LINCOLN SQUARE — After closing unexpectedly in November, Dolce Casa cafe will reopen its doors on Saturday, but only for one day.
Owner Ross Outten is holding a garage sale from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., clearing out five years' worth of accumulated kitchen and restaurant equipment and supplies.
Shoppers will find items like baking trays and cast-iron griddles, mugs and ramekins, all "priced pretty aggressively," according to Outten.
"If you like bottles of flavored syrup, I'll make you a great deal," he said.
Outten plans to grind coffee beans left behind in storage and serve free java to browsers, while supplies last.
Big ticket items, like major appliances and furniture, have already been claimed by the cafe's new owner, who's likely to be revealed in the coming weeks, Outten teased.
A trained chef whose resume includes stints at North Pond and Bistro Campagne, Outten ran Dolce Casa, 4947 N. Damen Ave., for nearly five years before walking away from the business last month.
"I kind of hit my burnout level. I've been working 70 to 80 hours for the last 10 years," he said.
"We were successful at serving food I was proud of and building a community, but we weren't successful at getting to a place where the business could run itself so I could step away," said Outten.
After Saturday's sale, which is cash only, he plans to take an extended vacation and "make up for lost time" with family and friends.
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