Espresso Vivace is a

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area coffee shop and roaster known for its

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

and roasting practices. Vivace's owner, David Schomer, Allison, Melissa
Vivace founder, David Schomer is a coffee prophet
''Seattle Times.'' Sunday, July 2, 2006 is credited with developing and popularizing

latte art Latte art is a method of preparing coffee created by pouring microfoam into a shot of espresso and resulting in a pattern or design on the surface of the caffè latte, cappuccino or hot chocolate. It can also be created or embellished by simpl ...

in the United States.

David Schomer

Espresso Vivace was founded in 1988 by former

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engineer David C. Schomer and

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mainframe technician Geneva Sullivan, who were married at that time. Espresso Vivaces's first incarnation was a coffee cart at 5th and Union, serving mainly financial industry workers, whom Schomer says did not consistently frequent the same cafes or pay close attention to quality. Schomer and Sullivan opened a second street-facing, covered stand near the Broadway Market QFC grocery, and later a larger

roastery Roasting coffee transforms the chemical and physical properties of Coffee processing, green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process produces the characteristic flavor of coffee by causing the green coffee beans to change ...

cafe on South

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. Both were in the

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neighborhood, where customers took greater notice, though the

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customers "didn't know any better" without other nearby coffee shops operating on the same gourmet level. To make way for the Capitol Hill light rail station they were forced to move, choosing a new location five blocks north, near "high-end housing." Here Espresso Vivace found customers who Schomer said were more able to appreciate gourmet coffee as an art form, and who generally became "rabidly loyal" to their favorite haunts. Sullivan and Schomer's business partnership continued after their divorce in 2008.

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* {{Restaurants in Seattle 1988 establishments in Washington (state) Restaurants in Capitol Hill, Seattle Coffee brands Coffeehouses and cafés in Seattle Companies based in Seattle Food and drink companies established in 1988 Regional restaurant chains in the United States

David Schomer

See also

References

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