April 28, 2005


Would you prefer café mocha or a fruit smoothie with your book?

Check out Vineland Branch Library’s specialty coffee, pastry service

Visitors entering San Jose’s Vineland Branch Library this week were greeted with a new, yet familiar, scent: the aroma of freshly roasted espresso coffee beans.

Local entrepreneur Kiran Tahiliani launched her Catch a Cup specialty coffee and pastry service as part of San Jose Public Library’s pilot program responding to customer requests for on-site refreshment. Tahiliani will build on experience gained from successfully running a similar operation for Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Gilroy.

Her reasonably priced menu will offer a full range of coffee and espresso drinks along with a selection of French pastries, baked fresh each morning. Biscotti, yogurt, sandwiches, sodas, fresh fruit, fruit juices and fruit smoothies are also available. Catch a Cup will operate initially during all library open hours.

“Given the frequency of customer requests, we anticipate that having a snack or catching a cup o’ java at the library will be highly popular,” says San Jose Library Director Jane Light. “And provided that the service meets that expectation, we’ll take it citywide.”

Provision of freshly brewed coffee drinks and other edibles fully realizes the concept of the Internet café, bringing the library that much closer to achieving its vision for quality customer service.

Vineland Branch Library is located at 1450 Blossom Hill Road. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. For information, visit SJLibrary.org or call (408) 808-3000.