Cafe Nana to Reopen This Month

The delayed re-opening of Cafe Nana, located on the second floor of the Kraft Center, is leaving many Columbia students yearning for some good home-style kosher cooking.

A month after its expected reopening, the student-run Middle Eastern restaurant is scheduled for opening in mid-October. Deborah Plum, CC '07 and one of the co-founders of Cafe Nana, said the opening has been stymied by managerial problems.

"We were looking for a [restaurant] manager for a seasonal job," said Plum, explaining that the work schedule could then coincide with the academic calendar.

Though the restaurant is entirely staffed by students, it takes significantly more time to manage a restaurant and deal with the day-to-day problems like coordinating deliveries and placing food orders. "Students don't have that kind of time," Plum said.

Edoe Cohen, another founding member of Nana and GS/JTS '07, agreed.

"Students can't devote their days to the cafe," he said, adding that "students still make the administrative and financial decisions."

Originally launched last spring by a small group of students and alumni, one of the aims of Cafe Nana was to bring people together "from all different walks of life," said Plum. Though the feeling of the space is distinctly Middle Eastern-transparent drapes hang from the ceiling cordoning off seating areas filled with tables and pillows-and the food is Middle Eastern, the cafe is definitely not exclusionary.

"I liked it because it provided an atmosphere conducive to hanging out," said Ari Gardner, CC '08. "You could go there just to meet people."

"It has attracted non-Jews to Hillel because of the ambiance and food," Cohen said. In addition, Nana hosted a wide variety of programming, from photo exhibits to music performances to book readings. The founders said they tried to open the doors of the Kraft Center to students of all faiths and beliefs.

Staffed with a new full-time manager, Cafe Nana's reopening is eagerly anticipated by some students.

"I miss the fact that there is kosher food in Hillel," Jeremy Bressman, CC '08, said. Though the cafe has experienced some problems, it looks to resume its role as a distinctive space on campus.

"It's all worth it in the end because we've created something unique and special," Plum said. "It brings people together. It's supposed to be fun."