Caffe Trieste facts for kids
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Caffè Trieste is a famous coffee shop and store in San Francisco. It opened in 1956 and was the very first place on the West Coast to serve espresso coffee. Caffè Trieste is known as a special part of San Francisco's history, a favorite spot for poets, writers, and people from the Beat Generation movement.
The Story of Caffè Trieste
In 1951, Giovanni Giotta, also known as "Papa Gianni," moved to the United States with his family from Italy. He grew up in a small fishing town called Rovigno D'Istria. When he first arrived in San Francisco, he had a tough start. He worked as a window washer and was known for singing while he worked!
Papa Gianni really missed the espresso coffee and the cozy coffee shops he knew from Trieste, a city in Italy. Back in the 1950s, most American coffee was instant coffee made at home, which often didn't have much flavor. But Trieste had a rich history of coffee. It was a "free port" for trading coffee beans from the Middle East to Europe. Because of this, many cafes opened there, some as early as 1748! Famous coffee brands like Illy also started in Trieste.
In 1956, Papa Gianni got the chance to take over a small business in North Beach. He named it Caffè Trieste, after his favorite Italian city. This cafe became the first place on the West Coast to serve espresso. Papa Gianni even imported and roasted his own coffee beans, which was very new for American cafes.
The cafe quickly became popular, especially with the Italian families living in the neighborhood. Papa Gianni said, "It was all Italian people, but I got the American people to like cappuccino." For many years, people have enjoyed listening to opera singers perform at the cafe on Saturdays.
Over time, other Caffè Trieste locations opened in different cities like Sausalito and Monterey. In 2016, Caffè Trieste was recognized as a "legacy business" in San Francisco, meaning it's an important historical part of the city. Papa Gianni passed away that same year. Later, some of the other locations changed their names because of a family disagreement about how to run the business.
A Gathering Spot for Artists
Caffè Trieste quickly became a popular meeting place for writers and artists, especially those from the Beat Generation. Famous writers like Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg often visited. Jack Hirschman, who was once the Poet Laureate of San Francisco, was also a regular customer.
Many other artists, including painters and photographers, have spent time at the cafe. Even famous people like Paul Kantner from the band Jefferson Airplane have been fans of Trieste.
People who know the cafe well often talk about how important it is. One local journalist called it the "living room" for its regular customers. Jack Hirschman remembered how Papa Gianni's sister, Iolanda, helped him when he first arrived in 1972 by giving him food when he had no money.
Caffè Trieste has appeared in many movies, TV shows, and books. A fun fact is that Francis Ford Coppola wrote much of the script for his famous movie The Godfather while sitting in Caffè Trieste!
Images for kids
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Papa Gianni (left) in 2013
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Jack Hirschman & Lawrence Ferlinghetti
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Playing chess
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Music
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