Americans (and particularly Washingtonians) love coffee and they love cafes. You only have to look at the monopoly that Starbucks has created worldwide to see this phenomenon. But is the era of Big Coffee over? Is it possible that artisanal boutique coffee shops could be clawing back into the Green Giant’s market share the way craft breweries have surprised behemoth beverage conglomerates?
That’s where the Velazquez family has a unique edge. With their locally beloved coffee outposts, Baked & Wired located in the Georgetown neighborhood and A Baked Joint near Chinatown, they have shown over their 20 years of growth that their personal touches can be successful.
In 2019 the Velazquez family—Tony and Theresa and their adult children Tessa and Zak—opened La Betty restaurant next door to A Baked Joint.
Today Tessa Velazquez joins me on The Soul of Life to talk about their success taking a stab at Big Coffee in this caffeine-fueled city, surviving as a boutique café and restaurant during the pandemic, and of course, we’ll talk about some of your favorite things like baking, bread and flour, sweets, and our relationship to the work and art of food.
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