Friday was Day Two for Caffe Luxxe at Brentwood Country Mart, signaling a new era for coffeehouse co-owners Mark Wain and Gary Chau. If you’re unfamiliar with the Caffe Luxxe story, it all started at USC, where Wain and Chau attended school together. Chau visited Wain in Seattle and Wain, who was working at Microsoft, took him on a coffeehouse tour that convinced them to open a Seattle style coffeehouse with a "European sensibility" in L.A. They launched Caffe Luxxe in 2006, opening branches in Santa Monica and Brentwood before turning their attention to the mart.
Chau, the company’s Creative Director, previously lived in London for nine years, heading global marketing for Bacardi, and returned to the U.S. last November to work on Caffe Luxxe full-time. He redesigned the former Mrs. Beasley's space, which now resides next to Sweet Rose Creamery. Expect a retractable grey awning and patio seating out front. Inside, look for a communal counter made from a fallen Seattle elm and a stainless steel counter fastened with rivets, which Chau designed to look like airplane.
Wain is the duo’s coffee geek, and he’s utilizing a pair of shiny silver Synesso espresso machines. The company continues to pull shots of Espresso Vivace’s Testa Rossa espresso blend. Espresso options include espresso, macchiato, marocchino (a baby capp), shakerato (espresso, milk, ice, slightly sweetened and shaken) and caffe nico (espresso, candied orange, half and half and sprinkle of cinnamon).
They’ve also got a custom-built pourover bar that brews Indonesia Gajah Aceh, Ethiopia Amaro Gayo and Guatemala Finca El Injerto coffee.
In addition to coffee, Caffe Luxxe sells BREADBAR croissants, cookies and sandwiches; and Paulette Macarons in flavors like pistachio, lemon and banana.
The Caffe Luxxe owners plan to build a roasting facility, probably in the South Bay, where Wain will roast the company’s beans. Chau said the facility will have to be between 5,000 and 10,000 square feet. [The Feast LA]
