I first stumbled upon Caffè In Gamba (5263 Avenue du Parc) on a stroll during my first week living in Montreal’s Mile End. After journeying into the neighbouring video-telecom store to return my previous tenant’s internet modem, I found myself gazing with curiosity through an unimposing coffee shop’s window, my eyes fixed on the assortment of bags displaying the extensive variety of coffee blends on offer. The overwhelming need for a ‘real’ cup of coffee took hold of me and with the friendly barrista’s knowledge and assistance, I not only had what would be the first of many delicious Gamba lattes to come, I also walked out of the store with a bag of fresh fragrant coffee (delivered daily to Gamba from its roasters), custom ground for my home coffee-maker, in this case, a French press with which I had never expected to become so intimately acquainted.
Eight months after this introduction, I am now sitting with Gamba’s owner and founder, Jean-Francois LeDuc aka JF, a young, lean thirty-something with warm eyes. JF is intruiged that one of his regulars is beginning her urban living blog with an article about his business. With a disarming smile he begins by explaining that like me, he also enjoys writing and is fundamentally driven by creativity and independence. It was after a work stint in Rome – in his words, “The most beautiful city ever, in a country where people value quality of life, good food, good wine, and good espresso, simply put, la dolce vita!” - that JF embraced his need for a change of career. He quit his job as a lawyer and took a minimum wage job in one of Montreal’s Italian coffee shops where he had equal passion for the coffee and meeting new people. Over the course of his year as a barrista, JF also found himself conducting research for a project of his own, a combination Third Wave and classic Italian coffee shop that would introduce a new quality and diversity of coffee to the Montreal café culture.
After discovering a number of high quality West Coast Canadian and American roasters, JF decided to provide an assortment of products that would meet the need of Montreal’s coffee-lovers who had only previously had access to these products by direct online purchase (including costly shipping expenses). The result of this decision was that Gamba has become known as a “one stop shop for espresso” where you can choose what you feel like drinking on any given day.
In spite of the present economic recession, JF notes that business is still picking up. He has clearly done homework on retail markets and points out that while luxury products and higher end restaurants will suffer from the economic downturn, coffee is one product that will not be as dramatically affected because of the low cost and the importance of coffee shops as a comfortable, sociable ‘third space’ separate from home and work. “Coffee is a break that people can still afford,” JF explains, “you come to the coffee shop because it is the cheapest place outside of ‘home’ where you can sit somewhere nice for a few hours without being bothered.” This is certainly true for me personally, although the welcoming environment and bustle of human activity also add to the appeal of this pleasant destination.
Having observed Gamba’s tastefully eclectic ambiance, I ask JF how he would describe it himself, his four word answer is: modern, kitsch, retro, and classic. Marble table and counter tops allow for the traditional clink of porcelain cups, a feature the owner identifies as essential to the authentic experience of early 20th century Italian coffee culture. The red velvet couches on the other hand add a feeling of cozy vintage luxe, the perfect backdrop for an intimate conversation or lingering over the paper with a café allongé. Elegant chandeliers, literary classics on an antique fireplace, and several small tables all come together to give this space unique character.
Gamba is ultimately most distinct because of the vision and coffee at the root of its foundation. In some ways subscribing to the Third Wave movement by supporting direct trade with coffee producers, several of whom JF met with personally during a trip to Central America last month, Caffee In Gamba simultaneously holds its own as a business respecting established Italian espresso culture – evinced by handsome traditional coffee cups that “do not come in grande or venti” as well as by the undeniably handsome E61 Faema espresso machine which uses a single shot portafilter and replicates the first machine of its kind to be used publicly in 1961 (distinguished because of its internal pressure-regulating pump).
When asked about the future of Gamba, JF is clear that while he wants his café to thrive he is not looking to expand into a chain. He tells me, “I don’t want clones of what I have already done. I am pleased with Gamba’s success and also have other different projects in mind now. I will end this interview right where we started, what is important is independence and creativity."
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