Cafe Zoe – a place to eat, sip, listen and talk

Kathleen Daly was good at ignoring the ad offering a small cafe for sale – she did so for months. But when she drove over to take a look, the decision to buy was instant. Cafe Zoe came to life in June 2008 and the new owner set to work on revised hours and menu and presenting the work of local artists and musicians. There’s live music most Friday evenings starting at 6:00 pm and on Sundays at 1:00 pm.

Daly says “zoe” means life in Greek. Indeed, her cafe has become the lifeblood of the surrounding Willows community.

“Kathleen has transformed the neighborhood by bringing Cafe Zoe to us,” says Rachel Modena Barasch who lives nearby and stops in at Zoe three times a day. “It’s a place to congregate and meet up with friends. Zoe is a safe place. I can come and listen to music and my children can play out back.”

“You know the saying ‘it takes a village,'” says Daly. “Well, the village was already here. Cafe Zoe just opened the doors.”

Photos by Chris Gulker