In New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood, Applied Arts Café has opened, transforming an old riverfront workshop into a spot for Nordic-inspired baked goods and specialty coffee. The venue serves as a sunny haven for open-faced sandwiches and lighter roasts amid the post-Mardi Gras lull. Owners Baruch Rabassa and Melissa Stewart bring their backgrounds in fine dining and Norwegian heritage to the menu.
The Bywater area features an old riverfront workshop, once used for repairing maritime engines, now repurposed behind iron gates and corrugated metal walls. One room houses a modern coffee roaster producing small batches described as among the best in New Orleans. Adjacent is a bakery crafting dense, dark, rye-flecked loaves inspired by Nordic traditions, diverging from local New Orleans baking norms.
Next door, Applied Arts Café provides a welcoming space for these offerings, focusing on Scandinavian breakfast items. The interior is sunny and colorful, with patterned pillows and curling plants evoking a cozy, eclectic home filled with worldly finds.
Applied Arts began as a boutique coffee brand, sold wholesale to restaurants and at markets, founded by Baruch Rabassa, a former fine-dining chef. His partner, Melissa Stewart, draws from her Norwegian family roots. At the café, Rabassa applies his culinary expertise to coffee roasting and Nordic comfort foods.
Signature dishes include smorbord, open-faced sandwiches similar to French tartines, built on the bakery's bread. Options feature pickled herring or fluffy egg salad, emphasizing clean, bright, and healthy flavors.
The coffee features lighter roasts with delicate, layered tastes, suitable for afternoon chats or quiet reflection, contrasting with jolt-providing morning brews. This setup arrives as Mardi Gras echoes fade, before the onset of crawfish and festival seasons, offering a mellow epicurean experience in the city.