30 | JULY 4 • 2024
J
N
Cafe Prince
M
ake it a “Great
Morning” by enjoying
a cup of Cafe Prince’s
fresh mint and chamomile tea.
Or order up “Brain Energy,
” a
homemade chai
latte; bright green
“Organic Matcha,
”
with cucumber;
“Cacao,
” topped
with maple-
whipped cream
or fresh-squeezed
orange juice. If
you prefer coffee,
the cafe has you covered with
hot drip, cold brew and espresso
varieties.
The nutritious eating style of
Israeli proprietor, Arad Kauf, 32,
is reflected in his from-scratch
menu at the Detroit-based cafe.
In addition to hot and cold bev-
erages, he’s created an array of
vibrant, meatless dishes, some
of them changing. His offer-
ings incorporate high-quality
ingredients, including grains,
oat milk, dairy, nuts, fruit and
vegetables. Among the custom-
er favorites is his handcrafted,
Neapolitan-style “Wednesday
Pizza” (the only day you can get
one).
“It’s simple, honest food
that you could do yourself,
”
Kauf said, but it’s so great that
he does. The cafe opened on
March 1 last year in Core City.
That’s the name of a burgeoning
Detroit neighborhood located
about a mile southwest of the
Wayne State University (WSU)
campus via Warren Avenue. It
is also about two miles north of
the newly renovated Michigan
Central Station. From Oakland
County, take the Lodge Freeway
to the Forest-Warren exit and go
west on Warren to 16th Street.
Cafe Prince’s name comes
from Prince Concepts, president
Philip Kafka’s local real estate
development and architecture
firm. Kafka is doing a remark-
able job — I saw the before — of
remaking a formerly nonde-
script area of approximately
750,000 square feet into Core
City. It’s on the northwest bor-
der of Detroit’s Corktown and
Woodbridge neighborhoods.
Prince Concepts erected a
2,200-square-foot brick build-
ing, The Power Plant, at 15th
and Warren for entrepreneurs to
rent space. Besides Cafe Prince,
with its address on Grand River
near 16th Street, the eclectic
businesses include Core City
Fitness, Periodicals and Ben
Newman’s Detroit Institute of
Bagels (DiB).
The 500-square-foot cafe run
by Kauf with a barista brims with
good cheer for all. Glass blocks
hold up a service counter in the
industrial-style setting. Several
abstract paintings decorate
“Mystery Green” walls — gray
with a hint of green. In addition
to a work Kafka contributed, the
featured artists are Jay Shinn,
Pedro Friedeberg, Benjamin
Critton, Mark Samsonovich and
David Dauncey.
Warm weather brought an
opportunity for the cafe’s seating
to spill out onto a paver patio.
The shady spot used to be a
parking lot. Other patio guests
bring purchases from the neigh-
boring DiB, supplier of Cafe
Prince’s only bread — a delicious,
simple sourdough. Farther south
on Grand River is Barda Detroit,
a notable modern Argentinian
restaurant founded in 2021.
Cafe Prince proprietor Kauf
is an interesting individual.
The sabra son of sabras (native
Israelis), he learned to speak
Esther
Allweiss
Ingber
Contributing
Writer
NOSH
DINING AROUND THE D
Arad Kauf is shown
with two Holy
Water drinks and
the beverage and
food menus