Amidst a flood of recent restaurant openings that have threatened to submerge San Francisco, the name Dennis Leary bobs to the surface. Leary, a lifelong chef, has amassed a small empire of restaurants and bars over the last five years. What started with the 20-seat sliver of a restaurant Canteen (Leary was owner and chef until it closed late last year) broadened outwards, as Leary threw open the doors toย The Sentinel (a grab-and-go sandwich shop), then The Golden West (a commissary with a take-out window), then the revamped and ย iconic House of Shields. The expansion just keeps expanding; Leary recently opened a casual bar, Natoma Cabana, raising his number to six, each new venture bristling with popularity. One might think this would be enough for him, but Dennis Leary, knee deep in the management of his growing empire, saw a problemโthe cost, and the quality, of the coffee he serves in his restaurants.
On one hand, Leary could buy cheaper beans from a handful of Bay Area roasters, for whom quality is, shall we say, not the single highest priority. On the other, Leary could fork over the cash required to tap into San Franciscoโs booming specialty coffee scene. Or, as a man whoโs opened seven restaurants in six years might do, he could, without any training or real knowledge of process, start roasting his own beans to supply his restaurants. So he did. After opening Natoma Cabana last year, Leary had a small PER San Franciscan coffee roaster installed behind the bar, sourced out some green beans, and Aleph Roasting was born.
Named after one of Learyโs favorite Jorge Luis Borges short stories (โThe Alephโ), Aleph Roasting aims, as of now, to provide the coffee for Learyโs always expanding collection of restaurants. Unsurprisingly, this is just the start for Aleph. We sat down at Natoma Cabana with Leary and chatted about the beginnings of Aleph, Learyโs coffee roasting process, and what lies ahead.
Why did you decide to start roasting your own coffee?
It started as an economics thing. I donโt want to buy shitty coffee for ten bucks a pound, but I donโt want to pay 18 dollars a pound, either. I thought, โI can get a good Sumatran for 4 bucks a pound and the investment I make in a coffee roaster will pay itself back.โ I roasted on my roof for a year before I bought the roaster. It was a big investment.
And how has that worked out?
As it turns out, it takes a lot of time to roast coffee. Itโs more of an artisanal pursuit than an economic one. Itโs an intense process, and it probably doesnโt make a lot of economic sense, but the flavor is great and the freshness is great. It just isnโt a pure business play.
How did you teach yourself to roast?
Honestly, Iโm still figuring it out. I have definitely done the research, but itโs interesting about the coffee roasting tradeโthereโs not a lot of data. You actually canโt find out what the fuck is going on, on the internet. Itโs like thereโs a tacit agreement not to talk about technique. Sure you can find the home roasting stuffโthe air poppers, etc.โbut on a professional level there isnโt a lot of info. It feels intuitive.
How do you feel about your current roasting skills?
I feel like Iโm finally getting consistent. That said, if I was roasting now while I was talking to you, I would have fucked it up. It seems intuitive. Sure, you can control a lot of the variables from batch to batchโair flow, ambient temperatures, but it all feels pretty subtle to get it roasted at the same time and the same temperature every go. I look at roasting and I see these strange archaic traditions that in my mind donโt belong, and I think maybe Iโm missing something. End of the day, Iโm not going to try and be super scientific about it.
Have you developed a philosophy towards roasting?
Itโs evolving. Iโm trying to get to that middle ground between a distinct flavor profile and the fact that I want it to taste like coffee; that sort of old Juan Valdez flavorโmellow, sweet, and lightly acidic.
Do you have plans to open cafes or anything?
Weโre thinking about opening one. I love low investment, small, fun projects. Weโd build something minimalist. Some of these new coffee shops I just canโt fucking deal with. I donโt want to wait 15 minutes for some hipster to make me a coffee. I can also do without latte art. Itโs amazing, but as a business practice, itโs annoying. Also, coffee shops full of laptops annoy me. Coffee shops are places you go, and have a conversation face-to-face. They shouldnโt be a place to diddle yourself on the internet. Yeah, Iโd like to have a retail/wholesale presence. I think thereโs room for one more.
Noah Sanders is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in San Francisco, and a contributor to SF Weekly & The Bold Italic. Read moreย Noah Sanders on Sprudge.