Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Rick Rowe is the owner of Kelly's Coffee and Fudge Factory, along with his wife, Dee.
From fudge to coffee, soup to smoothies, Kelly's offers it all
By Suzanne Cristallo
Around 5 a.m. each day, the sweet smells start coming from the ovens at Kelly's Coffee and Fudge Factory in Los Gatos. Although its name doesn't mention all of its services (this would make it far too long), the E. Main Street shop is a bakery, a candy confectioner, an ice cream parlor, a sandwich maker and a smoothie shop. It's also a fun place to hang out and play chess, backgammon and checkers.
Rick and Dee Rowe bought the corner store in October. The Beverly Hills-based franchise had been in operation since April 1998 under previous owners David Zimmerman and Tracy Long, who were the first to occupy that section of the new Soda Works Plaza building.
Rick Rowe, 36, a second-generation Los Gatan whose grandparents once lived just up the hill from the store, has totally immersed himself in running the shop. He previously owned a gun and sporting-goods store and a concrete-pumping business in Morgan Hill, and his experience with fudge and baked goods was limited to eating the treats. He now arrives at Kelly's at 4 a.m. daily to bake muffins, croissants and cinnamon rolls.
"We have lots of muffins--nonfat, lowfat or heavy on the fat," he says enthusiastically, proud of the baking skills he's mastered after several months of tutoring by operations manager Carlos Granados, who worked with the store since the beginning.
It's a job that keeps Rowe going up to seven days a week. "I still work even when it rains," he says, alluding to the respite his previous concrete business enjoyed during inclement weather.
Rain or shine, customers arrive early to buy lattes, mochas or cappuccinos. Los Gatos High School students stream across the street during the lunch hour to pick up ice cream or yogurt and fruit smoothies. Business neighbors and residents stop by for piping-hot soups, chili and sandwiches made to order. The afternoon and evening trade comes from folks seeking a treat from among 11 flavors of Dreyer's ice cream, the warm fudge they can see rolled out on the marble table near the window or the cookies and hard candies (such as jelly beans, jaw breakers and lollipops) contained in big jars on the shelves.
Some people linger at the tables by the windows, enjoying a game of chess until reminded of closing time. It's those lingerers that Rowe enjoys, getting to know them and feeling content in just being there. "I always had a pot of coffee going at the sport shop, and people would stay and talk some," he recalls of the harbinger of the work he enjoys today.
His children understandably love to go to work with him. Brian, 8, wants to know how old he must be to work there. When told he must be 16, he sighs, "Ah, only eight more years." To him, it's the ice cream store. To his sister, Sara, 3, it's the candy shop.
Kelly's Coffee and Fudge Factory, 26 E. Main St., Los Gatos. Open Mon.-Thu., 6 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 6 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 6 a.m.-6 p.m. 408.395.7883.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
