From Michelin-star dining to a Bronx train station: How Drawbridge Coffee is building community one cup at a time
Charles Witfield is pouring kindness into every cup, while filling a need in the neighborhood he says is short on coffee shops.
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Grabbing a morning coffee no longer means a detour for commuters at the Spuyten Duyvil Metro-North station.
Commuters have been surprised to see Drawbridge Coffee, a caffeine cart on wheels, waiting for them during the weekday rush.
"It's been something the neighborhood has been crying out for and it's been such a ray of sunshine here every morning here," said David Fuchs, a Bronx commuter.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Drawbridge Coffee founder Charles Whitfield said he noticed a shortage of coffee shops in his neighborhood.
“I would like to change that. I would like to be the person that provides that service for my community," Whitfield said.
Back in August, he decided to address the problem by building his coffee cart from the ground up. He designed his own logo and came up with the name 'Drawbridge Coffee' inspired by the railroad swing bridge.
He serves iced cold brew, different flavors of matcha - including strawberry, pistachio and vanilla - and freshly squeezed lemonade that he says takes 24 hours to make.
"I make it fresh every morning," Whitfield said.
Whitfield says his love of coffee started at a young age when he would visit his grandparents in Honduras.
"I used to love to, like, there's, like a sweet cornbread that I used to love as a kid and I used to take it and dunk my bread into their coffee and, my grandparents to tell me, like, it's going to stop my growth," said Whitfield.
From there, he got his first job as a barista at 16 years old at Starbucks. He learned more about the coffee roasting process, flavors, and, of course, latte art at Third Way Coffee.
His coffee journey was elevated to fine dining when he got a position at a three-Michelin-star restaurant, Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, where he worked as a barista, director of Coffee and Tea and server.
"From there was not just about coffee, but it was more about atmosphere and connecting with people that really drew my attention and my liking and it was just fun," Whitfield said.
Whitfield still works in fine dining dinner service at night, but he gets home and starts the prep work to have his cart ready to caffeinate commuters by morning, where he is bringing that same level of hospitality to the Bronx.
"The Bronx sometimes has a negative stigma towards it and as a person born and raised in the Bronx, I don’t think we deserve that," said Whitfield. "That love that you would pay $365 for. You know, I would love to offer that at $6, right? Why not?"
Whitfield says he is providing not only a dose of caffeine but a place for community connection.
“People don't even buy coffee. They just come by and have a conversation..There's so many people in the neighborhood that I met for the first time. So many people, that met each other in this neighborhood for the first time because of this car, you know, and that was the intention of this, was to not only create a hub, but to create a place where people can actually connect," said Whitfield.
As summer winds down, he is saving up for an espresso machine with a goal to be able to serve hot coffee and lattes, including the fall favorite of pumpkin spice. The long-term plan for Whitfield is to open a brick-and-mortar shop in his neighborhood, Spuyten Dyvuil.
For now, his mission is simple: Serve cups of kindness.
"Creating memories, just being nice and kind, just loving and being there for people is just really important. I think that's what matters," said Whitfield.
