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Bushwick Cafe to Celebrate 1 Year with Debut of 'Big Ass Pancake'

By Serena Dai | October 10, 2014 8:45am
 Express Yourself Cafe is debuting a family recipe for its one-year anniversary, a nine-inch "Big Ass Pancake."
Express Yourself's "BIg Ass Pancake"
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BUSHWICK — Coffee shop Express Yourself is celebrating its one-year anniversary with the debut of a longtime family recipe — the "Big Ass Pancake."

The Diaz brothers — Ismanuel, Ronnie and Will — opened the coffee shop last year on the ground floor of 82 Central Ave., a building that their mother has owned for nearly 30 years.

At Sunday's celebration, Express Yourself will debut its food menu for the first time. It includes the "Big Ass Pancake," a nine-inch wide and one-inch tall behemoth that the Diaz matriarch has been making for years, Ronnie Diaz said.

The brothers, who grew up in Bushwick, used to think diner pancakes were weird for being so small, Diaz said.

"People used to come to our house and say 'Are you crazy? Why are your pancakes so big?'" he said. "We said, 'Isn't this normal?'"

The pancakes are not typical brunch fare. They're slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside — but not too fluffy and not too dense, Diaz said.

And they're so big, that it's typical for people to split one pancake rather than to eat multiple, said Angel Diaz, the brothers' nephew, who manages the store and lives upstairs.

Angel Diaz has even tried asking his grandmother to downsize the pancake for him or his 7-year-old son, without success.

"She only knows one size," he said with a laugh.

The new food menu will also include hot and cold sandwiches and a tomato-based soup. Prices will be between $5 and $11.

Express Yourself will be sampling the new food all day Sunday, culminating in an anniversary party in the evening.

Since it opened, the coffee shop has prided itself on being a spot for the Bushwick community, both old and new. It has hosted myriad artists and community activists, including groups like North West Bushwick Community Group, composter BK Rot and youth group Educated Little Monsters.

Ronnie Diaz hopes the anniversary party will reflect that blend, with both old Bushwick friends and new Bushwick artists in attendance.

"We just want to celebrate," he said.