The Red Oak Café is set to bring healthy fare and fair trade coffees to the heart of
Oakland. Located at 3610 Forbes Ave., the 1,700 square-foot café, which seats 45, opens in March. Managers David Gancy and Kevin Huber also run four award-winning
Carnegie Mellon University delis. Their collective experience includes stints at the
William Penn,
Ritz-Carlton and
Heinz Field. In the
Napa Valley, Gancy cooked alongside acclaimed chef
Rick Bayless and in Kansas City, he apprenticed with chef, author and TV personality
Lidia Bastianich.
The café is housed in Oakland’s historic Iroquois Building, designed by
Frederick Osterling. “We’re partial to Oakland--the cafe will be a great addition to the neighborhood,” says Gancy, a St. Louis native who graduated from Pitt's business school. Renovations uncovered 70-year-old photographic murals that feature historic Pittsburgh scenes.
Moshier Studio and Porco Enterprises assisted with renovations, which incorporated 12-foot mantelpieces and transom windows from
Construction Junction. Project funding came from
URA and bank loans.
Georgia Petropoulos, executive director of the
Oakland Business Improvement District, says, “These young entrepreneurs have created a unique eatery that will definitely attract new audiences into our district."
Organic ingredients will be a focus at the cafe. “We'll serve daily blue plate specials that change with the seasons. Monday is meatloaf and Yukon mashed potatoes with parsley carrots and Tuesday is jambalaya with cheddar grits and garlic green beans,” says Gancy.
Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: David Gancy; Georgia Petropoulos
Photograph copyright © Jonathan Greene