The beloved New Deal Café is dealing with some changes in funding and hours since the board’s decision not to renew the last vendor’s contract, which ended in July. However, the community behind it stays strong.
“It’s run by the people who actually spend money here,” said bar manager Renea, who has been with the Café since November 2024. “The people who want to keep the doors open. They’re not just eating here.”
Collaborative Efforts
The Café’s new menu was created by Chef Derrelle Magee, who has been affiliated with the Café in one way or another for around 15 years and was one of the chefs under the previous vendor. He worked alongside Aaron Mengel of Generous Joe’s to craft a menu full of simple and light meals for customers to enjoy. They also worked to incorporate vegetarian and vegan options, Magee said.
Last weekend, while the 23rd annual Greenbelt Blues Festival came around and the rain poured, the Café hosted originally-planned outdoor acts inside and served customers blues-inspired meals. The menu included specials such as Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Bean Burger with a blueberry barbecue sauce and blue corn chips served with pico de gallo and elote.
“This is my goal: try and reinvent the New Deal,” said Magee. “It’s on my shoulders, so you know I gotta do it. I’ve got big shoulders, so I can carry it.”
Magee also noted how New Deal Café President Stephanie Rizk makes all the baked goods in-house.
The Volunteer Team
Several Greenbelt residents, whether longtime supporters or newer to the Café, have put their time into volunteering in a multitude of ways. Jeannette Holman, for instance, is both a member of the board of directors and a volunteer. All board members are volunteers, she said.
“Washing dishes, serving, bussing,” said Holman when naming some of her volunteer roles on top of putting community feedback into play.
Holman has been coming to the Café since 2003. She praised the community she has seen in the past few months, not just from fellow volunteers, but also the customers who support in small ways daily, like helping fix a toilet during her shift.
“We are the management,” Holman said. “Running the kitchen, the … bar, we’ve been successful.”
Theodore “Teddy” Kish is also a board member. He has lived in Greenbelt for 42 years, recently became a Café regular and then a board member during the Café’s last board election. He also works at the Honda dealership in Greenbelt.
Kish mentioned how Rizk works a full-time job, takes care of her family and fosters dogs while also leading the Café.
“You see how much people really care about this place, and how much they’re willing to rally and just work together, and it’s been a really great experience to be honest,” Kish said.
The Coffee Klatch
These volunteers do not just want to keep the business running; they want to keep the warm culture alive. Peter Teuben is a member of the Café’s audit committee, alongside Teresa Petrovic and Rex Wingerter, going over finances and giving a community report every Sunday. He also started the coffee klatch in August.
Teuben was used to meeting up with friends to play mahjong at the Café over breakfast every week. When the Café had to change its hours, Teuben and others couldn’t fathom an empty Café in the morning and started bringing in their own coffee, meeting up to try out different drinks.
“This guy David [Whiteman] who came has really learned how to operate the espresso machine, and taught a bunch of people how to do it,” Teuben said about one of the club volunteers.
Teuben noted that several volunteers pick up both the register and barista roles, noting the desire to keep coffee as a staple at the Café.
As of this week, the Café will be open every morning of the week aside from Sundays and Mondays.
Volunteering
Those interested in volunteering at the Café can visit its SignUp Genius page, https://tinyurl.com/5fsf9r2x. Volunteer positions include bartending, dish washing, sound engineering and more.
Also, Rizk says, board members are elected for two-year terms every June. Those interested in serving in that capacity can reach out to boardofdirectors@newdealcafe.com.
The Café also shares updates on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
Rachel Kebler is a University of Maryland student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism interning with the Greenbelt News Review.
