But with her job search in the doldrums, she noticed that the cafe in her local Hampstead Garden Suburb park was a little unloved.
Despite never running a cafe – or making a barista-style coffee – she felt she could make a go of creating a community hub where families, dog walkers and the elderly could gather.
After contacting the owners who were living abroad, she collected the keys to Gaya Cafe in Lyttelton Playing Fields last April.
Danielle Oren got the keys to Gaya Cafe last April and has turned it into a community hub. (Image: Dana Tamari)
Now, her “cosy warm cafe” is a thriving space with board games, a knitting club, yoga – and a new dog owners’ club planned for next month.
Danielle told the Ham&High: “I couldn’t find a job when I moved here and I used to take my daughter to the playground in the park.
“I noticed the cafe was closed a lot and I thought ‘this is a beautiful place with beautiful people, why is the cafe not properly open’?
“I had no idea how to manage a cafe, but I felt this was exactly what I should be doing – building a community.”
Danielle started serving smoothies, toasties, fish and chips, pizzas and home bakes such as marble cake, banana bread, and tahini brownies.
Friday Mediterranean feasts include dips, pitta, tabbouleh and labneh.
“People told me ‘you are crazy it will take over your life’ but I started slowly,” she says.
“There was a big machine I didn’t know how to use so I learned how to make coffee from Instagram. I changed the brand to Doppio – now everyone’s in love with our coffee and almond crescent cookies.
“Every Friday I pick up salads and dips from Mamoosh a beautiful bakery in Newhaven, and on Sunday I serve Jachnun, a 12 hour breakfast dish with thin dough and honey butter, eaten with boiled eggs, spiced sauce and tomatoes.”
But for Danielle it’s “all about the community” which she built via a WhatsApp group.
“We needed a place where the kids could meet – now they all come with their friends after school, especially in the summer – even the teenagers gather and play with their phones.
“We have activities like painting under the tree, family yoga, tai chi and a free knitting club which has been popular with teenagers.
“There’s English tea and biscuits for the elderly on Wednesdays and a group for dogs starting next month with a dog trainer.
“This winter, we held a Chrismukkah fair with craft vendors live music and a fire pit which brought all the people from the neighbourhood together.”
With a single staff member, she says it’s sometimes hard to balance family life with her 14, 12 and eight-year-olds but insists “I am loving it!”
“I’ve learned so much – what I love about London is there is so much green.
“We are in the middle of the park with nature around us, welcoming everyone who wants to stop in for a coffee and find some community.”
