Summerhill residents can now start their day with a cup of joe from Ethica Coffee Roasters without making the trip across town. A new coffee shop has arrived to share the beans, but it’s not like other cafés on the block: MitFar Boutique Café celebrates both coffee and art.
The name “MitFar” comes from the combined first names of the husband-and-wife duo who own the business. Together Mitra Ziaee and Farzam Baghchehsaraei run MitFar Canada Inc., an online store featuring handmade and custom jewelry. When the couple wanted to open a gallery to exhibit the pieces, they decided to use Baghchehsaraei’s background in catering to pair the boutique with specialty coffee.
“It’s a combination of art, jewelry, painting and specialty coffee altogether,” says Ziaee. “It’s for people who love contemporary art and specialty coffee, because I feel they are the same. Coffee and art — it’s all about taste.”
Ziaee says she notices a lot of people go to specialty coffee shops seeking an experience that goes beyond the coffee. They want to experience something new, she says, and coffee and art felt like a natural connection.
“It’s very important to look at both of them as an art for me,” says Ziaee, “which is why this is the type of environment we are trying to provide.”
The couple spent over a year and a half conceptualizing the space and eight months searching for the right location. MitFar Café landed in Summerhill on Yonge Street.
With the soft opening of MitFar Café last month, the boutique began with an exhibit of artwork from Toronto-based artist Leila Refahi. Though she’s participated in upwards of 60 group and solo exhibitions, the paintings on display at MitFar are new and were specifically made for the café.
Called Nature Roots for Us, Refahi’s exhibition, like much of her previous work, presents Canadian landscapes and natural scenes that make statements on environmentalism and climate justice.
MitFar is currently reviewing proposals for similar artists to be featured in the gallery. For Ziaee, it’s important to showcase Canadian artists. “We’d like to promote their art, their ideas, the way they think.”
The jewelry comes from the collections that are presented online at MitFar Canada Inc. Designed by Ziaee herself, customers can browse and purchase the pieces in the gallery or continue the search online to order customizable pieces.
Guests can take in the sights of the artwork while taking in the taste and smell of Ethica Coffee Roasters.
“The reason we decided to go with Ethica,” says Ziaee, “was because the wide variety of tastes that they have was kind of more aligned with what we were looking for.”
If the art builds your appetite, the pastries served at Mitfar are all made in house, as will be the salads and toasts that will soon be offered now that the oven has been installed. Decadent offerings include gourmet croissants including raspberry matcha , yuzu coconut and black sesame.
The staff at Mitfar was sent to coffee school and had two weeks of a dry run to ensure they knew how to serve and brew the best coffee.
Mitfar Boutique Café is located at 1098 Yonge St.