‘I wasn’t the villain’: After 8-month hiatus, anime-themed cafe owner talks closure, new pop-up
After radio silence for 8 months, the owner of a local anime-themed vegan cafe has made a fateful return—and she had much to say about the very public end to her eatery and what the future holds.
It was clear that the Hidden Leaf Cafe, previously located at 181 E. Innis Ave. and named after beloved anime series Naruto, was fueled by a love for anime, evidenced by the numerous anime-inspired vegan dishes and drinks offered, as well as the space being filled to the brim with anime artwork and decor. To connect further with the community, the cafe would often host paint & sips, private cosplay events, and a special event, Food Wars Fridays—a weekly dish-creation battle with locals and, naturally, inspired by an anime, Food Wars! And the eatery entertained a casual vibe, with video games ready to play and anime always available to watch.
But last August, after just less than a year of operating their brick-and-mortar space, the cafe permanently shut its doors. And former co-owner Destiny “Maki” Ellison shared at the time that the decision was largely due to how “out of hand” a “business with pleasure” relationship with her business partner got. She also pointed to the financial strain of trying to keep the business afloat independent from loans or grants, with the cafe being a few months behind on rent at the time and a “For Sale” sign posted outside the storefront for months prior to its closure.
In a statement released earlier this week, Ellison recounted the difficulty in experiencing “such a personal unraveling under public scrutiny.”
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“To my community, I offer a sincere apology. During one of the most challenging periods of my life, I mishandled aspects of my business, my friendships, and my responsibilities to my staff,” she wrote. “At the time, I didn’t fully grasp the weight of the pressure I was carrying while building and sustaining a restaurant. Unresolved challenges dating back to 2019 compounded over the years. Tension quietly built until it surfaced in unhealthy dynamics within my business partnership. Boundaries were crossed, communication broke down, and misunderstandings escalated. Ultimately, everything came to a head in a very public and painful way.”
So, when the opportunity arose to restructure the terms of running the space, Ellison declined, instead choosing to spend the next 8 months rebuilding internally, “to confront myself honestly and rediscover clarity.”
And rediscover she did. She now seeks to nourish minds and spirits, akin to food nourishing the body, through her new profession as a Reiki healer and massage therapist. And Ellison certainly hasn’t pumped the breaks on her food journey.
While the Hidden Leaf Cafe’s physical space won’t return, the concept will live on in pop-ups around the city. Ellison shared patrons will experience familiar dishes, like her plant-based ramen, KBBQ bao buns, and Drunken Fists noodles. And new options will make an appearance: birria tacos and KBBQ kimchi fried rice, to name a few.
And like before, Ellison has every intention of serving in style, maintaining the concept’s unique feature of all dishes being served by a cosplaying employee.
“Hidden Leaf Cafe may have closed its doors,” she shared, “but what it stood for, creativity, connection, and healing, continues to evolve through me.”
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