The thing I like most about having a blog is that I can incorporate personal entries amidst the professional ones. This one is about a coffee shop I love dearly on Commercial Drive. Renzo’s Cafe, located in my old building at Charles and Commercial, is an awesome place to eat, drink and be merry :) It resides in an iconic building and most people know which one it is as soon as I say “the one with the mural, right next to the park.” I lived above the coffee shop for three years and to this day, it is one of my favourite places I’ve ever lived in. Before passing the awesome location on to his son Andre to make HIS mark on Commercial Drive, Renzo made beautiful Italian custom suits for 53 years with Renzo’s Custom Tailors! A couple of years after I moved out, Renzo retired and Andre turned the beautiful space into a coffee shop (it is Commercial Drive, after all!). I loved paying Renzo visits while he was working on yet another fantastic suit and I love that there’s a high chance I’ll run into him now while stopping by for a coffee or just to say hello. It’s great seeing him in the same place but with a very different purpose – relaxing and enjoying a delicious cup of coffee. And speaking of coffee, it’s delicious. It’s delicious and it’s pretty.  I have spoken to many coffee drinkers and they all agree that Renzo’s Americano pretty much rocks! I’ll fully admit that I’m personally not a big coffee drinker but I sure do love looking at the lovely creations that come out of Renzo’s Cafe (they’re well known for the many ‘faces’ created in their coffees by their talented baristas). I love the varieties of food Andre offers and the personal touches to make them stand out from other coffee shops, such as free WiFi, gorgeous flowers or plants on each table every single day of the week, creative tip jars (they always change and they’re always a creative battle between two iconic characters or something as simple as ‘boys vs. girls’) .. and last but definitely not least, I even love the water! I know, it’s just water! But it’s delicious. Why have simple tap water when you can have water with fresh berries and lemon and mint in it? All in all, the place is spacious, with huge windows facing the park and definitely inviting.

A couple of days ago while stopping by for a visit and a cup of coffee, I remembered that I happened to have my camera on me (I was on my way to an engagement shoot). So, I decided to stop admiring the lovely creations and start capturing them! I have attached some photos of some of the colour, tasty treats. If you’re in the neighbourhood and in the mood for a coffee (the chance is that if you’re on Commercial Drive you probably ARE in the mood for coffee!), stop by for a drink .. or just to say hello :)

xo,