[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]ide Eyes Open Palms. The name doesn’t immediately say “café” or “kitchen.” Nor does it quite conjure up images of warm baked egg dishes, green and grain bowls, seasonal fruit jams, or gluten-free pastries – the stars of the coffee bar’s daytime menu. If I hadn’t seen the T-shirts they sell, I definitely would not have guessed that Wide Eyes Open Palms is the name of a place that pours “the queerest coffee in town.”
But step into the sunny sidewalk café on Cherry Avenue in Long Beach, and all of the above comes to full life. A dapper butch with perfectly pomaded barber cut hair pours foamy lattes and tempts guests with hot caramel desserts, while the fierce fem chef cuts, slices, and dices piles of market-fresh fruits and veggies for the day’s delectable dishes.
Welcome to Wide Eyes Open Palms (WEOP), owned and operated by chef and baker Kat McIver, and her partner, barista, and beverage-maker Angie Evans. The Long Beach neighborhood café and kitchen prides itself on its ultra-local produce, sustainable sourcing of animal products, and overall feminist philosophies that guide their community-oriented food and beverage service.