April 4, 2017 – Cat & Cloud coffee is teaming up with Companion Bakeshop to open in the new Abbott Square marketplace at the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz.
“They are two great local Santa Cruz businesses that we are thrilled to have at Abbott Square,” says project developer John McEnery IV.
In addition to Cat & Cloud’s addictive espresso drinks, the market stall will feature Companion’s breads, pastries, cookies and breakfast items beginning early in the morning.
“We wanted our second shop to be in downtown Santa Cruz and it’s an awesome location. I love it,” says Chris Baca, who owns Cat & Cloud together with Jared Truby and Charles Jack. “It’s a new concept for Santa Cruz so it should be really successful.”
Individual by-the-cup brews will be available at the new downtown location, along with signature drinks like the cold “Creamy Beige” made with sweetened condensed milk and Cat & Cloud’s own version of Bulletproof coffee—as well as packaged coffee and merchandise. A small oven will be used for all day cookie baking, providing a backdrop of tantalizing aromas.
Third wave coffee roaster Cat & Cloud is a relative newcomer, opening its first bricks and mortar shop on Portola Avenue in the Pleasure Point neighborhood of Santa Cruz late last year. (Read EMB’s profile here: https://ediblemontereybay.com/online-magazine/winter-2016/edible-notables-cat-cloud/) Companion Bakeshop is a longtime favorite at local farmers’ markets and has operated its bakery/coffee shop on the westside of Santa Cruz since 2010.
Another vendor—Veg on the Edge—will also be open early for the breakfast crowd with fresh juices and smoothies.
McEnery also announced that the historic Octagon building on Abbott Square will house The Kitchen at the Octagon—a new project by chef Santos Marano and his wife Laura who also run The Kitchen at Discretion. The Kitchen at the Octagon will be run by Dare Arowe, currently sous chef at Discretion.
A soft opening of the marketplace is set for late May, with Grand Opening festivities being planned for early June. The Octagon part of the project is expected to open by the end of the year.
Abbott Square has just launched a new website detailing all the food and drink options, as well as upcoming community activities. www.abbottsquare.org
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
