There’s a cafe for tots in J.P. ‘It’s magical here.’
On a recent afternoon, Sarah Ogirala and her 2½-year-old daughter Lilah stopped at Little Cocoa Bean Co. Tot Cafe in Jamaica Plain for muffins, a smoothie, and some playtime. They live around the corner. “I love having a place catering to little ones,” says Ogirala. “It’s magical here.” Abbi Melton came too with Monty, her 2year-old. The family just moved here from England. Tracy Skelly recently opened the 895square-foot storefront, which includes an open kitchen, cafe tables, and a joyful play area stocked with toys and stuffed animals. It’s a place where playtime and a healthy meal go sideby-side. Parents and caregivers can read a book, use their laptops, and even meet new friends while little ones play nearby. “I’m proud to open a space for the community where parents can feel comfortable coming with their children,” said Skelly, who initially had no intention of opening a brick-and-mortar. “I know people were craving community, so it happened organically.” Skelly first founded Little Cocoa Bean several years as a line of baby foods after having her first child and being frustrated by the brands on store shelves. So, she created foods with ingredients that leaned into her own cultural roots, such as collard greens, chayote, purple potatoes, tamarind, and prickly pears. “It’s really more about the ingredients than heritage recipes,” Skelly says. At the café, she offers green, pink, or blue waffles made with fruits and veggies; smoothies with papaya and leafy greens; Okinawa and yucca fries; and mini cupcakes prepared with purple yams, carrots, zucchini, and chocolate. You can get bento boxes with pasta, turkey, or veggie meatballs, and quinoa pizzas. Small jars of nutritious toppings line the counter, including gogi, monkfruit sugar, and amia, an Indian gooseberry powder. The baby foods are for sale, too. “For me, this is a labor of love,” says Skelly. 114 South St. Jamaica Plain, 617-652-9595, littlecocoabeanco.com.