters, baristas, dreamers and doers that make Northwest coffee what it is today and what it will be tomorrow. Given that local cafés are also influenced by winemakers, brewers, distillers, chefs and more, I’ll be incorporating talks with influencers in industries that overlap with coffee as well.
This week, I had a chance to chat with Henri Schock of the recently opened Mr. West Cafe Bar, which welcomes downtown Seattle’s workers and residents alike from morning to night at the corner of 7th Avenue and Olive. At Mr. West, gorgeous lifestyle magazines greet entrants at the door, bouquets of freshly-cut flowers are wrapped up in paper and ready to purchase, Odesza throbs through the speakers as light streams through the big banks of windows and lively patrons snack and sip on baguette sandwiches, fancy yogurt parfaits and all manner of coffee drinks.
Schock, along with his wife and business partner Soni, also own local favorite wine bar Bottlehouse. Here, he talks small business, innovation and, of course, coffee.
How did the idea for Mr. West come about? Why did you choose the coffee shop and bar combination, rather than focusing on one or the other?
Soni and I are big neighborhood people. Our first location, Bottlehouse, is all neighborhood, tucked away between the quaint residential streets of Madrona. When looking downtown, specifically in the area Mr. West resides (Denny Triangle), we realized that the neighborhood was drastically underserved… We identified that what this neighborhood really needs is a quick, friendly café to serve craft coffee, beer and wine, as well as delicious grab-and-go snacks. This place also needed to be morphing throughout the day, from a coffee shop by morning, to a cafe by afternoon, to a bar by evening. All these elements were needed and wanted in that area, and we decided to wrap it all up in one concept.
Has anything surprised you about executing on the café/bar concept?
This is truly three businesses wrapped into one. It is a huge operation, one that, from the outside, looks seamless, but that is because it takes a lot of organization and planning to achieve that. We’ve made it work, but definitely a new challenge to work with.
What is the best part about running Mr. West? The most challenging?
I love having such a positive impact on the community. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people who live and work in the area that come up to me and say, “We have needed this for so long.” I love hearing that, and it makes us feel like we are part of something greater then the business itself. That is what it is all about. The most challenging is the hours. We have great people in place that keep the business running throughout the day, and without them this business wouldn’t be where it is today.
What is your favorite thing about Northwest coffee culture?
I love that people love coffee so much here. It still baffles me that two coffee shops across the street from each other can be successful. That doesn’t work for any other business outside of coffee—maybe it does for breweries or distillers, but that is different. The coffee culture is definitely changing in Seattle, and I think for the good. What was once “trendy” in coffee, is no longer. Today, roasters are going for a lighter, more nuanced flavor profile in coffee… I feel any new trends we see in coffee come with open arms.
Favorite coffee drink
Right now I’m drinking a lot of cortados. A cortado is basically shots of espresso, finished with a small amount of steamed milk. They should always be ordered “for here” in a 4- to 5-ounce clear glass. The texture of the milk is rich and frothy, with just enough to balance the shots of spro. You don’t see cortados a lot in Seattle, but you will. Definitely try one at your local coffee shop, or stop in to Mr. West. We have one of the best in the city!
