The pair decided that they no longer wanted to endure the harsh Chicago winters and moved to Arizona a little over two years ago. Now the couple owns BlackBerry Cafe in Chandler, which serves breakfast and lunch.
“No one who comes to eat here leaves hungry; that’s our goal,” Setkia said. “We source local and only the finest quality of everything. Everything here is homemade. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
Setkia and her husband have worked in the two years BlackBerry Cafe has been open to cultivate relationships with regulars and create an environment where everyone feels like family.
“We’re family-owned,” Setkia said. “When someone walks in, I want them to see a smiling face.
I care about how you feel. I want you to feel comfortable and welcomed because we so appreciate everyone who walks in the door. I want it to feel like family.”
The restaurant—like so many locally owned businesses—has faced a tumultuous several months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The business was shut down for a time and then had to move to a reduced capacity with curbside pickup as an option as well.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Setkia said. “You wonder how much longer family-owned places can go on. Our regulars are what kept us going in those difficult months. I don’t know what we would have done without them. The regulars kept us afloat; we wouldn’t be here without them. It’s so important to support local, little shops. You know the owners, and you know they have a family to feed and that their business is their life.”
