Courtesy of Sugar Loaf and Sara Cunningham
Professional dancers for 20 years, Lindsay and Nebi Berhane supported themselves with food service jobs, including baking at Levain (Nebi) and Molly’s Cupcakes (Lindsay) in New York City. They dreamed of opening a cafe, and in 2020 they began testing recipes. Soon after, they moved to Atlanta and launched Sugar Loaf, selling biscuit sandwiches and baked goods at pop-ups and farmers markets.
The name is intended to honor to their roots—Lindsay growing up on Sugarloaf Court in Virginia and Nebi near Sugarloaf Parkway in Georgia. Their Southern backgrounds combine with cultural influences from their respective heritages—Albania and Ethiopia—to create a culinary style that’s both comforting and unique. “The vessel is Southern. The ingredients, flavors, and techniques have global influence,” Lindsay says.
Courtesy of Sugar Loaf and Sara Cunningham
In December, the Berhanes will fulfill the next step of their dream: opening a brick-and-mortar cafe. Located in Reynoldstown near La Semilla, Sugar Loaf will serve a counter-service-style breakfast and lunch daily. Offerings may include biscuit sandwiches, seasonal yogurt bowls with house-made granola, ricotta and jam toasts, coffee cake, cookies, and fruit-filled slab pie. Local breakfast sausage will be served with sawmill gravy spiced with Vietnamese or Brazilian pepper “so it hits the tongue differently,” Nebi says.
The lunch menu will feature the Oklahoma fried onion burger that garnered attention during Sugar Loaf pop-ups. It’s topped with a ketchup- and mayonnaise-based sauce with adobo, chipotle, and Worcester “to balance the sweetness of the onion,” Nebi explains. The vegan World Tour (Cajun-spiced portabello mushrooms, smashed cucumber salad, hazelnut romesco sauce, and charred green onion mayo on ciabatta) will be available as well. Add to the list Ethiopian lentil salad with citrus vinaigrette and an Albanian spiced chicken wrap.
Courtesy of Sugar Loaf and Sara Cunningham
Courtesy of Sugar Loaf and Sara Cunningham
Linsday says coffee is big part of both Albanian and Ethiopians cultures, so Sugar Loaf will offer a variety of coffee and espresso drinks with house-made syrups. In 2026, the café will begin serving canned beer, wine, and cocktails too. Nebi envisions keeping the shop open late on select nights when events are happening at the Eastern nearby. “It could be like Little Tart After Dark,” he says. “We could do drinks, appetizers, and burgers.”
The 1,700-square-foot space will have seating for 30 people inside and another 12 to 15 on the open-air patio. Designed to be bright and welcoming, its tall columns mimic the colorful patterns on Ethiopian coffee cups, while an Albanian coffee roaster and grinder sit on the shelves. An inverted J-shaped counter offers space for eight.
Courtesy of Sugar Loaf and Sara Cunningham
Those familiar with Sugar Loaf may be pleased to learn that it will continue to sell at the Piedmont Park Green Market and Grant Park Farmers Market, even after the cafe opens. And yes, the popular Little Nebis (oat and millet sandwich cookies stuffed with marshmallow cream) will still be available.
“Food is a common language that can connect people. It’s fun to be able to share our cultures through food,” Lindsay says.
Courtesy of Sugar Loaf and Sara Cunningham
