Photograph by Paul Myers
Andres Berman is the owner of Gilley's Coffee Shoppe in Los Gatos. He also recently created a business designing and selling treat dispensers for dogs. They are available on the website www.barkfortreats.com.
Gilley's is a down-home, pet-friendly coffee shop
By Suzanne Cristallo
While Los Gatos might be thought of as a cat haven, it's the dogs who get the attention. Take Gilley's Coffee Shoppe, for instance. Hanging on the wall in front of the store is a clever little box shaped like a dog bone. It says "free treats." The treats are Andres Berman's way of saying welcome to pet owners who might like to pause to refresh their dogs before moving on, or to tie up the pooch and stay awhile.
Andres and his mother, Patrina, are the familiar faces at the small shop next to the Los Gatos Cinema who have been serving up their special blend of hospitality and traditional American fare for the past nine years. Since the 1930s, when it was a sweet shop convenient for movie-goers, the store has always served food. And like the mid-20th century shop owners before them who neatly displayed their philosophy in signs on the back wall, the Bermans still believe "the customer is always right."
"We value our customers no matter who they are," says Andres, who adds that the regulars are the mainstay of the breakfast and lunch trade, which keeps the shop comfortably busy on weekdays and "packed" on weekends.
Andres does most of the cooking. He's noticed that spring brings a surge in "healthier" eating as people try to get in shape for summer. One way they try to maintain their fitness is with the popular Healthy Breakfast--a large bowl of yogurt topped with granola and fresh fruit for $6.95. "They tend to order juice instead of Coke, salads instead of burgers and egg beaters [in omelets]," Andres observes.
But for those seeking a gustatory splurge, there's the Gilley's Special--onions grilled with ham, bacon or sausage, topped with hash browns and covered with melted cheddar for $5.95. For a dollar more, there's an egg on top. Andres says the specialty of the house is eggs Benedict, with a Hollandaise sauce he makes from scratch.
"We melt the butter, blend it with lemon juice, two egg yolks and two whole eggs," he says with a touch of pride. "You have to pour it into the blender while it's still boiling, or the whole thing breaks apart."
A recent U.S. citizen, Patrina is a native of Switzerland. Andres, who was born in El Salvador, where he was adopted by Patrina and husband David when he was six months old, frequently welcomes visitors from countries like Japan, Australia, New Zealand and China. Perhaps interested in trying what Gilley's bills as traditional American food, the tourists along with the regulars order burgers of all kinds, Philly cheese steaks, hot dogs, French dips, milk shakes and freezes.
Salads include the curry melon chicken for $7.95. "I grew up on it," Andres, 27, laughs.
He was just 18 when his parents bought the cafe. Without even home cooking experience, he immediately began flipping burgers and eggs while his mother waited tables. "Neither of us had ever done it before. Luckily, it was simple stuff, like pancakes, to start," he reflects.
"At first, I didn't like being in front of a hot stove, but I became accustomed to it, and now I like it." He's also running a small business through his website--barkfortreats.com--selling doggie treat boxes that he designs, similar to the one shaped like a bone hanging in front of the store.
"I got the idea when I saw other businesses putting water bowls for dogs outside their doors. I thought, why not treats, then I got the idea for designing special boxes for them."
Gilley's Coffee Shoppe, 47 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. Open Mon.-Sat. 6 a.m.-3 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. 408.354.9710.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
