Kornerstone Cafe & Juice Bar, which opened at 33 Elm St. in East Aurora in December 2016, will begin an expansion project later this year that will nearly triple its existing space.
Owner Jamie Dinero, who founded the company in 2010, will expand her existing Southtowns cafe from 1,300 to 3,800 square feet after obtaining space occupied by Yoshi restaurant, which will close on Oct. 19.
Dinero’s Kornerstone Coffee currently roasts its coffee products in Kenmore, operates a second cafe and juice bar at 701 Seneca St. in Buffalo’s Larkin District, and sells product at several farmers’ markets (East Aurora, North Tonawanda and Williamsville) and festivals.
“We plan to begin the East Aurora expansion in December and hope to open our much larger cafe in January,” said Dinero. “It’s a very aggressive timeline, but the Yoshi space is beautiful and there’s really not a lot that has to be done to that side of the building. We will cut through the wall and expand our kitchen and seating areas, but most of the work will be cosmetic.
“When complete, we will have much more room for our team members and customers, including a larger dining room. We’re hoping that our customers will stay longer and enjoy themselves and our expanded menu.”
Additionally, Dinero announced that Blue Eyed Baker, an East Aurora-based company that currently operates without a storefront, will grow its business by sharing part of the new cafe space with Kornerstone, offering a selection of their goods baked onsite daily. “We love working with them because all of their ingredients are high-quality, natural and local whenever possible, which is one of the tenets of our cafe,” Dinero said.
“None of this would be possible without the loving support of our customers in East Aurora, who have always been so kind and welcoming to us,” Dinero added.
In the not-too-distant future, Kornerstone Cafe & Juice Bar will also add fun and creative weekend brunches, a full catering service featuring healthy, all-natural food choices as well as coffee tasting/baking classes.
“We are honored and grateful to share our passion for healthy nutrition with the community,” Dinero said. “We invite everyone to stop in and try one of our delicious menu items, including our fresh cold-pressed juices, fruit- and veggie-based smoothies, sandwiches, salads, homemade soups and, of course, our very own artisan roasted coffee. We have plenty of vegan and vegetarian options available, too. Everything we serve is natural, with no artificial colors or flavors added.”
For more information on the company, please visit kornerstonecafe.com. You can also follow the company and both cafe locations on Facebook for frequent updates.
