Daisun Lee Santana, a professional breakdancer and former Cavs Scream Team member, turned his attention to becoming a barber. In less than two years, he has cultivated a three-location, 14-barber group called CityBreaks Barbershop.

Next up for Santana is the addition of Grafé Café (3182 W. 25th St.), which is opening next door to the CityBreaks Barbershop in Cleveland. What began as a simple “graffiti coffee shop” has expanded in scope to become a full-service café with a Latin touch serving breakfast, lunch and bar snacks.

When it opens in late March or early April, Grafé Café will offer diner-style breakfast items like eggs, meat, toast and tostones. Lunchtime will bring salads, pressed sandwiches and flatbread pizzas. In the evening, bar-friendly snacks like empanadas, burgers, Cubanos and flatbread pizzas topped with roasted pork, chicken or steak will go well with the available beer, wine and cocktails.

In addition to the food and drinks, Grafé Café will serve as a neighborhood workspace for “locals to meet, work, read, or simply enjoy the vibes and vibrant art.” Musicians will play smooth Latin jazz on some evenings. Others will be reserved for open-mic nights or stand-up comedians.

This article appears in Dec 16-29, 2020.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.