War to Peace

8 2020 SOUTH PADRE PARADE War to Peace

Cafe Karma offers cultured space

Photos & Words by David Lopez

Cafe Karma offers the indie coffeehouse feel one might seek in hip urban areas, where students can work on their laptops or meet up for a casual convo. Surrounding its walls, you’ll see photos from owner Will Everett’s journalist days; photos of people in Africa, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The cafe also offers ice cream, desserts, and sandwiches, making it a “one-stop-shop” for the busybodies who need their caffeine, sweet tooth, and hunger fix.

Although it opened in June 2017, the origins of Cafe Karma really began in Afghanistan in 2015, when owners Will Everett and Roin Khurami met.

“I was living in Kabul as a freelance journalist for NPR, and Roin needed to interview me for a class project, so he came over to my house and eventually became an errand boy who would help make my life easier in Kabul,” Everett said. “Because I was alone, he made it easier to live in a city that was very alien to me.”

As the security situation deteriorated, Everett was preparing to leave Kabul, but Khurami faced an attack from aggressors who saw him coming and going to “the American infidel’s” house, leading Khurami to get beaten and threatened.

Feeling partially responsible, Everett told Khurami he would do everything in his Will Everett & Roin Khurami

power to get him asylum in the United States. Eventually, Everett acquired a tourist visa for Khurami.

“I said he’s done a lot for me and I want to repay the favor. The happy end is we own this business together. He’s a homeowner, and living the dream at age 23,” Everett said.

“I never thought of coming to the U.S.,” Khurami said. “I thought of working with Americans. When I was 15, I went to [an American] compound with my father and it totally changed my life. I thought, ‘These are the people I want to live with and hang out with.’ I didn’t know how, but ev-

ery day I thought about it. If I hadn’t talked to Will that day in the street, if I wasn’t brave enough, I would have missed the opportunity.”

When Khurami was unable to study at a university here because of his legal status, the two decided to open the

cafe, saying he decided to learn entrepreneurship.

“I felt there was a need here on the Island; as an entrepreneur, you look at what people need,” Khurami said.

Originally planned as an ice cream shop, the two traveled to Austin and San Antonio to study the demands and aesthetics of a coffee shop.

“I didn’t want to open up a restaurant, I wanted to do something more simple,” Everett said. “It started with coffee, ice cream, and a few muffins. As we trained ourselves, we started adding some complexities.”

Khurami recommends trying their Honeycomb Breve, a flavorful coffee that blends its richness with the honey’s sweetness while sustaining its milky, creamy properties.

Everett recommends trying their breakfast sandwiches, saying it is hard to find a coffee shop that offers a sandwich made on the spot. His favorite croissant contains eggs, tomatoes, and a touch of honey.

“The most rewarding part is the feedback we get from people who come back year after year,” Everett said. “They tell us this is their go-to place because they get a good feeling; it’s a combination of staff, the art on the walls, the colors, it all just comes together really well. And it was all an accident; we didn’t know what we were doing. It just came from our hearts.”

Location: 5200 Padre Blvd. Phone: 956-803-5991