Lakou Cafe is a Haitian fusion cafe, bar, catering, and event space rooted in Crown Heights, Brooklyn — built over eight years into a home for Haitian culture and creativity. That cultural depth has drawn corporate and institutional partners for catering and events, including Goldman Sachs, Weeksville Heritage Center, Etsy, MOMA, NYU, and CUNY, alongside collaborations with Masego, BAM, and Black Owned Brooklyn. Companies partner with Lakou not just for standout food — smoothies, espresso drinks, cocktails, sandwiches, salads, and plates — but for an authentic cultural experience that builds genuine community among employees. Lakou brings real Haitian hospitality to every partnership, artfully executed for the corporate world.

Cassandre Davilmar is the Founder and CEO of Lakou Cafe, a Haitian fusion cafe, bar, and event space rooted in the Weeksville section of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She holds a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from the University of Miami and a J.D. from NYU School of Law, where she served as Senior Executive Editor of the NYU Law Review. Cassandre began her career as an attorney at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, advising on M&A, private equity, and leveraged finance transactions, before moving into investment banking at Moelis & Company. In 2018, she left finance to open Lakou Café, creating a space to celebrate Haitian culture and build community through food, art, and gathering. Eight years later, Lakou has become a Crown Heights institution — hosting Legends Limited, Brunch at Lakou, and rotating art shows spotlighting Haitian artists — and has been featured in Forbes, Bon Appétit, Business Insider, Travel + Leisure, and The Tonight Show, among others. A Tory Burch Fellow and MWBE-certified business owner, Cassandre continues to build Lakou as both a cultural hub and a model for what community-rooted entrepreneurship can look like, while mentoring other founders following their own path from corporate careers into ownership.