Peter Gennari spent almost 20 years on Wall Street before a March 2017 cancer diagnosis sent him toward coffee. He served customers from a retrofitted Tuk Tuk scooter fitted with a La Marzocco espresso machine, then opened the shop at 274 City Island Avenue in September 2018, since the island had nowhere for neighbors to gather.
In 2022 he bought an electric Bellwether roaster and started Bronx Roasting Company, which roasts beans from a farm near Arbelaez, Colombia, owned by friends. The cafe serves them.
A white pressed-tin ceiling hung with rope-wrapped chandeliers runs the length of the room. The reclaimed-plank counter sits along the right wall, with a chalkboard menu behind it. The roaster stands near the door.
