Stars Align for New Owner of Cosmos: He Savors the Special Brand of Village Coffeehouse

Ari Bejar wears his black Cosmos T-shirt like a regular, greeting customers like old friends. But he's been the owner only five days.

Since Monday, his first day, he's been "crazy busy," he says—dealing with an espresso machine breaking down and supplies not coming in, all while training his staff and learning the shop himself.

Cosmos Coffee Café in The Village—a popular La Mesa Boulevard haunt since 2004—was sold recently by founders Patrick Hoz and Paul Johnson to Bejar, a 46-year-old recent San Franciscan. News of the sale caused tremors among locals: What would become of the special Cosmos vibe? Would the shop with outdoor seating be upended?

Early indications—and even contractual obligations, employees say—indicate that nothing will change but parts of the menu. Live music will continue Fridays and Saturdays, for example. Cosmos will keep the free Wi-Fi.

"What attracted me to Cosmos more than anything was the feel of The Village," says Bejar,  noting how the shop reminded him of the hip Bay Area. "The people, the staff here at Cosmos [are] so great. It seemed just my brand of quirky."

The cafe, which also serves cold sandwiches and salads and an assortment of pastries, will never be a Starbucks, says Bejar (pronounced BEH-har).

Cosmos change? Heaven forbid.

"My plan for Cosmos is to make it what it is—and concentrate it even more," says Bejar, who admired the shop's "About Us" page on its website and wants to "mirror" the founders' mission: "Serving the universe one cup at a time."

"I'm not looking to change Cosmos as a concept," Bejar says. He'll keep the decor and design. "It's definitely something Pat and Paul put their heart and soul into. ... I totally recognize that."

He wants to get involved in the community and stress the "very green features" of the shop—re-use, recycle and redo, and buy "100 percent local ingredients."

"I'm very big on 'from the field to the table,' " Bejar says.  While he says he's seeking  "flavors and concepts" from around the world, he promises to "look inside San Diego" for menu items that don't require hot-stove cooking.

"That's going to be my biggest challenge," says Bejar, who hopes to move to the La Mesa area from University City with his wife, Cathy, and their 7-month-old son.

He says he looks at his new life as having two babies, "but I don't have to change diapers" at Cosmos.

Bejar will draw from three decades of restaurant experience. Born in Mexico City, he came to San Diego at age 12. By 13, he was setting up the salad bar and dining room at the old Chuck's Steakhouse in La Jolla, where he literally worked for hamburgers.

But he got the cooking bug, he says, and studied at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, part of the famous Le Cordon Bleu chain of cooking schools.

His career included a stint serving under celebrity TV chef Stephan Pyles in Texas, Esquire magazine's Chef of the Year for 2006 and "a god of Southwestern cuisine," Bejar says.

Bejar was sous-chef (second in command) at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf Hotel and also worked at Italian restaurant Buca di Beppo in San Francisco. More recently, he gained valuable experience as executive sous-chef at Oakville Grocery, a gourmet market that focuses on California cuisine.

He says he got to run the business and learned that his job isn't just designing tasty dishes with good presentation but "connecting" with the customers, visiting them at their table and "[telling] them who the person is who made the food and what we're about."

He also worked for Ikea—the Swedish retailer of furniture and household goods—which employed him as a chef in one of its restaurants—until he was laid off with 25 others in a corporate downsizing.

But along the way, he found his wife—his one-time boss. They moved to San Diego where both his parents live, and discovered Cosmos, his new love. Now he hopes to add his own spice to The Village.

"Cosmos is not a cookie-cutter coffee shop," he says. "It has its own flavor—and thank God for that."