Café Aunja

Abolfazl Habibi has been the manager of Café Aunja since 2015 when his friend Pedram Pakzad bought the company. The men are architects by training, but when the opportunity to run the cafe presented itself, they jumped at the chance. "It was the creative aspect that attracted me to architecture, and here I can continue to create something original, like new menus," says Abolfazl. He and his good friend were both charmed by the coffee shop, with its cultured and artistic feel. They couldn't resist taking it on.

Abolfazl is Persian, as are most of the people who work in the cafe. He came to Montreal several years ago and was attracted by the French language and the city's cultural richness. "It's a cosmopolitan environment. You can learn a lot here," he says. Since Pedram is often abroad, Abolfazl is happy to run Café Aunja on his behalf and ensure that people have a good time.