Coffee Cove in Deerfield Beach serves fresh-roasted coffee and pastries from a local bakery, but don't call it a café.
It's a "gathering spot," owner Jody Tobin says.
The new beach-themed coffee shop, which opened in late November, hosts open mic nights, art classes, and even Saturday morning cartoon sessions complete with big air mattresses and bean bags on the floor for the kids.
The goal was to create a gathering spot for locals from Boca to Pompano where people can "just chill, relax and be yourself," Tobin says. Turquoise walls, a handful of couches, armoires, a fully stocked bookshelf, and other reclaimed furniture pieces add to the cozy ambiance.
"It feels like home when they walk in because it's like a living room," Tobin said.
Tobin and his wife Stefanie, both Deerfield locals, each have backgrounds in the restaurant industry—Jody in back-of-house operations as a chef and Stefanie in customer service as a server. For the culinary couple, coffee has always been their morning wakeup call.
"We do coffee and yoga," he said. "Get up early in the mornings, see the sunrise, have our cup of coffee, then do our little morning workout."
It was over cups of coffee on the beach one morning that the couple decided, "We should really think about trying to create a gathering spot for the local community," Tobin said.
Because they wanted to bring that beach feel into the coffee shop, Coffee Cove isn't characterized by the usual dark hardwood decor.
"What we don't want to do is have the typical coffeehouse that's dark and dreary," Tobin said. "All of our colors represent the beach, different shades of blues and green, to focus on what's bright and vibrant."
The coffee shop also showcases local artists' work, most of which is ocean-themed or speaks to the couple's love of sea turtles. In fact, a portion of proceeds from the sales of the artwork will be donated to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and the Sea Turtle Conservancy.
Coffee Cove's offerings include coffee from Palm Beach Roasters, with iced coffee brews as their specialty; pastries and breads from Cusano's Bakery in Coconut Creek; and sun teas steeped on the window sill.
"Everything we do, we want to do local," Tobin said.
A few ice brewed favorites are the Jammin' Jamocha featuring chocolate syrup made with agave, the Chill Thrill with vanilla bean, the Kowabunga espresso shot with housemade caramel sauce, and Italian-style ice cream coffee floats called "affogato."
Locals looking for more than a cup of coffee can enjoy open mic nights with performances by musicians, magicians and comedians (even a 94-year-old doing standup has performed!), or special Crock-Pot dinners prepared by Tobin featuring slow-cooked dishes like 36-hour, marinated pork shoulder; housemade baked beans; and mac and cheese.
Coffee Cove also offers art classes perfect for date night, during which participants can follow along with an artist and paint coffee mugs, hats or other canvases.
As for those Saturday morning cartoons, expect old-school favorites like "Scooby Doo" and "The Flintstones" to be shown on the coffee shop's TV.
"When we grew up, that was our thing," Tobin said. "We noticed that just doesn't happen anymore."
Coffee Cove in Deerfield Beach serves fresh-roasted coffee and pastries from a local bakery, but don't call it a café. It's a "gathering spot," owner Jody Tobin says.
The new beach-themed coffee shop, which opened in late November, hosts open mic nights, art classes, and even Saturday morning cartoons complete with big air mattresses and bean bags on the floor for the kids.