Bambi Volatile-Goebel '88 brings Cats and Coffee to Winchester

I stumbled on Hood when I was looking for a school that was within a 3-hour drive from my house in NJ. It had to have math & computer science for my potential major and field hockey & lacrosse. The fact that it was a women's college didn't factor into the decision. I came for an overnight visit and tour the next day while I was in high school. My mom and I drove down on a rainy evening, and when I saw Alumnae Hall, I felt like I was where I needed to be. A cool thing from that overnight is that I stayed in Memorial Hall on the 3rd floor, and that's where I was placed as a freshman. And yes, I stayed in Memorial for my 4 years at Hood. 

One of my favorite memories is singing Handel's Messiah with the Naval Academy, both at Hood and then at USNA. So much fun hosting the midshipmen and performing at the Academy. Another memory was participating in the field hockey marathon. It was an amazing experience (and painful) staying up for 44+ hours. To help us celebrate breaking the record, Dr. Martha Church treated us to an amazing fireworks show. 

I didn't have opening a cat cafe on my bingo card when I graduated. I did think I wanted to own my own business one day, but didn't think I would combine cats & coffee! I first went to a cat cafe in southwest Florida, not far from where I lived. My kids and I liked going there to hang out with the cats. When my family decided to move up to Virginia, we looked for a cat cafe to visit since we really enjoyed going to one in FL. The closest ones were at least an hour away, and I thought the Shenandoah Valley area really needed one. After much debate and questioning if we should do this, my husband and I decided to open one in Winchester, VA. Currently, we are very close to opening our doors for our guests to enjoy some specially crafted drinks, amazing baked goods, and adoptable cats. Something that sets us apart from other businesses is that we are a no-tip cafe. We won't be asking for a tip at checkout, but we will ask for a donation to support the non-profit we founded to care for the cats. Our non-profit, Just Tails Foundation for Cat Care, distributes money to the rescues that provide us with the cat. That money will be used to provide food, litter, medicine, and any other consumable items the rescues need.  I can't wait to see some Hood alums come visit!

I think the friends that I made at Hood have been the longest-lasting friends I have. Even the ones that I didn't know that well while at Hood, but reconnected after graduation. There's a group of us that have started a new tradition to go to reunion weekend every year, even if it's not our designated year. We would love to have more of the class of 1988 join us this June. 

Biscuits & Beans Cat Cafe is a play on words. Cats "make biscuits", and we will have biscuits to eat. Cats have "toe beans", and we will brew coffee beans! Our menu will have baked items from a local bakery; they created a huge biscuit that can be shared if you want. Different types of cookies, brownies, and a few gluten-free items. We partnered with a coffee roaster that created a signature blend for our coffee. Some of our other drinks will be made with cold brew, and we will have shakes and soft serve ice cream. I'm not a chef or even pretend to be one on TV, but my husband and I just had a vision of what we wanted to offer and knew what was missing in the area.

The joys of opening this type of restaurant have been the response from the community. So many people have said they are so excited for us to open to hang out with the cats and enjoy a nice caramel latte. That has also been the challenge; the health department is still working on allowing us to have the cats and coffee in the same space. We have created a space for the cats that is separate from the cafe with its own HVAC and ventilation system, so if you have allergies and want to watch the cats in the cafe, you won't be bothered. So if you have any questions, want to reserve a time to sit with the cats or make a donation to the foundation that provides for the cats, just go to the website biscuitsandbeanscatcafe.com. 

1. Sushi and most Italian food
2. Unsweet tea
3. Dogs with mustard
4. Tried it, but it doesn't belong on pizza!