I started up and ran a death centric cafe in downtown Grand Rapids from Febrary 2021 to September 2023. While it is no longer around, I feel I need to honor it’s existence somewhere on my personal page. It was a space that made it safe for conversations around death, dying, and our own mortality. It was also the embodiment of who I am, which is a traveler, chef, and someone who appreciates deeper conversations around life.

It was in this space that allowed me to find a creative space for my culinary adventures and showcase Vietnamese coffee, which is something not seen at coffeeshops in the United States. This space was also used for events that catered around death and dying. We would host Cafe Mortels, conversations with lawyers, grief groups, family board game nights, and even fun hands on stuff like learning how to vermicompost and build little planters complete with a tiny headstone. There was a little library with a range of books for kids on up to elderly. It included graphic novels, non-fiction, self help, LGBTQ, and even coloring books in every cozy nook complete with markers and crayons. Every quarter we would collaborate with Little Space Studio to host Art Markets. We also hosted weddings and other events for the local community including the Local First organization. This place was really cool and my team and I did great things here.

It’s tragic that it couldn’t become fully actualized. There were SO many more things I wanted to do! But such is life and the way of things. The building was sold and it was my choice to move on.