Zēk’s 37 — coffee, caffeine, community
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Along with signature pizzas, Zēk’s 37 is a place for coffee and community, where locals can grab some caffeine on their way to work or sit and chat with friends while drinking a sweet beverage.
Zēk’s 37 Head Manager Faith Rosely Sandoval said she moved to LaFayette with her parents, who co-own Zēk’s 37, bringing barista skills and creative flavor combinations to the community.
“What I enjoyed about being a barista in Michigan was being able to connect to people,” she said. “Because not only are you a barista, but people come to you and tell you, ‘I got hired,’ ‘I’m having a baby’ or ‘I got engaged.’ And it’s just that interaction where you get to know people, and honestly, talking with people lightens their mood and their outlook on their day. We are social people who need to talk with others, and to be that smiling face that people come in say, ‘I need coffee before I talk to anyone,’ in that type of atmosphere, you’re the first person they see, and to be able to lighten their mood and day, that’s definitely something I wanted to bring down here.”
Sandoval said through bringing a cafe atmosphere to LaFayette, she has seen locals enjoy getting a cup of coffee to go or spending time with friends at the shop.
“It is all really warm and happy because people come in, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know you had a coffee shop, this is so great. I’m gonna come here all the time now,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘good,’ because the pizza draws in people, but the coffee keeps them coming. Because it’s not only about that cup of coffee, but it’s the familiarity that you get at home… A lot of people love the smell when you go into a coffee shop, because with a cafe, it helps you dive in and focus or spend time with others — especially when we have people studying, it creates a sense of familiarity and calmness. And I honestly think that coffee helps bring people together.”
With seasonal drinks that combine her flavor ideas along with those from the other Zēk’s 37 baristas, Sandoval shared some of her favorite specialty lattes on the menu.
“I absolutely love all of the flavors, so it is hard for me to pick just one favorite drink,” she said. “But I like the simplicity of the Teddy Bear, which [is a latte that] has brown sugar, honey and cinnamon. I like the complexity of the Banana Bread Latte, where it’s banana, hazelnut, cold foam with brown sugar and honey. All of it is so much fun, especially creating and figuring out new flavor combinations. The first week of soft opening, I was freaking out because I had no other drinks other than coffee, and we had people that are in our space that didn’t really like coffee and wanted something different. So I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember experimenting with making slushies with blended ice, instead of having it in a slushie maker.’ So I tried to get that flavor, and it was missing something, so I added some lemonade powder — and that’s how we got the Zēk’s Chillers — and it’s just so much fun to be able to create and have others enjoy.
“I let all my baristas have creative freedom. Kate came up with a lot of other drinks, she gives me a list, I go and try the ideas, then I adapt them. She has done some of our drinks, like the Dole Whip Chiller and one of our popular fall flavors, the Caramel Apple Latte. I let a lot of them have their creative freedom, and I do encourage that, because I want them to have their own drinks on the menu that they created themselves.”
Sandoval said her creative process often includes looking at popular seasonal flavors, asking friends what flavors they think of for the season and exploring fun ideas that come to mind. With Valentine’s Day earlier this month, Sandoval said she enjoyed making sweet drinks and including the color pink in the seasonal specials.
“I just love to think of other ideas and ask myself, ‘What is Valentine’s Day for me, what’s Valentine’s Day for everybody else?’ Because for me, it’s strawberry everything; for my husband, it’s not strawberry everything, it’s cherry Oreos — so we have an Oreo Cheesecake latte, because he’s someone who doesn’t like the strawberry,” she said. “So I get ideas from everybody around me, plus my own. For Christmas, I wanted a mocha with cranberry. I love to think outside the box, think of what I would like and what others would like.”
For more information, visit Zēk’s 37 on Facebook.
