Restaurant closures in Iqaluit tea up new café for success
He thought about opening a restaurant or a ramen bar, but Joseph Szakacs settled on starting a café after taking careful stock of Iqaluit's food scene.
Szakacs won't be buying a deep fryer, but an espresso machine.
The Black Heart Café will open in early March on Federal Road, building 1405.
"This is a much needed place in our community," Szakacs said. "There's a bit of a void in the market right now, for a standalone café business. We want to bring forward a unique and exceptional coffee experience, something you'd be able to get anywhere else in the world."
In the past year, Baffin Deli, the Plateau Café, and the Waters' Edge Seafood and Steakhouse, Kickin' Caribou Pub all closed.
"I think that created a really good opportunity for us," Szakacs said.
He wants to provide healthy breakfast and lunch options, including pastries, sandwiches on house-made bread, soups and salads.
"Really hearty, comfort, friendly food, easy to approach, not too complicated, but things you can come back to and have consistency," he said.
A 'lifelong dream'
Szakacs moved to Iqaluit seven years ago to work as a chef at the Frobisher Inn. Since then, he's spent time with Waters' Edge, the Qayuqtuvik Food Centre and Nunavut Tourism.
Owning a restaurant has been a "lifelong dream" and he started the process to get the Black Heart running about a year ago — in September he rented the current space and began converting it from offices.
Szakacs said the biggest hurdle was the back and forth with the City of Iqaluit over water — it takes a lot of water to brew coffee and the city wanted to ensure the café's water consumption was well-managed.
There's a full kitchen, which he hopes will allow him to offer catering. He wants the café to be used as a venue for everything from corporate events to birthdays parties.
The café will have seating for 45 people, local art for sale will hang on the yellow walls, and there will be a corner with kids' toys.
The café won't sell alcohol but Szakacs said he eventually wants to experiment with keeping it open into the evening as an alternative to bars and restaurants. Free Wi-Fi isn't coming anytime soon either, but Szakacs says it will be something he'll work toward.
The name Black Heart comes from the idea that coffee is black and the bean is removed from the red cherry "heart" of the plant. It's also a nod to his passion for coffee, Szakacs said.
The café is now in its final steps before opening its doors. He's thinking of opening hours from around 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.
Once the fire marshal does a final inspection,Szakacs will start looking for local hires.
