Behind Brown is a series of vignettes about staff members of the University.
The Engineering Research Center Cafe, located on the first floor of Barus and Holley, boasts ceiling-to-floor windows and enough caffeine to see you through any problem set. It’s known to be home to an ecosystem of busy students who thrive in its outlet-rich environment. What truly makes the ERC special, though, are the familiar faces behind the counter you’ll find listening to 2000s hits and greeting their regulars every morning.
Born and raised in Cranston, RI, Rachel Fontes has worked in the ERC for over two years. Long lines of orders, even on the busiest days, are punctuated by her familiar greetings and compliments. I was lucky enough to sit down with Rachel outside of rush hour to talk about her life and the behind-the-scenes of the cafe.
“We're definitely a family, and we're all personable too,” she said. In my opinion, personable is far too humble an adjective to describe Rachel’s coworkers, like Allen “DJ Lefty” Pires.
“Allen, yes he’s the OG. Been here for thirty years. And when you come to him, he'll give you any type of advice just based on the experience that he has. He has a lot to give,” Rachel said.
Rachel and Allen are joined by Samantha, a cashier who has worked at Brown for over ten years and whose compliments always stick, as well as Stewart, the head chef.
“We're always there to pick each other up,” said Rachel. “A lot of things that we say to each other are like, ‘oh my gosh, that was a laugh that was well-needed based on the day that I was having’.”
A day at the cafe for Rachel begins by making sure that all the syrups, drinks, pastries and sandwiches are fully stocked. This process is fine-tuned to the chaos of the semester: “The last few moments before opening we're like, ‘Okay, are we approaching exams?’ If so, we know that we're gonna get a whole bunch of lattes and matcha and everything like that. So let's make sure that we're prepared for that,” she explained.
This kind of care and consideration is what draws so many students to the ERC cafe: The fact that the person you are collapsing before for a coffee notices the bags under your eyes and the mid-semester panic.
“Seeing a student that came in seeming all frazzled, whether it's because of studying, exam time or what have it, just being able to put a smile on their face by a simple compliment is really what makes our day go round,” Rachel said.
Similar to the Blue Room, the ERC cafe gets its pastries from Seven Stars Bakery, a locally-owned business. Rachel kindly tipped me off to the new pumpkin Kouign-amanns, a round laminated dough pastry filled with pumpkin puree and topped with pumpkin seeds, that they’ve been getting delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Infamously, the cafe takes real money. So I asked Rachel if she could tell when a regular runs out of flex points by the fact that they start idling by the counter debating whether to drop a couple bucks on a muffin.
“Yeah, we do, and we give a little bit more grace,” she laughed. “We're here to give and we're here to feed you guys at the end of the day. I'm not gonna let anybody starve in our faces. It's really not that deep.”
Rachel often empathizes with the students in the lobby glued to their work: “It gives me flashbacks to when I was doing the same thing in college, just attacking my laptop,” she said. Rachel studied Spanish education and is fluent in the language. “I have a big passion and love for the Latin community. I intend to go back for my master’s and give my all to somewhere like the Providence Public School District, where they need great teachers,” she shared.
Just as many people can attest to Rachel’s kindness having an impact on their day-to-day lives, Rachel recounts memorable experiences she has had with students.
“You know, we're so used to asking ‘Hey, how’s your day?’ and doing the drill. But there's also other people that purposely come over, saying ‘Hey, I just wanted to check to see how you guys are doing.’ And we appreciate that so much,” she said.
When Rachel’s mother passed away two years ago, a senior created a GoFundMe page to help support Rachel and her family. "I was looking at the names, and I didn’t even recognize half of them, but the fact that they took a minute to read the page and to be generous, it really stuck with me. It still sticks with me to this day,” Rachel said.
Rachel is a testament to what Brown’s community is at its best: considerate, hospitable and deeply human. It is thanks to her and each of her coworkers that the ERC cafe is such a unique space on campus that has resonated with its many customers and friends.
So, if you’re more frugal than I am and have flex points to spare, go ask Rachel about the pumpkin Kouign-amann. And try to beat the lunch rush.
Camila Valdes ’27 can be reached at camila_valdes@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
