Urbano Cafe should not still be open. Mitch and Kristen Kauffman founded it in 2009 in the century-old building on Fitzhugh that also houses Jimmy’s Food Store, ran it for 15 years, and decided they were done. The announcement went out, the regulars grieved, and that should have been the end of it.
Then Sina and Pasha Heidari made one phone call and one demand. The demand was non-negotiable: every employee stays. Chef Oseas Lopez, in that kitchen since 2011. General manager Kevan LaTorre, there since 2011. The whole staff. We covered the sale when it happened in early 2024. What we did not know then was how good the next chapter was going to be.
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