Yes, the ‘nude raw carrot’ is still a thing

Nearly a year after opening and raising eyebrows over a $1.80 “nude raw” carrot, real estate developer Philip Kafka says his Cafe Prince has grown its food menu and footprint.

The cafe is now open daily, has bolstered its offerings and added a large billboard to remind neighbors that the cafe’s signature nude raw carrots await them.

Kafka’s raw food cafe on Grand River created a buzz when it opened in early 2023 with menu items like a half grapefruit drizzled in honey for $4.18, two Brazil nuts for $1.80, and the cafe’s signature “nude raw” carrot, peeled and served in blue and white checkered paper wrapping. Cafe workers and Kafka espoused that everyone should eat a carrot daily for vitality and health. The cafe joined other tenants in Kafka’s Core City complex including the Detroit Institute of Bagels, two gyms, office space and an Argentinian restaurant. 

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Given the quirkiness of the cafe’s brand, BridgeDetroit visited in April 2023. Almost a year later, Kafka says he’s still eating a carrot a day.

“I love the cafe. Culturally, it’s a huge success for me and the neighborhood,” Kafka said. “All the businesses that work (near) here come and they enjoy it, the neighbors, the residents, people from the bus stop. It works and it’s fun.” 

Toast topped with thick avocado slices, fermented chili, a Middle Eastern spice blend and cilantro is one of the offerings on the cafe’s updated and expanded menu. Other additions include baked feta and soups made by Kate Williams, chef of the now-closed Lady of the House restaurant in Corktown. A complimentary bowl of tamarinds, a sweet and tangy fruit native to Africa, rest on the front counter. Before, the cafe didn’t have oat milk, but now makes its own in-house. 

And, in response to some public critique that menu items were expensive and out-of-touch, Kafka reduced some prices. Before, two brazil nuts were $1.80. Now, customers can get three nuts for $1. 

But the price of the carrot has stayed the same. 

“First of all, we give out a lot of free carrots,” Kafka explained. Anyone who comes in and asks for one can have a carrot, he said, and kids taking classes at the adjacent Core City Fitness gym stop in for carrots before class. 

“Second of all, the people who bought it and liked it, they had no problems with it. It was the people that weren’t buying them that would look at it and judge it because they weren’t getting value from it,” he said, referring to  public critiques online.

“The carrot– it’s philosophical more than it’s business,” Kafka said. 

On recent visits to the cafe on a Tuesday and Saturday morning, BridgeDetroit witnessed a steady stream of customers and group meetings inside the cafe. 

But long-time resident Willie Campbell said he’s not made the trip. 

“There’s never been anything about it to attract me,” said Campbell, a 70-year resident and the executive director of the nonprofit Core City Neighborhoods, noting he doesn’t visit other coffee shops nearby, either. 

“It seems outrageous that [Cafe Prince] would charge so much,” he said.

Others, like Chelsea Hyduk and Margot Guicheteau, who have been Core City residents for approximately two years and lead the Grand River Block Club, said the cafe is a staple in the community. 

“The space is open to the Core City village whether or not you plan to buy a coffee,” Hyduk told BridgeDetroit. “We use it as a block club gathering place, a place to work, and honestly, during these cold winter months when I feel isolated sometimes, I just pop in for a conversation with the staff,” she said. “Human interaction is so important to a thriving neighborhood.”

For Guicheteau, the cafe is like a second office. 

“I go there at least twice a week,” she said by email. “It’s a great place to meet new people. I love this little plaza with the coffee shop, the bagel shop, the park, the cross fit gym and Barda. It’s so important to have businesses for our little community and motivate people from other places to visit.” 

The cafe hasn’t been profitable, but for Kafka it was never about the money. 

“It’s an investment in the community,” said Kafka, noting that the cafe’s primary function is as a “third space,” which refers to non-work and non-home spaces for people to meet. “This has been an experiment for me. What I really want to do is public space, but we have to subsidize it,” said Kafka

Serving as a public space, the cafe has Wi-Fi, hosts local block club meetings and is a shelter for people waiting for the bus. 

“The idea always was you can come and spend $3 for coffee and spend your whole day here. If we sell a few coffees along the way, that’s awesome, but the idea is energy and vitality.” 

When Cafe Prince first opened BridgeDetroit talked with Nick Parente, who had visited several times. Parente said he stops in, mainly because his office is in the same building as the cafe. 

“But I do appreciate that it’s a nice friendly place to grab coffee,” he said. Parente said he believes that cafe manager Arad Kauf seems genuinely interested in creating a quality experience, rather than making money. 

“I appreciate that,” he said, noting that the drinks are reasonably priced compared to other places in town. 

He also appreciates that the cafe has toned down its emphasis on the carrot, save for the billboard, because “that was a little much.”

In response to initial arguments that Kafka should have opened a grocery store to serve the neighborhood, Kafka said he would help by developing a building, but that he wasn’t qualified himself to operate a grocery store, given that it’s more high stakes than a coffee shop. 

“It’d be a top priority,” he said, to help someone interested in opening a grocery store. 

Located just across the street from Core City Park is a Kafka-owned building that historically was a grocery store. Today, Kafka has turned 5000 Grand River Ave into an office building with three courtyards in the center. It earned a 2022 Design Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Michigan. 

“We want to create an engine for the neighborhood in a way and that’s what public space does, people intersect there so it creates friction and energy,” Kafka said.