Old Ellicott City’s Lower Main Street will be home to a new cafe looking to blend current hospitality with old-time charm.
Le Jardin Rosé Bistro Cafe is set to open Saturday at 8006 Main St. in the former location of Cozy Cafe. It will serve coffee, seasonal drinks, pastries, burgers, crepes, omelets and other treats from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. While the cafe will open Saturday during Old Ellicott City’s Wizarding Weekend on Magical Main, a grand opening event will likely be held once all the finishing touches are complete, owner Manar Chowdhury said.
Chowdhury moved to the United States approximately 10 years ago, settling in bustling New York City. She was always fascinated by the idea of working or studying in a cafe, and thought one day she’d open her own shop. Watching shows such as “Friends,” “Virgin River” and “Emily in Paris” inspired her to launch a cafe, and her love of traveling confirmed, “I would love to do this for myself,” she said.
“And I would love to do this full-time, having even a full-time job, I would like to do this where, you know, people can meet and start their own story in my cafe,” Chowdhury said.
Her travels in Paris helped her solidify the name Le Jardin Rosé, which she said means rose garden. Her daughter’s name also means rose, and the name for the cafe “speaks high volume of my personality” while curating a chic vibe, she said.
Chowdhury wants to connect with her customers, provide the best service and hold community events to turn her cafe into a “local gem,” she said.
Chowdhury has been working for about eight years as a data infrastructure lead. She started looking for a location to open a cafe around March or April, and acquired her current storefront in June. However, she still had a lot to learn about being a business owner while learning how to make all the coffees, working, and being a mom, wife and daughter.
“I am a little crazy when it comes to achieving something, and somehow it just works out,” Chowdhury said. “And I just want to thank the people who believed in me, who pushed me, saying that, ‘Okay, you can do it.’”
Old Ellicott City presented a natural location for a cafe with its historic charm, boutiques, antique shops and restaurants, Chowdhury said. She had an interest in small towns and building a space that isn’t just a business, but a neighborhood gathering place. Everyone in the Old Ellicott City community knows each other and there are various seasonal events, drawing her in.
“So I heard people who live in New York cannot live somewhere else,” Chowdhury said. “And that’s true, but now I feel like Howard County is home.”
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