“With a sultry latin beat, rich, warm, earth-colored walls, and the, well, aroma, of hand-roasted coffee, it doesnt seem like its winter at Aroma Coffee in downtown Tacoma.What has been Tacomas only gourmet coffee roaster is now adding a European touch to its culinary offerings. Aromas owner, Bernardo Tuma, has brought on German chef Misha Cornelius, to partner in the creation of a varied European menu for the small popular location.Our idea is to create a menu of German-based European cuisine with a Northwest fusion, Tuma said. We are offering a tremendous variety of foods that will appeal to all kinds of diets. The emphasis will be on fresh.Aroma will offer their new cuisine as part of their weekday lunch selections based around homemade soups, salads and hot entrees. Prices will be kept affordable for the downtown lunch crowd, Tuma said.New menu selections include items such as risotto chicken, lasagna, chicken arugula mini-pizza, goulash, penne pasta, and more. The menu changes daily.Soups and entrees will be created in the Berlin style, Tuma said, not too heavy, and gentle on the system.Cornelius said he studied to become a chef in the restaurant kitchens of Berlin hotels including the Intercontinental and Kampinski hotels. He worked as a chef in Berlin for over a decade before moving to Tacoma because of love and family. He met his fiance on an earlier trip, and his sister has lived in the area for 16 years.I dont have any experience about American taste, Cornelius said, listing a number of fast-food exceptions while grimacing. I have no clue about typical Americans.If Aromas new cuisine is accepted by downtown diners, Tuma said he will build a bakery utilizing space in the rear of the roaster. Cornelius and Tuma are planning to bake their own fresh breads and rolls, as well as coffeecakes, cookies and pastries to accompany Aromas Defiance, Chihuly and Gipper coffee blends.”
More Stories From This Author
Plan for new juvenile detention center in Pierce County pitched for next WA budget
Tana Senn, the director of the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families, began a note to the governor’s budget…
By Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard • September 18, 2025 5:12 am
WA state workers OK new contract with retroactive pay hikes
Thousands of state government and community college employees in Washington have overwhelmingly ratified a new one-year contract that would secure…
By Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard • September 17, 2025 5:12 am
Former state worker sentenced for nearly $900K embezzlement
TACOMA — A former Washington state worker who admitted to embezzling nearly $900,000 in taxpayer funding to finance his gambling…
By Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard • September 15, 2025 5:12 am