PERFECT BLEND: Brown brings Café Dâvina to Suffolk

Published 5:19 pm Tuesday, August 29, 2023

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Serving a pure blend of coffee and crepes, Café Dâvina adds more flavor to the downtown scene. Located at the Pinner House Bed and Breakfast at 231 Pinner St, Café Dâvina offers a rich selection of coffee and delicious crepes while indulging in the Pinner House’s European-styled architecture, including a fountain garden for a relaxing day. Owner of Café Dâvina Melody Brown talked about what visitors can expect from the menu.

At Café Dâvina coffee bar and crêperie, visitors can expect to find a handcrafted, traditional Italian espresso menu with sweet and savory French crepes,” Brown detailed. “In addition, we serve avocado toast with all the fixings on sourdough bread.”

Brown also detailed more on both sweet and savory crepes. Sweet crepes such as strawberry Nutella, lemon, and crème are available, and savory crepes such as the Croque Madame, Caprese, Turkey, and Cranberry and Brie are available. She notes that the crepes are heavily Italian-inspired with their flavor pairings.

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The Croque Madame is our most popular savory crepe,” Brown expressed. “It is served with a filling of melted Gruyere cheese, Dijon mustard, and black forest ham and topped with a béchamel sauce, fried egg and dressed baby arugula.” 

Brown reflected on working in the coffee industry for nearly a decade and the shop’s humble beginnings as a mobile trailer in 2020.

“My father, Allyn Brown, bought and flipped a vintage concession trailer for me, and it had been a passion project going to some signature Suffolk events like the Taste of Suffolk and the downtown Suffolk Farmers Markets serving specialty lattes,” Brown reflected. “Café Dâvina was born out of a desire to bring the community-driven, third wave coffee experience with lovely surroundings here at The Pinner House Boutique Bed and Breakfast owned and operated by my mother, Kris Brown.”

On the journey to where they are now, Brown expressed that four months into her business has been an “amazing experience.”

“We have been blown away by the community’s support,” Brown said. “We enjoy sharing the history of The Pinner House with my hometown.”

Brown says that owning and operating a coffee shop has been an interest of hers since downtown had Rosa’s Coffee Cantina, a specialty coffeehouse in 2011, where she was a regular patron. After getting her first job as a barista and server at Simply Susan’s Bakery, Brown says that she has been serving coffee ever since and loves every aspect of it.

“I love that local coffee houses are hubs for the community to find connection, and I love experimenting behind the bar on new and interesting beverages,” she said.

Brown said that she and the staff are committed to making customers feel welcome while introducing them to coffee culture. She added that Café Dâvina is where visitors can meet up or catch up with old friends, chat with the barista about life, or even sit quietly and enjoy the scenery by the cafe’s fountain garden.

“Something we are passionate about as a brand is supporting other small businesses, so the community regularly enjoys specialty pop-up events featuring local artists, vintage curators, and more.” she says.

Finally, Brown expressed the biggest hopes of what visitors will take away from the cafe.

“We hope that visitors will take away from their experience at Cafe Davina a sense of community, a tidbit of history of Suffolk, and a little more knowledge about the coffee,” she ended.