This summer, Giulietta Carrelli, who started San Francisco's artisanal toast trend, opened the third branch of Trouble Coffee at 1545 Willow Street in West Oakland, cA, after a year of planning.
The West Oakland branch of Trouble is similar to her cafes in San Francisco as it serves thick slabs of toast, custom blends of intelligentsia coffee, Thai coconuts, and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Trouble Coffee's famous toast is available with cinnamon and butter, Nutella, or peanut butter and honey. This toast reminds Carrelli of the toast her mom made her when she was little! This was the diet the self described artist and punk rocker relied on during her battle with schizophrenia. Throughout her 20's, she was in and out of hospitals and even periods of homelessness.
One place Carrelli used to hang out at was China Beach. She used to talk to a man named Glen who escaped from Germany as a young jewish boy with his twin sister during WWII. He was the one who recommended she go to city hall and see if they had information about opening a small business, which she did!
Carrelli opened Trouble back in 2007 in San Francisco with $1,000 she borrowed from friends. Trouble started in a smelly, cramped former dog grooming business! The man, Glen, who helped her realize her dream and potential, lived to see Trouble open, but died that same year. Since then, she has developed each new cafe to represent a specific time in her life.
The word trouble was used as the name for Carrelli's cafe because it is a word she uses frequently to refer to her psychotic episodes.
There is no internet at this cafe. Also, there is no menu, so ask for help when ordering! Carrelli wants to create community where people actually talk to each other, and not just hang out and look at computer screens.
Resources:
Trouble Cafe
1545 Willow Street
Oakland, CA
West Oakland, CA
(510) 735-9214
More information on Carrelli's story can be found by reading the article below:
A Toast Story- How did Toast Become the Latest Artisanal Craze? January 13, 2014
http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/toast-story-latest-artisanal-food-craze-72676
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