Caffe Trieste
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'Caffè Trieste' is a globally recognized coffeehouse and retail outlet, formerly a franchise, located in San Francisco. Established in 1956, the original café was the first espresso-focused coffeehouse on the West Coast of the United States. It is regarded as a San Francisco landmark and a gathering place for poets, writers, and enthusiasts of the Beat culture.
History
In 1951, Giovanni Giotta (aka "Papa Gianni," 1920–2016) and his family emigrated to the United States from Italy. He was born and raised in the small fishing town of Rovigno D'Istria, Croatia (which was a part of Italy before World War II and an Italian-speaking region of the former Habsburg Austria-Hungary) and lived in Monfalcone, Italy, from 1947 to 1951. When Giotta first arrived in San Francisco, he faced financial difficulties. He approached the priests at Saints Peter and Paul Church for help. As he explained, "We had nothing, no place to stay, no bread to eat. The father put us with a family and found me a job.” He worked as a window washer and was known to sing while working.
In the United States, Giotta missed the espresso and coffeehouses of Trieste in Italy. A cozy Central European Habsburg coffeehouse culture had established itself there. American coffee culture of the 1950s focused on instant coffee made at home; people typically purchased pre-ground beans that lacked flavor. In contrast, Trieste boasted a rich café history. It had been part of both the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy and was known for its blend of Italian, Austrian, Balkan, Greek, Venetian, and Jewish cultural influences. It was also noted for its literary residents, such as James Joyce and Italo Svevo. The city of Trieste itself was famous for its coffee. In 1719, Trieste became a "free port" under Habsburg law, emerging as a key point in the trade of coffee beans from the Middle East to Europe. Cafés began to sprout up in Trieste as early as 1748; some historic cafés, such as Cafe Tommaseo (founded in 1830) and Caffè degli Specchi (founded in 1839), still exist in the twenty-first century. Coffee brands, such as Hausbrandt (founded in 1892) and Illy (founded in 1933), were also established in the city.
In 1956, Giotta received the opportunity to take over Piccola Cafe, a small business located at 601 Vallejo Street in North Beach. He renamed his new establishment Caffè Trieste, after the city of Trieste. The cafe was the first espresso house on the West Coast. Giotta imported and roasted the beans, which were not yet common in American cafe culture. The cafe quickly became popular among the neighborhood's primarily Italian residents. "It was all Italian people," Giotta said of the neighborhood, "But I got the American people to like cappuccino." For decades, the cafe has been known to host opera singers on Saturdays.
Franchise locations were opened in Sausalito (1970s-2008), Berkeley (2004), Oakland, and Monterey. In 2016, Caffe Trieste became a legacy business in San Francisco. That same year, Giotta died. In 2017, a family dispute broke out over the management and future of the business. As a result, the Berkeley and Oakland locations, which were owned by 4 Musketeers, S.P. LLC, severed ties with Caffe Trieste and changed their names in 2017. They cited the family dispute as the reason behind the move.
Meeting place for authors and artists
Caffè Trieste became a convenient meeting place for Beat movement writers like Lawrence Ferlinghetti (a lifelong regular), Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Brautigan, Bob Kaufman, Gregory Corso, Michael McClure, Kenneth Rexroth, and Neeli Cherkovski, who lived in North Beach during the 1950s and 1960s.[18] Jack Hirschman, former Poet Laureate of San Francisco, has also been a regular patron. In addition to other writers and poets, painters such as Peter Le Blanc and Don Moses, as well as photographers Joe Rosenthal (Pulitzer Prize winner), Christopher Michel, Jimo Perini, and Christopher Felver count themselves among the Trieste Aficionados; other celebrities include Paul Kantner, Jack Sarfatti, Joey Reynolds, and Mal Sharpe.
San Francisco politician Aaron Peskin is also a regular at the cafe.
Local figures have discussed the cultural impact of the cafe. As described by Mark Bittner, "I think of Caffe Trieste as one of the last strongholds—actually the true center— of what made this neighborhood so fabulous." Tony Long, a local journalist and author, described it as the "living room" of its regulars. Jack Hirschman remembered, "When I arrived in 1972, (Papa Gianni’s sister) Iolanda fed me for about 6 months because I had no money. Much later, before the official celebration at Koret Auditorium for my becoming Poet Laureate, Ida and The Trieste held a party for me first."
The cafe has been featured in several movies, on television, on the radio, in magazines, and in dozens of photography, tourism, and other books, ranging from local to national and international in scope. Francis Ford Coppola wrote much of the screenplay for The Godfather while sitting in the Caffè Trieste.
External links
- Official website
- Caffè Trieste Photo Gallery by Christopher Michel
- "Caffe Trieste's Influence Percolates Through Area" The Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2010
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