Interview (in 2003) with Nir Kedar who built and ran the café with his wife Lyn. It closed in 2006.

 

About the name SHRAGA:

We opened one month after Yotam, our oldest son, was born. I wanted to call our son "Shraga". My wife said "call the café Shraga". And that's what we did. It is a very meaningful and strong name in my opinion. It is old Aramaic and means light source. In those places in the world where there is light for only a few hours a day, suicide rates go up. Light brings warmth and happiness. I also like way SHRAGA sounds. When we were chosing the name we had other ideas that came from other languages. When we chose SHRAGA some people said it's the name of someone from a kibbutz, from the Palmach - not a modern name. They laughed. Some still do.

 

About the design:

We designed it and made a lot of mistakes all along but we love the design. Lyn is from Sydney, Australia. The is inspired by cafes we saw in Australia. The homemade cakes, the shelving, the colors are similar to what we saw there. Israel is a hard place to create something special that everyone receives, and ours is not a standard café. So some people don't connect. There is a lot of family energy here and lot of childrenare around. Each year at Passover we repaint the space. It started off with two shades of yellow and in the third year we made it orange which is the color it stayed. Lyn painted the flowers on the wall.

 

History of the building before it became SHRAGA:

This building is at least 100 years old. We think it was originally a horse stable for the house next door that housed a large extended Arab family. The entrance was by the garden in the back of Shraga. About 40 years ago it was divided into smaller spaces. This building was first a "makolet" (small local store), then a metal workshop, then real estate broker.

 

The vision for SHRAGA:

It is a neighborhood café. We want to succeed, and not just financially. I believe it's important for one to enjoy what they are oing and to do it with all their heart. I don't want to be out of the house all the time, making a lot of money but not being involved with my children growing up. So finding this balance is success for me. While people may tell me wow, "SHRAGA is a great gourmet place:, the real success is with my family and children. What makes the environment unique is us, the people who come here and the neighborhood. We make everything here except the cheese. There are cakes, cookies, spreads and pestos. We want to make take home food, like a deli combined with a café. We dream that it should become bigger and that people will buy more things to take home.

 

About the clientele:

A diverse crowd that includes women with children, elderly, soldiers. All kinds...except the "balyanim" - the young people with slick gelled hair, sunglasses, Marlboro Lights, tight jeans and exposed navels.

 

Customer's favorite food:

It used to be the sandwiches. Now people love the coffee and cakes and Indian lentil soup. In the summer, it's the RED sandwich (cream cheese, pesto, boiled eggs, dried tomatoes).

 

Owner's favorite food:

My wife and children. I really like our (Israeli) Portofino Cappucino, our cheese cake, and our "caramel slice" - a sweet pastry caramel with chocolate. It's my wife's recipe and there's nothing like it anywhere.