Today (December 16), Frenchmen Street will lose one of its staple establishments: Café Rose Nicaud.
As reported by NOLA.com, the longtime coffee shop and restaurant will shutter its doors permanently because its owners are retiring. Kenneth and Melba Ferdinand said, ““It’s that time for us, and just as important, the street has changed, and we didn’t change with it. That’s not regrettable, we love what we did and how we did it.”
The Black-owned business provided folks who live and work in the neighboring entertainment district a respite from the music clubs on Frenchmen, a street undergoing drastic changes as the city of New Orleans continues to expand as a tourist destination. The Ferdinands opened Rose Nicaud in 1993, naming it after a Black entrepreneur of the 18th century, according to the report.
“Born into slavery, Rose Nicaud was known to sell coffee on the streets of the French Quarter on Sundays,” writes Ian McNulty. At the time of its opening, Mrs. Ferdinand said Rose Nicaud “was a place for people who were done drinking or didn’t drink but wanted somewhere to go before a show.”
McNulty also reports that, though today is Rose Nicaud’s final “official” day in operation, the business will open on December 28 “for a special day for customers and friends to gather one last time.”
On its website, there’s a statement saying,
After 25 years in operation, we have decided to retire and close our beloved Cafe Rose Nicaud. Our last day of operation will be Monday, December 16, 2019.
For the first 10 years, we operated a PJ’s Coffee Shop. When we completed our franchise agreement with PJ’s in 2003, we created Cafe Rose Nicaud. When we first opened, our children were teenagers. Now we have teenage grandchildren. From the beginning, we strived to create a welcoming space that nourished our customers’ bodies, minds and spirits. We hope that translated into a positive experience for you. We have enjoyed serving each of you and we will miss you very much.
We are immensely grateful for your friendship and your patronage.
Please join us as we celebrate our love for our community with events in the following weeks.
With Deep love & appreciation,
Kenneth Ferdinand
Melba Ferdinand
Kina B. Joshua
Café Rose Nicaud is located at 632 Frenchmen Street. There are rumors of a “jazz funeral” taking place, those details are unknown.
