Scattered across the walls of Arosa Cafe are photos of families laughing, Christmas cards, and postcards — a reflection of the cafe’s culture and warmth.
For over twenty years, Arosa Cafe has served the heart of Seattle in Madison Park, but the last ten years have been with a Euro-Venezuelan twist.
Married owners Cesar and Adriana Santagello left Venezuela nearly a decade ago and moved to Seattle in search of blending their home country’s culture with the already established European inspired Arosa Cafe.
Arosa Cafe was originally established in 1992 but when the couple acquired the space in 2014, they easily fused the cafe’s iconic buttery Belgian waffles with their Caribbean arepas.
Cesar Santagello said they wanted Arosa Cafe to represent who they are as individuals: a complex blend of culture and history.
“We were in search of an opportunity to introduce our food in the city, and really connected with the owner and his vision for the cafe,” Cesar Santagello said. “That’s why we decided to retain its original vibe, but add our own twist and create a new story.”
Latinos are the second largest racial or ethnic group in Washington, making up around 13% of the city’s population according to the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.
Though Cesar Santagello said they are “always on the lookout” to add new dishes to the menu, the couple never loses touch of their roots.
“Our chicken avocado sandwich for example, is based on a Venezuelan phrase ‘Reina Pepeada’, meaning curvy queen, which is based on Venezuela’s history of hosting beauty pageants,” Cesar Santagello said.
The avocado chicken is one of their most loved items on the menu, made out of shredded chicken, avocado and their house garlic sauce.
Photo Credit: Instagram // @ArosaCafe
Photo Credit: Instagram // @ArosaCafe
When the couple moved to Seattle nearly two decades ago, they already had experience working in the food industry.
The two worked as cooks and restaurant managers but owning a place of their own was a dream they just couldn’t let go of.
Customers first struggled to understand their idea of Caribbean-European flavors but after a year, people started to receive them with open arms.
“Most of our customers are family to us now, and it shows how connected we are to the community,” Cesar Santagello said. “It’s because we are not only coming here to do business, it’s our second home, and our view with customers is based on friendship- we want to know about them, and tell them about us.”
The first few years of the Santagello’s taking on the cafe were also met with staffing issues and financial setbacks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Business was hard during the pandemic, especially because my wife and I had to take charge of everything by ourselves,” he said. “I remember my son taking online classes at the cafe while I worked to complete orders, and it was definitely challenging being a part of both worlds.”
Arosa Cafe has gone through many flavorful evolutions and hardships, though Santagello said watching his family evolve alongside the cafe has been a journey of its own.
“I’ve seen my children grow with our cafe, and I remember carrying my daughter as a baby around as I made coffee every day,” Cesar Santagello said. “Looking back, it was hard at the time, but I’ve enjoyed seeing her grow within the cafe, and it has its charm.”
Over the years Cesar Santagello said he has enjoyed adding new dishes and drinks to their menu and wishes to expand their legacy, but his favorite part about running the business has been meeting new customers.
“I see so many people come in every day, and I’m always interested to know where they’re from, and what their story is,” Santagello said. “If they have a memoir or photo they can leave behind, I ask them to stick it on our photo wall, because it’s all about those little moments from our lives.”
