How long have you been involved with Sofar? I'm currently searching for the best bowl of ramen in Cook County (extra points if it's BYOB). When I'm not working or at Sofar shows, I cook, cheer on the Packers, and spend as much time outside as possible. Originally from Milwaukee, I've lived in Chicago for the past 2 years, prior to that I lived in Indonesia. I'm a music obsessed marketer at a local non-profit publishing company. Every dime we make fundsВ reportingВ from ChicagoвЂ™s neighborhoods.ДЄlready subscribe?В Click hereВ to support Block ClubВ with a tax-deductible donation.Introducing Seamus Doyle for this week's #AmbassadorSpotlightSeries! вњЁ Subscribe to Block Club Chicago,В an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.

The cafeвЂ™s coffee blend and merchandise are also available online. Southside Grinds has a mobile espresso bar for events, as well as its walk-up window in Boxville. People interested in applying can do so on the Southside Grinds website. In the meantime, Blue hopes to find staff who can work the cart on a part-time basis for $15 an hour. Becoming a Boxville tenant will help her figure out what works and what doesnвЂ™t so sheвЂ™ll be ready when the opportunity for a brick-and-mortar spot. Ultimately, Blue wants to open a larger shop that would allow for onsite roasting. More opportunities - from serving drinks at YWCA events to landing a spot at The Hatchery, a food business incubator - brought more business.Д«lue also landed a PepsiCo fellowship and a spot at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, positions where sheвЂ™s provided with educational and mentoring opportunities so she can grow her business.ДЇinally, last week, she opened her container cafe in Boxville.Д«lue wants the space to be comfortable for everyone, with a vibe similar to the one she found at BronzevilleвЂ™s Sip and Savor, where owner Trez Pugh and his family gave her the sense of community she sorely needed. IвЂ™m thinking, вЂWhat do I do now?'вЂќ Ebony Blue stands inside her Southside Grinds coffee stand at Boxville Wednesday afternoon.ДЄfter a pep talk with a friend, Blue decided to build a mobile coffee bar. вЂњI spoke with eight institutions, and they all said no. вЂњThe loans werenвЂ™t there, and nobody wanted to lend to a startup,вЂќ Blue said. But she ran into difficulty finding funding for her cafe plans. She pivoted back to her first true love: coffee, which she started sipping when she was only 2. It costs $4, the same as the rest of BlueвЂ™s beverages.Д«ut the road to opening Southside Grinds wasnвЂ™t an easy one for the New York City native.Д«lue had dreamed of opening a restaurant, but those plans fell through. One example: The Green Line, honoring the nearby CTA line, is an ombre lemonade with blueberry pea tea. Blue offers specialty coffee drinks, teas and вЂades.

So far, Southside GrindsвЂ™ drinks have been a hit. Blue wanted to share her love of coffee beans and create a place that made people feel like they belong. 41st St., a marketplace where vendors sell their wares from shipping containers. Credit: Southside Grinds Ebony Blue founded Southside Grinds, which has a walk-up window in Boxville as well as a mobile espresso cart.Д«lue opened the cafe, Southside Grinds, at Boxville, 300 E.

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