Esplanade Studios is Opening a Cafe and Juice Bar in Mid City this Spring

The owners of Esplanade Studios, Louisiana’s largest production and post-production sound-recording facility, are opening a studio-adjacent cafe inspired by the needs of their clients and crews in search of healthy, nearby options.

Misha Kachkachishvili and Diane Heying are opening Lamara Coffee & Kitchen this spring with a plant-focused, organic menu featuring a coffee and tea bar, seasonal plates, natural wines, and cold-pressed juices. Located at 1300 Broad Street, Kachkachishvili and Heying were initially motivated by the studio’s clients but quickly broadened their vision to create something that would also meet the wants of the it’s historic Treme neighborhood.

The cafe itself is a renovated raised basement house built in the 1920’s, modernized into a street level cafe with an enclosed back patio for outdoor seating and an exposed garden area. Kachkachishvili and Heying have also converted the upstairs residence into a short-term rental for visiting artists at the studio, as well as for “select” travelers needing housing (language likely intended to distinguish it from the typical, ever-controversial Treme short-term rental).

The pair opened the 14,000 foot studio on Esplanade Avenue in 2013. Eater has asked Kachkachishvili and Heying for further information on chef plans and expected month of opening.

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