KASH Café is opening near the University of California, Berkeley, at 2482 Bancroft Way, directly across from the university campus. The café was founded by Kashish Juneja, a UC Berkeley graduate who announced the project as a new space combining coffee, matcha, culture, creativity and community.
Juneja told WhatNow the café will open in late september/ early October. The project builds on Juneja’s earlier entrepreneurial work with Aura Tea in downtown San Francisco. The café took roughly a year of construction, recipe testing, hiring, permitting and other preparations.
On Kash’s website, she describes the concept as a result of her return to India and the memories, traditions, and family connections she associates with her heritage. After visiting the country last January, Juneja said she felt a renewed connection to her identity and to the culture that shaped her family. She draws inspiration from her grandmother’s chai as an expression of love, her mother’s dance as a form of movement and affection, and her father’s sacrifices as an example of love expressed through work and dedication. These family experiences became part of the foundation for KASH and its approach to food, drink, and gathering.
Rooted in Indian culture, ritual, and the tradition of coming together, KASH was created as a space where people can slow down, connect, create, or simply spend time. The name comes from Juneja’s first name, Kashish, which she explains means attraction. For Juneja, the concept represents a return to herself as well as to community and the heart, drawing on familiar traditions while creating a contemporary place for connection. Whether visitors come for a quiet moment, conversation, creative work, or simply to be present, KASH is intended to offer a sense of familiarity and belonging.
