For some people, life is nurtured by a special connection with some higher power.
For others, that higher power is none other than coffee.
For Vanessa Ortiz, in a way, it’s about both.
Ortiz fell in love at a Dunkin’ Donuts in his native San Juan, Puerto Rico. Not with the product precisely, but with Eliezer, the man who would become her husband for more than 25 years.
“He was the store manager and we got together really young,” Ortiz says of their caffeinated love affair, “and we always said that one day we would open a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise together.”
They ended up with a self-titled indie: Vanessa’s Coffee Shop, with two locations in Central Florida.
Vanessa’s coffee isn’t Dunkin’, but based on the crowds I saw during my visits to her Lake Nona establishment, a very respectable number of locals depend on the coffee brewed there.
They keep things lively in this rustic, modern enclave and clearly made for socializing. The Lake Nona store opened in January, the first location is in Saint St. Cloud, but the menus are similar, serving dishes that span the brunchverse with both Latino and American sensibilities, in a space that’s subtly infused with her family’s devotion to God.
Ortiz and her husband felt called to serve in the church from a very young age, serving missions in Latin America for 12 years, becoming pastors, which they still do today, but there is nothing incredibly overt about their spirituality in the establishment.
“We just wanted to create a space where people felt comfortable and could enjoy that cup of coffee while feeling at home,” says Ortiz.
She attributes much of the place’s look and feel to her family’s love of Amish country and her desire to create a homey Puerto Rican atmosphere coupled with her hope that those who visit will also feel God’s universal love.
They’re sure to love pancakes that are fluffy and, if you like, layered with fresh fruit, compote, and whipped cream. The portions here are not for gaming, and that’s by design.
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“We have three children,” explains Ortiz. “And every time we went to restaurants, we always ordered to share.” “We want people to share when they come to Vanessa’s,” says Ortiz.
It’s hard not to, because you may want to over-order. Sandwiches, the sugar-dusted Mallorca with its tender egg bread and savory egg entrails, or the Midnight, are plentiful. The former’s tightly rolled bread, a soft, sweet staple in Puerto Rico, particularly at breakfast, is also available for purchase over the counter.
Healthier options, like the salmon brunch (available at any time), are as explicit in color and freshness as any more naughty items on the menu, of which there are plenty. Specialty coffees, cups smeared with chocolate or Nutella and garnished with add-ins like nuts, sprinkles, cookies, and then loaded with foamy whipped cream, are sinful.
Dressed much less provocatively, the pudding, a Puerto Rican bread pudding, was my favorite among the desserts made on the premises. He is chaste in appearance only, I assure you, and along with a scorching shot or two of espresso, he speaks to the heart of Ortiz’s ideology without a sound, transcending into something that is simple, beautiful, and divine as well.
What: Vanessa’s Coffee Shop
Where: 9474 Narcoossee Road in Orlando and 3350 Canoe Creek Road in St. Cloud
Information: vanessascoffeeshop.com
This story was originally published on the Orlando Sentinel by the journalist Amy Drew Thompson. The translation was carried out by the journalist José Javier Pérez.
Latin and American snacks that get the job done at Vanessa’s Coffee Shop | Review