I hope that if you have already made it this far then you will make it through this entire post (even though it is a little lengthy). It has taken me almost a year to realize what I want to say ... even if I am just now writing it down. If you know me well, then you know that a huge passion (in addition to photography) is coffee. It has been something on my heart even longer than photography has been. I have been fortunate to experience incredible coffee around the world, unlike I had ever experienced at home. It has always been a dream to be able to share that same experience with people in a larger setting. About a year ago, I suddenly realized that my life would change more that it had in years. There was a stirring in my soul for some time that I hadn't really shared with anyone. I remember the spot that I was sitting in, the scenery around me, and I can still smell what it smelled like the day I realized that photography wouldn't be my only "job" for the next season in my life.
So here comes the news...
As of next Monday, September 19th (thats right a week from today) I will be opening Café Cohen, a premier espresso bar and coffee shop. It is something that has been in the works for months and I am excited that it is actually here (and that I can finally talk about it). The shop will be inside of Great Harvest Bread Company of Acadiana. When I was dreaming of where I would put a shop in Lafayette, I wanted to do something non-traditional. I wanted to do something that you would normally see in a bigger city, and show that it is something than can be done here as well. I wanted to partner with a company whose products and customer service aligned with what I envisioned in creating a coffee shop. I could not have imagined a better company in Lafayette than Great Harvest and it is really a honor for Michelle & JP to invite me to partner with them. They take more care in their products, customers, and employees than almost anyone else I know.
Monday, September 19th will be our first day of operation and drinks will be free all day. We will also have a Grand Opening on September 24th where we will again be serving drinks for free all day. I hope that you can come by one of those days to enjoy a cup of coffee on me and see what I have been secretly up to the last several months.
What's NOT going to change: I am still as passionate as ever about photography. This change will not affect anything for past, present, or future clients. I will still be shooting all of my present weddings as well as taking on new clients. I am excited about every wedding that I have coming up. I will still be working on commercial work, portraits, and as always shooting personal work. I know my best work is still ahead of me and by shooting more selectively it will only enhance my creativity.
What IS going to change: The biggest change will be that I will reduce the amount of new weddings/commercial/portrait work that I will be taking on. This means that going from 50+ weddings a year to 10-20 weddings. Naturally I will be in and out of the office a bit, or rather I will be spending a lot of time at my new office :)
Our hours will be the same as Great Harvest's which is Monday-Thursday 7am-6pm, Friday 7am-5pm, and Saturday 7am-4pm. Café Cohen is located in Great Harvest at 854 Kaliste Saloom Rd (across from Fresh Pickins).
The new Café Cohen website is www.cafecohen.com. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cafecohen or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/cafecohen. This is where you can find out all of our info, updates, as well as specials. Feel free to email, call, etc if you have any questions at all or leave a comment on this blog post below. I would really love to hear from you.
This journey has been more and more about me realizing that my identity isn't about whether I am a photographer, coffee shop owner, or any other profession that I may find myself in. My identity comes from a place not on this earth and I am continually being shaped by those around me. I just want to say thanks to everyone who has supported me in the last 8 years since I started and I cant wait to see what the next season of my life will look like.
Blessings. Jason.