Off Flat Shoals Avenue, sandwiched between a florist and a pet groomer, lies Urban Cannibals Bodega & Bites, a sandwich shop and community mini-mart.
Opened in December 2009, the shop is owned by partners Calavino Donati and Doria Roberts.
Donati is no stranger to owning businesses. She has run Calavino’s Soul Kitchen in East Atlanta, Calavino’s in Oakhurst and Roman Lily Café in the Old Fourth Ward in previous years.
At Urban Cannibals Bodega & Bites, she is the designated chef, while Roberts is a singer/songwriter and activist who helps run the well-oiled machine that is their artisan shop.
What separates Urban Cannibals from your average deli is the offer of a little more. With the vibe of a quaint general store, they have an ambitious menu full of unique organic items. Their sandwiches are unique combinations of fresh ingredients, ranging from grilled lamb gyros, cajun burgers, mustard green tabouli, coconut curry hummus sandwiches, and three unique renditions of their take on the Reuben.
Cannibals is also bakery that offers offers sweets and serves local H&F; Co. Bread. The shop is also a bodega that attends to limited needs around the community.
Running along shelves and cabinets throughout the shop are items ranging from natural snacks, organic ingredients and grocery items freshly stored that you won’t find conveniently anywhere else. Commonly mistaken for decorations, the items displayed are actually on sale.
With the earthy and natural atmosphere in the store, it’s obvious that they are attempting to do something greater than serve food. Donati and Roberts even provide food and care to their beloved elderly neighbor.
While the quality of the food is delicious enough to be featured on Food Network, the price range rarely raises higher than ten dollars. Food Network featured them in early February of 2011 to air a segment completely devoted to their Urban Reuben sandwich, deliciously made with slow roasted Berkshire pork. It was featured on their show “Meat & Potatoes,” on an episode centered around places to find quality meat for a cheap price.
The inspiration for the name ‘Urban Cannibals‘ is explained on the store’s official Facebook: “Consumer of urban culture; the concept of urban dwellers ‘feeding off each other’ by creating sustainable cohesive communities through shared resources, talents and services. (e.g. urban gardens, neighborhood watch & co-ops, etc.)”
Donati and Roberts both feel that when living an urbanized life, it is their duty to their community to be connected to their neighbors and town and less reliant on big corporations.
Urban Cannibals values a neighborhood approach; the shop is both a local owned deli and a convenience store.
Urban Cannibals receives drop offs of food from CSAs, which are community-supported agriculture that consumers can take part in from local farms. The food that is being made and served is with a neighborhood feel that values self sufficiency.
The partners are not subtle about their effort in sharing and creating organic food for one another.
Urban Cannibals serves creative meals and items and does so with the passionate innovation of a city and the integrity of a loving small town.
