{"id":288624,"date":"2026-04-27T20:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/288624\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T20:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:46:08","slug":"bankers-hills-coffee-scene-gets-a-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/288624\/","title":{"rendered":"Bankers Hill\u2019s Coffee Scene Gets a Boost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Entrepreneurial stories don\u2019t always look like a scruffy dude working out of a garage until he disrupts a major industry, or someone who fails at a dozen ventures before landing on the right idea. I mean, they do a lot, but not always. Sometimes, the story goes: There\u2019s a guy who, with the help of his friends, opens a business to share a passion found later in life with his community.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what Five Corners Coffee & Bakery<\/a> is\u2014or will be, when it opens at 3407 First Avenue next to the Royal Food Mart and Mia Trattoria in Bankers Hill in late June.<\/p>\n

Originally from San Diego, founder David Ferriot didn\u2019t get into the coffee scene until he headed to Seattle for college. \u201cStarbucks was all the rage in the late \u201990s, early 2000s when I was in school up there,\u201d he says. But it wasn\u2019t until a study abroad trip to Italy that his love for the beverage was truly sealed. \u201cNow I get it\u2014this is what coffee is supposed to taste like.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a stint living in Los Angeles, he became a regular at Kings Road Coffee<\/a>, the small-batch roaster Lawrence Casperson opened in 1990 after a long career in fine-dining restaurants from Wisconsin to San Francisco. \u201cHe\u2019s had the same coffee supplier for 35 years,\u201d Ferriot says. (It\u2019s Royal Coffee<\/a> in Oakland, if you\u2019re curious.) His signature blend comes from five countries in Indonesia, Central, and South America.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After graduate school, some more travels, and a long career in marketing and advertising, Ferriot found himself at a crossroads. Was now the time to open his own coffee shop in his hometown? He emailed Casperson to ask for his advice, setting off a chain reaction that, several years later, culminated in Ferriot launching Five Corners, which is now Kings Road\u2019s first (and only) wholesale coffee account.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not the only colleague or friend Ferriot tapped during this process. A friend from Ferriot\u2019s Little League days connected him with Josh DeSoto from Next Wave Commercial<\/a> to help find the right space\u2014something big enough for an in-house bakery, but not a roastery, since Kings Road will be providing the beans. Sarah Salcedo, director of bakery operations and founder of Tu Madres Bakery<\/a>, is also a friend, and his first call when he needed to hire a pastry chef.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Five Corners Coffee & Bakery will offer traditional espresso drinks\u2014lattes, cappuccinos, and the like\u2014but don\u2019t expect traditional drip coffee from a carafe. Instead, every cup is made to order via a 60-second extraction process \u201cto make this really full-bodied, frothy, just delicious cup of coffee,\u201d he explains. (It\u2019s a little trick he picked up from his mentor, Casperson.) It\u2019ll also offer matcha, loose leaf teas, smoothies, protein shakes, and some seasonal and specialty lattes with ingredients like ube or manuka honey.<\/p>\n

Salcedo\u2019s pastry program will feature a variety of sweet and savory empanadas, various muffins and laminated pastries, and small-format desserts inspired by her experience crafting elaborate buttercream cakes at Tu Madres. And while there are a few coffee shops and cafes on the other side of Maple Canyon (James Coffee, Mnemonic, and Communal<\/a>) or closer to Balboa Park (Cafe Bassam, Quiet Storm Roasters), the general abundance of offices, homes, and around 2,700 new residential units planned to be built over the next year and a half make the location somewhat undercaffeinated, compared to nearby neighborhoods like South Park<\/a> or downtown San Diego.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA big part of what we want to do is help educate people on coffee,\u201d Ferriot says. Some people are going to want to just come in to enjoy their cup, while others will want to know about the country of origin, the farmer, the roast, every detail, \u201ckind of like Portlandia,\u201d he laughs. Either way, he\u2019s eager to oblige.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Five Corners Coffee & Bakery<\/a> opens this June at 3407 First Avenue in Bankers Hill. Initial operating hours will be seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. (subject to change).<\/p>\n

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San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events<\/p>\n

Beth\u2019s Bites<\/p>\n

The beer industry overall may be struggling, but there are still breweries giving back to their communities. Locally, California Wild Ales<\/a> recently announced an initiative where a new charitable partner rotates every month, starting May 1 in support of the Rady Children\u2019s Health Extra Life Tabletop Program. On May 30 at the brewery\u2019s Sherman Street Barrel House (3826 Sherman St.), the first of two Super Smash Bros. tournaments<\/a> will kick off at 2 p.m. to raise funds for the program. You don\u2019t have to compete to attend, so come ready to game, raise a pint, and raise some money for Rady.<\/p>\n

One of the rip-roaringest (literally) events of the year is coming up on May 2\u2014the San Diego Zoo\u2019s all-inclusive Food, Wine & Brew<\/a> fest. It\u2019s fun enough being at the zoo after hours, but when there\u2019s also beer, wine, and food included, I\u2019m sold. (Oh, and it raises money for wildlife conservation as well. So I\u2019m really not seeing a downside here.)<\/p>\n

For something a little more white tablecloth and a little less white rhino, L\u2019Auberge Del Mar\u2019s L\u2019Auberge Uncorked<\/a> brings back a whole slew of winemakers from Napa Valley, Italy, Paso Robles, and more for the second year of the event, which runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 3. To wash down what\u2019s sure to be quite a few splashes of world-class wines, there will be plenty of raw oysters, steak bites, and even lobster corn dogs on hand. Need to stay the night? There\u2019s even an Uncork & Unwind package<\/a> for the weekend. You had me at corn dog\u2026<\/p>\n

Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego\u2019s Food and Drink Scene<\/p>\n

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city\u2019s food scene? Send your pitches to\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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