YWDEP Hearts Coppi’s!

No doubt about it: We  LOVE Coppi’s!!

Nestled into U Street’s expansive and ever-growing milieu of restaurants, many passersby might initially walk past Coppi’s, if not for the delicious wood stove aroma wafting into the street…and…wait a minute…are those girls…drumming…?

YWDEP held a super successful fundraising event on a beautiful Sunday Aug 23 at Coppi’s Organic Restaurant.  Owned by sister and brother team Nori and Carlos Amaya, Coppi’s knows the meaning of family and certainly treated YWDEP as such. They quickly (in a single bound) brought together their chef, wait staff and bartender team to cater to our guests’ every wish that day, serving up freshly baked organic pizzas like the Pancetta (lean Italian bacon, assorted greens, cremini mushroom, red onion, mozzarella), and the Funghi di Bosco (assorted Pennsylvania organic mushrooms, provolone, garlic, italian parsley), and delicious drink specials, named after YWDEP’s current rhythmic repertoire (the Mendiani, The Kuku, and the Yankadi), really blew guests away.

The young women drummed outside the restaurant to alert passers by and attracted around 40 guests that day to the charming, dimly lit hearth of Coppi’s, whose walls are plastered with photos of Italian bicyclers. Guests got acquainted and re-acquainted over delicacies, with periodic bursts of beauty by the Sistas of the Shakedown Tribe (YWDEP’s 2009 group), who gave pulse to the occasion accompanied by poems and songs.  In a Generally Exciting Moment, the Coppi’s staff turned up the volume on MJ’s “Billie Jean,” and we all got down!

Nori and Carlos offered such wonderful hospitality to us. We sincerely and vigorously want to thank ALL of Coppi’s – we were able to raise enough to fund two of our summer youth staff positions!!! You rocked our world so that we can keep on rockin’!

photos by Alexandra Silverthorne