Save Cafe Iterum: A Local Favorite

We are reaching out to you with a heartfelt plea to rally around a cherished local establishment that embodies the spirit of community, love for food, and a commitment to sustainability. Cafe Iterum, a neighborhood gem run by the dedicated and passionate chef Matt McPherson , is facing challenging times, and we need your help to ensure its doors remain open.

These are tough times in the world for everyone, and it crushes me to ask for help. Between everything going on it seems unreasonable to ask for help but we have run out of options but believe the cafe is worth saving.

Cafe Iterum isn't just a cafe; it's a dream turned into reality, born from the team’s unwavering commitment to establishing a sustainability-minded neighborhood cafe. It’s been the place for community conversations like Cocoa with the Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune and Office Hours with Mayor Wu’s East Boston Liaison. It’s been the place for community organizations like Eastie Farm to meet and collaborate, and neighbors to come hang out, do work, or grab a bite. Cafe Iterum has been committed to high quality food from a scratch kitchen using sustainable ingredients and coffee and beverage using the best local sourcing available, exploring the food that is wasted in our current food system, and where our food system should be headed to be as sustainable as possible.

Cafe Iterum has been looking for SBA and bank loans for the construction and operations, including paying staff, but unfortunately, they have all been denied to keep up and now with rent, monthly insurance payments, tax fees, and more we keep falling further behind. And with all of our hearts full of courage, we are hoping that you and everyone else Cafe Iterum has touched would be willing to help.

The team owes so much in construction debt and to our landlord. But if they can get the financial help they need, they can push through to continue serving nourishing food, foster community connections, and promote sustainable practices.

About the Cafe Iterum Team

The reason Matt does what he does, his love of food, his passion for sustainability, and love of nature and the outdoors has always been his mother – from when she first took him camping at 6 months old with her Girls Scout troop, to having Matt grab fresh herbs from her wild herb garden, and to taking true pride in making people happy cooking for them. Matt’s mom had always seen the best in Matt through his best and worst times, and pushed him to the next thing, which only made me want to make her proud. Cafe Iterum has been a dream of Matt’s, who worked tirelessly before the pandemic began to plan and design the cafe. Opening a cafe in Boston isn’t an easy endeavor in the best of times, and it’s been exacerbated by the pandemic. With supply shortages and construction costs up after the pandemic started, construction cost 40% more than what had anticipated, cutting into the bank loan taken out for operational costs. Despite the numerous obstacles along the way, Matt surprised the community by officially opening Cafe Iterum’s doors at the most challenging time, a year into the pandemic. Before her passing, Matt’s mom was able to come see Matt’s cafe and eat the food he made.

Matt brings a passion for food that started while he was growing up in rural upstate New York is the youngest of four children. The value of food and where it comes from was instilled in him from a family that cooked from scratch and sourced from local and fresh ingredients. Family gatherings and holidays are centered around food and the kitchen. This showed the importance of food and how it brings people together.

From preparing hot meals during the pandemic's darkest days for neighbors most affected by food insecurity to teaching cooking classes, Matt has been an integral part of the community. He has poured his heart into every dish, every interaction, and every moment spent within and outside the walls of Cafe Iterum. His tireless efforts, seven days a week, often stretching up to 18 hours a day, have been a testament to his unwavering dedication. Despite how exhausted and understaffed they are, the team at Cafe Iterum continues to bring joy through customer favorites like noodles Monday evenings to croissants on Wednesdays.

The majority of funds raised will go toward paying back debt and supporting Cafe Iterum's operational costs. The harsh truth is that we need more than $50,000 but at the very least, if we can get this debt down, we will have a chance to move forward.

We understand that these are trying times for many, and not everyone may be in a position to contribute. However, we hold onto hope and know that every act of kindness, no matter the size, brings us closer to our goal – and we know we must do everything we can to at least try to keep our doors open.

Every single dollar would be a big help. And in exchange for your generous donations, we’d love to offer the following:

We are happy to match donations of $100 and above with gift cards.