‘It’s a Grind' Great Coffee, Great Panini, Great Scott! It's Willie!

June 20, 3:37 PMLA Ethnic Foods ExaminerLoraine Alkire

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 This article is about the delicious panini served up at 'It's A Grind' coffee house at 247 Pine Avenue, Long Beach Calif., however I'm going to digress and tell you a unique story about Willie, the coffee shop's, star performer.

Willie beating out a tune

 Willie has been traveling by motor home, tour bus, Am-track, Greyhound and an occasional thumb out on the road in the rain and snow for the last 52 years, hitting the highway to destinations like Nashville, Tennessee (where he played with Buck Owens Buckaroo’s; a favorite memory), La Fayette Louisiana, Branson Missouri and naturally, Southern California. A place he now calls home. That’s Willie and just Willie, no last name and not to be confused with his look alike Willie Nelson .

Willie, just Willie, is a hard core musician with a thousand stories to tell in his voice and lyrics. When you sit down with him you realize he’s just one of the good old boys, a cowboy, married to his music for life come rain or shine. He’s not in it for the fame or the glory. He’s in it because it’s in him, and that’s that.

It's a Grind on Pine

We met at Saint Mary’s Hospital in downtown Long Beach, each in private rooms for five days just two doors away from each other. I had pneumonia and was sure I was dying. Willie had what just he claimed was, “…just a bad cough”.  Regardless, we were both prisoners of sorts on the same cell block for five days. 

Before I ever laid eyes on Willie, I heard his guitar and his voice but I was too weak to get up and wasn’t sure whether I was hearing some ethereal tune my ‘Maker’ might be calling out to me while having delusions that heaven might be a bit like Nashville.

One night when I was finally up and walking the halls, I came across Willie playing host to a room full of nurses and doctors. His doctor exuberantly exclaimed that he wanted to be Willie’s agent. But as it is with busy doctors and nurses the crowd dwindled down to a precious few and I found myself still there leaning on the wall listening intently to his voice, lyrics and sweet guitar. I made my mind up then to tell his story.

Finally, after some long months Willie invited me to hear him play at “It’s A Grind; a nice petite café that serves sandwiches, like the Turkey and Cranberry panini that I ambitiously inhaled while Eric, the owner of the café, played roadie to Willie and set the sound stage.  After that we just teased Eric and called him Willie’s roadie.  Eric has gone to great pains to make the sound system the best for his venue. It’s all in the details.

Eric and Lazara, owners of, ‘It’s a Grind’ are devoted to their little sanctuary for artists, coffee and great food. One or both of them are there practically all the time, meaning the service, food and ambiance are always in perfect harmony. That’s truly what makes a great café; the dedication of the owners to make it so.

 If you’d like to see Willie play, he’s at “It’s a Grind” almost 7 days a week from 11am to 3pm on the patio and on Thursday and Friday nights from around 7pm to 9pm.  He invites any other musicians to join him and plethoras are there at the ready to do so. He freely lends his guitar to anyone wanting to play, something most musicians never do, a testament to his coolness.  “We’re all here doing what we love.” says Willie,” Musicians just have to play.”    

It’s a Grind Specialties

Funky Monkey Regular- 4.75, Large 5.65, Giant 7.25

Panini $5.25 -Turkey and Cranberry (Awesome), Spicy Turkey Bacon, Traditional Ham and Cheese, Chicken Salad

Meal Deal $7.50 -Panini, chips and choice of 16oz iced tea or drip coffee

For more info:   http://www.itsagrind.com/location/?c=56    247 Pine Avenue Long Beach, California 90802  (562) 495-7100