I hope you had a lovely long weekend and perhaps got inspired by last week’s column to get out of the city or your neighborhood to experience something new. And though I stayed in our fair village of Harlem for the weekend, I got to experience something new too.
As a born and raised Harlemite, I have seen many businesses open, evolve, and close. Over the decades of gentrification, what was once just corner stores, fast food chains, and a few foundational eateries, Harlem continues to become a proving ground for hospitality entrepreneurs to enter the market to test new concepts and to expand existing ones. When I hear of a new business opening, I cannot wait to try it out, meet the owners, and talk shop.
So on the breezy Friday morning last week, I put on one of my fave vintage terrycloth caftans and strolled over to the soft opening of Same Time Tomorrow (151 Lenox Avenue). I adore the name. En route, I realized that it was 27 years ago this month, Harlem got its first coffee shop, the first Starbucks on 125th Street and Lenox Avenue, and presumably opened the java gates to most of the coffee shops we have today.
Kysha Harris photos
STT partner Malika Michaud. 
With Petrushka Bazin Larsen of Sugar Hill Creamery. 
I’ll see you Same Time Tomorrow. 
My order 
STT cozy lounge space. 
STT art, music, culture wall. 
Partner Sade Michaud behind the counter at STT’s coffee bar. 
With barista Bevy Smith. 
STT partners Malika and Sade Michaud Credit: Kysha Harris photo
It was an instant vibe walking in the door. The music, the art, and the people. Having not been in that space since the previous owner, I was thrilled to see it brimming with excitement and support. One of the partners, Malika Michaud, said she was a patron of the previous shop and, along with her sister, Sade Michaud, and cousin Shaun Willis-Bentley, was honored to take the helm and carry it forward.
It was a Harlem who’s who in the house of local business owners, including Harlem Haberdashery and Sugar Hill Creamery, and Harlem personalities who came to welcome Same Time Tomorrow to the ‘hood.’ In fact, the incomparable Harlem icon Bevy Smith was the guest barista in an on-brand full cafe mocha ensemble with gold platform sandals serving her “Coco Bevy,” a coconut and pineapple spritzer.
After walking through the space curated with vintage mid-century modern furniture and items plus fabulous artwork, I assumed the position online to try Same Time Tomorrow’s wares. The menu was limited for the soft opening, but the mission was clear: source locally whenever possible and create opportunities that help sustain the community. While the gluten-free matcha banana bread was calling me, I decided to save it for another time when I could kick back and ordered a drip coffee and a chocolate croissant.
With menu categories entitled “Regimens,” “Habituals,” and “Rituals,” visiting Same Time Tomorrow can become a question, a statement, a declaration, or an affirmation. Get into it and I will see you there. When? You know the answer.
Thanks for reading and happy eating!
Kysha Harris is a chef, culinary producer, and food editor for the NY Amsterdam News. As a consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for over 23 years, she remains on the hunt for the city’s next great bite. Follow her on Instagram and on Facebook, @SCHOPnyc.
Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, @NYAmNewsFOOD.