Darian Ceica is the Head Unicorn and founder of the Yep 'n Yo concept, a place full of magic, where the star products are pancakes, accompanied by pancakes, cold-pressed fruit juices and, of course, coffee. We had a little chat with him and learned the story of the brand with unicorns, about the passion for the world of desserts and about their super espresso machine that makes a wonderful coffee!
How did it all start from the idea to the implementation of the concept for Yep 'n Yo? What is the concept
Yep 'n Yo and why did you choose that name?
Yep 'n Yo - or Yep! It's funlicious, as it was originally called - was born 4 years ago from the desire to bring the culinary show of delicious and healthy desserts directly to the heart of the street. It all started with an old trailer from 1963 that was used for snacks and beer at fairs in Germany. We renovated it in hundreds of hours of work, we made our first menu and, without any prior experience in the HoReCa field, we participated in the first festival with thousands of participants, being the only truck with hot products to eat.
That's how it all started. We threw ourselves into the maelstrom of the catering industry without any experience and let ourselves be carried away by the enthusiasm of those who visited us and gave us appreciation, suggestions, criticism. We continue to learn with our Yep 'n Yo friends and teammates, who are in a constant competition to improve our products and services. Yep 'n Yo aims to help restore the reputation of unicorns, crêpe by crêpe, and give the world a taste for life with treats that taste like childhood, play and stories. We want you to be carried away in our Universe every time you visit us and not to care that when you eat a dessert with your hand, sometimes you have to lick your fingers too.
Our name is a play on words, which can have a different meaning for everyone. We believe it is simply a state of mind of ours, which we wanted to pass on through this name. Some may find themselves in Yep, others in Yo, but the most important thing is that we are a community that appreciates free spirit, childhood, play and the name is just a gateway to the Yep 'n Yo universe and experience.
Tell us a few words about the specifics of the menu and the coffee that Yep'n Yo guests can enjoy.
Our menu is one that positions us as a place of desserts and forbidden appetites, but you can equally eat a salty, balanced and filling pancake. We love to prepare sweet, savory, American pancakes with fillings prepared in our kitchen - such as caramel, vanilla cream and dulce de leche - but we also use commercial ingredients, which we have ensured meet a high standard of quality .
The menu is complemented by natural cold-pressed juices, in combinations that we believe define us.
To give a completely special touch to the culinary experience in the world of desserts, we chose to serve a special coffee. The Unicorn Blend is a blend of Ethiopian and Brazilian beans, specially designed for us by Olivo Coffee Roasters. With slight notes of hazelnut, the taste of coffee brilliantly accompanies the novel combinations of our pancakes.
Tell us a little about the espresso machine you use to make your coffee.
Our espresso machine is a La Marzocco Linea Classic with a group, the first of its kind in Cluj. It is very reliable, chic, and thanks to its clean lines, it integrates perfectly into the space! It will soon get a new look to please the Unicorns even more! We would like to thank Teodora from Open Bar Coffee Machines Sales & Service, for all the support offered in the choice of the espresso machine and its implementation.
The espresso maker sets the tone for each shift start. The day starts for us every time with a check of the operating parameters and tasting the coffee specialties on the menu and trying to move from the area of abstract latte art to something more concrete.
What do you want for the future? How do you see the evolution of the Yep 'n Yo brand?
In the future, we want Yep 'n Yo to be the place where people come to meet with the joy of being there, have an even bigger family of unicorns with lots of crazy ideas, and perfect our latte art skills.