New Kalamazoo café specializes in matcha, vegan, gluten-free delights

KALAMAZOO, MI — When Yazmin Vargas Root and Tyler Root opened the doors of Matchacita for the first time last week, they were overwhelmed by the support of those who have been with them since the beginning.

The Roots’ first day was in May 2022, when they started selling iced matcha lattes at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market. Shortly thereafter, they added gluten-free and dairy-free waffles to their ever-growing small menu.

In November 2022, the company changed its name from Matcha Grove to Matchacita. The name was retained at the first brick-and-mortar store at 120 W. South St.

Located a block from the Kalamazoo Mall in the former home of Something’s Brewing, which closed last December, Matchacita hopes to fill a void in Kalamazoo’s cafe scene.

Related: A coffee shop in downtown Kalamazoo is closing after 40 years.

“We’re really excited to be able to bring something that feels a little bit more unique to the Kalamazoo area, both in style and what we offer,” said Tyler Root, 28.

The idea to offer a menu full of gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options was born during the three months the couple spent in Arizona in 2021, when Vargas Root’s sister opened her own matcha cafe. It was born from helping out.

“She had been gluten-free and dairy-free for a while for health reasons, but after having her child, she started drinking matcha,” said Vargas Root, 27. Ta. It was something new, something different. I thought it would be a great idea to bring it back to Kalamazoo with us. ”

At the time, Kalamazoo had a lot of coffee shops, but Vargas Root noticed that more people were drawn to matcha like she was. At the same time, her husband was talking to people about the lack of gluten-free and vegan-friendly eateries in the area.

“Tyler and I aren’t completely gluten-free and dairy-free at home, and I’m pretty new to the gluten-free baking community,” Vargas Root said. “But it’s great to be able to offer something to people who don’t have a lot of options. There aren’t many places around Kalamazoo where you can buy sweet treats without worrying about cross-contamination.”

The cafe’s menu includes baked goods such as chocolate chip banana bread, vegan chocolate chip cookies, vegan pecan cinnamon rolls, and vegan Pop-Tarts. There are also grab-and-go items like almond butter energy bites and chia pudding.

Avocado toast, cucumber toast, almond butter toast and hot waffles are available for diners in the cozy pink and green space. There are also options to add bacon or smoked salmon to accommodate those who aren’t part of the vegan community, Vargas-Root said.

As for drinks, the cafe offers a variety of hot and iced teas, tea lattes, drip coffee from Kalamazoo Coffee Company, iced Vietnamese coffee brewed with coconut condensed milk, and cafe con leche.

The big draw, of course, is matcha, which is rich in antioxidants and comes in a variety of flavors. Among them are seasonal drinks such as lavender honey, golden matcha, blue matcha, and pumpkin spice matcha.

Vargas Root said the most popular ones are traditional matcha and iced strawberry matcha. All matcha teas are available with your choice of almond, oat, or coconut milk and are served iced or steamed.

Other options, like the iced vegan horchata matcha, also reflect Vargas Root’s Mexican heritage. Originally from Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, her family put down roots in Kalamazoo after her sisters were born.

Vargas Root grew up in Kalamazoo watching his father and uncle run the now-closed La Mexicana Market on Portage Road. One of her uncles also owns La Azteca Bakery, and the other owns Mi Pueblo on Gull Road.

Now it’s her and Root’s turn to go on an adventure of their own.

Since taking over the space, Roots has given it a facelift, painting the walls pink and green to symbolize the colors of matcha (both green tea and strawberry).

And once they settle in, we plan to start exhibiting the work of local artists.

“We want to support local artists as well as other local businesses and community events,” Vargas Root said.

The spacious interior, which seats about 25 people, is slowly starting to feel like a second home. Helping with that are plants from the Mason Jar Plant Shop next door, already growing within Roots’ new space.

Another local business they are happy to support is Kalamazoo Coffee Company. With Black Owl now closed, in addition to selling roasts, the cafe will also serve as a pick-up location for KCC’s local orders.

Menu prices vary depending on sweets and drinks, starting at $2 and going up to $7.50. The couple plans to keep prices affordable.

“We never want to get rich off this,” Vargas Root said. “We just want to provide a community space where people feel welcome and comfortable.

“It’s a little difficult to incorporate gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. But we’re very conscious of our ingredients and try to be paleo-friendly, keto-friendly, and obviously vegan and celiac-friendly. .”

Having an established following at the farmers market is a boon for the couple, and they’re excited to see their following grow.

“We are now, and forever will be, indebted to all of our patrons for their service to us,” Root said. “We are also very grateful to Caitlin Becken-Simpson at the Farmers Market. We have a very diverse and dedicated group of people and we are growing every day.

“At 6:30 a.m. on the first day we opened, there were people waiting to unlock the doors.”

The couple hopes to have more people ready to arrive as soon as the opening sign rings in the coming days.

For more information, call 269-251-9121. matchacitacafe.square.site or follow us Match Cheetah on Instagram. Business hours are Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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