An Interview with Novanta Café

Featuring Marco Mega, owner of Novanta Café!

Why the Name “Novanta”?

Novanta, Novanta, Novanta…it was nothing special, really. We thought long and hard about a name. We didn’t want something that screamed typical Italian coffee shop, like Saint-something, so we used the address. We found that Novanta, which means ninety in Italian, had a nice ring to it, and not to mention it’s the number of years of work ahead of me before I can retire!

Tell Us How Novanta Came to Be?

I’ve been involved in the coffee industry since I was 11 years old. My family has always had its hand in coffee. I repaired coffee machines for a long time when I was young. I went into business with my brother a decade ago. After that, I did other things with other people. After 5 or 6 years, I wanted to start something new with my brother in the coffee industry, and I convinced him to open a coffee shop with me.

What Values is the Business Built On?

Service, and a warm family atmosphere. We like that everyone here knows each other. We live by the principle that if you don’t like what you have in your hands, don’t give it to anyone else. If even you wouldn’t eat or drink it, don’t serve it, don’t even give it away for free. We really want to develop a home away from home feel, like Cheers. We like coffee; we are passionate about it. That’s actually why we wanted to do business with Barista, because it’s a lively group. I really like everyone over there.

What’s a Must-Have Menu Item?

The pizza. Our pizzas are made with whole-grain flour, which takes four to six hours to rise so it’s really puffy and full of air. We work it carefully and add almost every topping piece by piece so that it’s really beautiful to the eyes, even before you take a bite. We also make delicious salads, Niçoise and Mediterranean, among others. And our pastries are great too! We make our own pastries as well as our own cannoli in several flavours.

What’s your Favourite Coffee Drink?

I am a macchiato man myself.

When’s the Best Time to Enjoy a Coffee?

Between midnight and noon. Actually, any time of day. There is no ‘right’ time to have a good macchiato. In Italy, they say not to have milk in the afternoon, but I don’t listen to that. Drink what you want; have your coffee how you like it.