We are SO excited to be featuring Cozy Coffee Café in our blog this month, as they won the award of “Best Restaurant” in The Cabbies! Through February and March, the community was able to nominate their favorites in the 8 different categories and then go on to vote for the winners! The Cabbies are a nomination and award system for local businesses and people in the Tampa Bay and Central Florida area.
Owners, Casey & Matina Schoonover are 100% a mom-and-pop shop. Their goal is to make every customer feel like “you’re with family”. As well as being an award-winning cafe. They also hold the 2020 title for World’s Best Cuban Sandwich 3rd Place for Traditional Cuban Sandwich. They also are now the new holders of Best Restaurant 2021 from the Cabbies Award. I must say, that is pretty impressive for only being open one year & amidst a global pandemic! Kudos to you!
Matina & Casey had a dream to open a small coffee shop when Casey could no longer work in Cabinetry. Casey set out on a mission and Cozy Coffee Cafe was born. “In March, when Covid hit I was laid off from my job. I started to work with him. Cozy Coffee Cafe started, opened in early 2020. Cozy is our “Pre-Pandemic baby.” Our grand opening party was just two days before they shut the country down. We opened our cafe to give the community a place to call home. Somewhere students could study, you could relax, get amazing service, and a great cup of coffee. We wanted to leave something behind that our kids would be proud to be part of. With that being said, this has been the hardest road to walk. With us being so new surviving, this pandemic was almost impossible. We have kept our doors open and that is a blessing.” Stated Matina.
If you haven’t had the chance to stop in yet, you’re missing out! Cozy Coffee offers a wide variety of coffees and flavors. They offer breakfast all day (SCORE!) and have a wide selection of lunch options. They have everything from an award-winning Cuban Sandwich to a full vegan menu. The store is run completely by Casey & Matina as well as their children helping on the weekends. They hope to hire employees soon though, so if you’re in the area, love a good mom & pop feel, and want to work with truly genuine people…keep your eyes open!
When asked what their favorite part of going to work every day was, Matina answered with a heart full of gratitude & pride. “I absolutely love my job. I work with my best friend every day. Being next to him and seeing his dream grow and become a staple is the most amazing thing in the world. To watch this small shop become a House Hold Name is out of this world. Being part of the Community is my thing. I have been in Hospitality for over 15 years. Meeting new people every day is one of the best things in the world. We see so many different people every day. Most are here on vacation, local, or some even here for chemo treatments. We become a family,” said Matina humbly.
“What Does Winning the Cabbies Mean to You?”
“I’m not sure how to put into words what this means to me let alone my cafe. This is an incredible thing for us to win. We have been open just over a year and to be able to have the community support us the way they did is out of this world.” Matina Schoonover, Owner Cozy Coffee Café.
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to stop in at Cozy Coffee Café and check out their Facebook & website for more information!
Facebook:
facebook.com/cozycoffeecafe
Website:
cozycoffeecafe.com
Address:
13312 Telecom Dr. Temple Terrace, FL 34691
Phone:
(813) 373-5207
