In a small building toward the back of Magnolia Parke, a new restaurant has something brewing.
On Oct. 25, One Love Cafe is bringing Beer Fest to Gainesville.
The cozy restaurant has been in operation for about a month and sits on a three-acre park.
Tickets will be $25 in advance for the event and $35 at the door, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County.
Guests will be provided a wristband, enabling them to sample about 40 to 80 types of beer and a handful of food items. The cafe will also be open, said Juli Denney, one of the co-owners of the cafe. Guests can choose to sit inside or take advantage of outdoor seating.
Just outside of the restaurant is a large projector screen, where guests can watch NFL football games on Thursdays, and guests can watch college games on Fridays and Saturdays.
“I wanted them to have something like a beer fest because they have the space for it,” said Joshua Lane, a regular at One Love Cafe.
All of the cafe’s food is made in-house, Denney said, including the fresh ground-beef hamburgers and the sauces and dressings she prepares personally.
“I think that sets us apart because we make almost everything from scratch,” Denney said.
Vegan and vegetarian dishes are also available.
Despite the name of the cafe, Denney said it does not serve Jamaican food or have any ties with the late Bob Marley. Instead, the name reads like the engraving on the inside of her and her husband’s wedding rings — “One Love.”
Currently, the cafe is only open three days a week, Thursday through Saturday, but Denney said she plans to increase its hours once the restaurant has better stability.
“I try to make everything healthy and fresh,” Denney said. “Nothing is processed. It’s American comfort food with a unique twist, and it still tastes good.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/8/2014]
