Word of Mouth

Gindi Cafe reopens with a new chef, new bakery and new hours

A year and a half after Francine Gindi opened the Gindi Cafe in the Peloton in Boulder, it was time to make some changes.

"Things were a little scattered. We wanted to hone in on what was working well and make it better," explains Jayson Debellis, former coffee roaster and head barista at Gindi Cafe.

So the eatery just took a ten-day sabbatical, during which Gindi did some minor remodeling -- and a major revamping of the concept and menu.

For starters, the cafe now has a major baking operation. "We hired a French baker who's now making all of our breads," says Debellis. That baker is Majd Chana, who just moved here from France, where he graduated from the Escoffier Culinary Culinary School. He's now turning out a daily roster of croissants, focaccia, sourdough and artisan breads, which prompted the kitchen to revamp its sandwich lineup.

"We also expanded our espresso offerings," adds Debellis, explaining that he's making a line of flavor syrups from natural ingredients. "The lavender's been popular. And the blueberry hot chocolate."

The renewed focus on cafe offerings -- which also include a breakfast that's served all day -- called for different hours, too. Gindi Cafe has now eliminated the dinner it served three nights a week and is instead open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week.

For more information, call 720-242-8961.

Follow @CafeWestword on Twitter

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.
Contact: Laura Shunk

Latest Stories