Bobby Daquara

Restaurateur

 

As a student and business owner, Robert "Bobby" Daquara ‘82, has always had an appetite for Brooklyn. The proud co-owner of Greenhouse Café & Cappuccino Café located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for over 40 years, he was born and raised in Bay Ridge. He attended Fort Hamilton High School (Class of 82) and NYC Technical College (Class of 85) with a degree in Marketing Management.

 

While at Fort Hamilton he worked at Greenhouse washing dishes or busing tables alongside his pal John Keegan. Little did they know that in 1990, the owners of the Greenhouse and the Cappuccino Cafe & Grill, brothers Richard and Fred Abbazio (a 1961 Fort grad) would sell them the restaurant.

 

As business partners with many years experience working together, they easily found a rhythm balancing the front and back of the house duties which has kept the restaurants thriving and diners happy. The two have also been longtime supporters of Community and Club Events as well as fundraising at local schools and non-profits.

 

This involvement has led to being recognized a number of times by the Brooklyn Borough President, NYC Council, NY State Assembly, NY State Senator, U.S. Army Fort Hamilton Garrison Commander, Merchants of Third Avenue Pioneers, New York Blood Center (N.Y.B.C.), Kiwanis Club Lt. Governor, Bay Ridge Community Council Hidden Treasures, Bay Ridge Center, and United Military Veterans of Kings County.

 

Bobby is most proud of his work with the Bay Ridge Community as Chairperson to Haley's Comets at Greenhouse Café Blood Drives. He started these blood drives in 2009 in Memory of his daughter Haley Gray and 15 years later they are at over 70 drives, 4,000 Donations, and a potential 12,000 lives saved.