Saturday 2 March 2013

The cafe of...Xoli Ormut-Durbin


Café Xoho, Tel Aviv, Israel 

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Cookies, in mixed jars






A VIBRANT AND NOMADIC PAST has fed into every corner of this exciting space in Tel Aviv. Dreamt up by the ever-energetic Xoli, born in Hong-Kong and studied in Australia, Xoho, an arty café in the heart of the city is the result of Xoli’s experiment, bringing an artistic coffee culture to the Israeli city.
Xoli studied graphic design in Melbourne, deciding to move there after getting to know it during a two month visit, escaping the Hong-Kong SARS outbreak in 2004. On graduating Xoli followed her family to Tel Aviv. With some life-long friendships forged after a brief stint getting up to mischief at a Kibbutz years before, (a place where she was supposed to be learning Hebrew), Xoli alongside one of her Kibbutz companions Howie, decided to set up Café Xoho.
“Our aim was to breathe some creative life into an already saturated market of generic coffee shops in Tel Aviv. We are a home away from home. A living room bursting with wonderful aromas and the laughter of happy people.”
With artistic influences from her mother and a business minded father, it seems only natural that Xoli’s path lead her to established a buzzing hub of creative hospitality. One year after opening, Howie decided to back out of the venture returning back to law and sparing their friendship.

If one thing has become clear for Xoli, it’s that opening a café can be tough, and opening a café in Tel Aviv when you’ve only lived there a year, well that happens to be on another level completely

All Images and content from the wonderful Slanted Mansion

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6 comments:

Melissa said...

So cool. The light fixtures are gorgeous.

<3 Melissa
wildflwrchild.blogspot.com

Kath said...

That cafe would slip seamlessly into Glastonbury :-D

Ms Misantropia said...

Wonderful decor!

Vicki said...

So funky. LOVE it!
I can imagine enjoying great coffee and food there.
I wish Xoli much success.

A mermaid in the attic said...

*chuckle* You can tell Xoli's lived in Melbourne, that cafe looks like it belongs there...or possibly in Fremantle! I love places like that, so much better than the generic franchises!

Unknown said...

Wonderful place, congratulations to XOXO!!!