Hello! For those of you who don't know The Remedy Cafe or its owners (yet!), here's a little background information on them and their business.

The Remedy Cafe opened its doors in July of 2005. It was the culmination of five years of daydreaming and active research on the part of its owners.

Alisa and Gerard Garcia (partners in both business and life) combined their passion for everything coffee and tea related. Their love of entertaining to create a friendly, comfortable and inspiring atmosphere, reminiscent of a small European cafe.

While traveling throughout Europe, Alisa and Gerard were struck by how Europeans appeared to be so much more relaxed than their American counterparts and attributed it, at least in part, to how much more time they spent socializing with family, friends and neighbors in cafes, bars and restaurants. For many, this time spent away from home and work seemed to be a daily ritual.

When the couple moved to Bloomfield after 15 years of living in Manhattan and working at high pressure careers (Alisa was a controller for an architectural and interior design firm and Gerard was an architectural photographer and a lighting specialist), opening a cafe together seemed the logical choice for a career change. Not only did they want to slow their lives down, they were eager to provide a place where warm conversation (or quiet time) and great food and drinks could help others unwind and rejuvenate.

Alisa was born in Japan to a Japanese mother, and has been enjoying loose leaf teas and herbal drinks since childhood (mostly green teas, genmaicha, barley teas and the like). As an adult she discovered that there were hundreds of different types of teas and tisanes to be tried and enjoyed and she has been happily sampling new teas since that revelation.

Gerard's father spent some time as a maitre'd in an Italian restaurant in New Jersey and Gerard was introduced to, and fascinated by, espresso and espresso machines at a very young age. As an adult he bought a French Press in Europe and discovered that coffee could have many nuances when prepared the proper way and since that time he has been exploring coffees from many regions (Africa, India, South America, etc.).

Both Alisa and Gerard hope that each customer leaves The Remedy Cafe relaxed, rejuvinated and with a smile!