The sharp smell of coffee beans mixed with the aromatic sweetness of homemade apple pie empanadas gently wafts out of Hope Cafe. Spanish music plays softly over the speakers, and low lighting illuminates the hanging textiles and pictures of Peru that scatter the wall.

Matthew Cullipher, founder of Hope Cafe, welcomes cafe regulars by name. Cullipher is also the CEO of The People Project, a nonprofit dedicated to helping children living in extreme poverty. Over time, Cullipher’s efforts have stretched to 13 different nations.

Cullipher traveled to Peru for the first time in 1999 with a church to construct a new school for the children in the area. On that trip, he said he found an intense level of poverty that Peru faced and the lack of educational opportunities that children had.

“That just rocked me, and that was it,” he said. “I dedicated myself to doing work there and elsewhere ever since then.”

Cullipher established The People Project in 2004 when the nonprofit built its first school in northern Peru. The education establishment was accredited in 2005, and the organization began serving underprivileged communities all around the world.

The People Project is based in Syracuse and has current projects in Zambia, Kenya, Peru and Pakistan. During Cullipher’s five collective years living in Peru, he started a restaurant in the country that raised money for the newly founded organization. However, before returning to the United States, he had to close the restaurant. In an effort to maintain the function that the restaurant served for the organization in Peru, Cullipher decided to open Hope Cafe.

The Hope Cafe opened in Liverpool in 2017 and will be opening a secondary location in downtown Syracuse. The cafe is run completely by volunteers and donates 100% of its profits to The People Project. The cuisine is a fusion of American, Italian and Peruvian food including caprese arepas and the chicharron “sanguich,” a combination of Peruvian meats and sauces on Italian bread.

Cullipher’s favorite item on the menu is the breakfast sandwich because it is a combination of different foods they serve at the cafe and is representative of his identity, he said.

“I feel like that sandwich is just me — it’s Italian, it’s American and Peruvian all in one,” Cullipher said.

Courtney Cook, a volunteer at Hope Cafe, works the counter as Cullipher runs to the back to check on the kitchen. Cook, a Syracuse local, has been working at Hope Cafe for more than two years.

Cook was mutual friends with Cullipher through church and started helping out at the cafe randomly one day when it got really busy. She put her hair in a ponytail, started bringing out meals from the back and has been working there ever since, she said. The cafe helped her escape from a job she didn’t enjoy and learn more about Peruvian culture and food.

“It seems like it’s a very loving culture and friendly,” Cook said. “Matt’s wife’s family has helped me with open arms, and I love them so I’m sure that I would love to go to Peru someday.”

Cullipher has been able to use The People Project and Hope Cafe to aid the local community. He’s handed out free food to the homeless on the street and organized clothing drives and Christmas presents for kids in need.

In an effort to make his restaurant accessible to all, the menu items are organic, healthy and relatively inexpensive due to the low overhead cost that comes with a staff of volunteers, Cullipher said.

Hope Cafe opened in Liverpool in 2017 and plans to open a second location in downtown Syracuse later this year. Corey Henry | Photo Editor

“We kind of jokingly call ourselves a fill in the gap outreach because we fill in whatever gaps we see,” he said.

Kitty King found The Hope Cafe through her niece, whose husband is Peruvian and discovered the cafe on a search for authentic Peruvian food. Since trying it on her niece’s recommendation, King has been a loyal regular to the cafe ever since.

King and her friend Joni Furgeson, another cafe regular, are inspired by the cafe’s vision, and its relaxed atmosphere.

“It’s kid-friendly. My grandchildren have come here before, and you don’t have to worry about them ruining anything or getting loose,” King said.

Currently, the cafe serves about 10,000 people a month, Cullipher said. In the future, he hopes to reach 100,000 monthly customers and continue to make an impact on the surrounding community.

He wants his worldwide legacy to be for the children that he’s providing a better education and quality of life to, he said.

“It’s been amazing to see how people have gotten behind us and our vision,” said Cullipher. “It’s been a humbling process honestly, very humbling.”

Published on January 28, 2020 at 11:43 pm

Contact Sydney: sabergan@syr.edu