Downtown Phoenix never fails to surprise and delight. DPJ’s Live PHX series captures the moments that illustrate why we love life in our city.
Photo by Lauren Potter.
The patio at Fàme Caffe has always been delightful, with its leafy vines, cooling misters, and classy marble top tables. But thanks to a collaboration between a local muralist and a Fàme employee, the patio has a new addition: Ralf the Rooster.
“We had always wanted a mural, but just couldn’t find the right team,” said Fàme owner and chef Ivan O’Farrill. Since opening last April, a wooden rustic wall feature sat to the right of the uptown caffe’s entrance — just waiting to become someone’s canvas.
Fàme employee Kylee Jaeger and local muralist Kurt Schlaefer combined their talents to create the iconic rooster named Ralf. In addition to cashiering and doing photography for Fàme’s Instagram page, Jaeger drew the original design for the mural. Schlaefler, a Tucson-based muralist, scaled Jaeger’s drawing into the larger than life rooster which has become a focal point of the patio.
When any pattern, design or figure could have been painted, one might wonder why Fàme chose a feathered fowl.
“The rooster is a symbol of the culinary world,” said O’Farrill, adding that roosters are also associated with French cooking techniques.
While the mural is a great new photo opportunity in uptown Phoenix, it’s also a symbol of more.
“It’s a great example of the collaborative community here at Fàme Caffe,” O’Farrill said.
Visit #RalftheRooster:
Fàme Caffe
4700 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
Ph: 602-314-4660
