Green Cup Cafe talks resilience and comeback after Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

At the Green Cup Cafe off First Street in Fort Myers, Robbie Podgorski isn't just shaking iced teas, he's stirring up people's perspective on health.

"We were really confident in what we did," said Robbie. "We loved healthy cuisine, and we knew that there was nowhere to practice that."

When Robbie and his girlfriend, Jenny, took over the cafe in 2020, they gained a new lease on life.

"It was crankin'," said Robbie. "We were really stepping into our shoes, living our best life," said Robbie.

Little did they know that two years later, Hurricane Ian would take it all away.

"We lost everything," said Robbie. "We had probably 5 ft. of water in the cafe. Our home had about the same. We had 9 ft. outside of our house."

Ian left the cafe in shambles. Robbie and Jenny's spirits were even more dampened.

"We made a little post the day after we walked the building," said Robbie. "Like, 'Hey, Green Cup got smoked, if anyone wants to come help, we'd be honored.'"

In their darkest moment, neighbors heard the couple's cry for help and answered the call to action.

"The most love. The most gratuity. The most power. The most wealth you could ever feel to be in that moment," said Robbie.

After three long years of rebuilding, the couple was able to reopen their cafe just a few blocks from its original spot.

After a storm that took nearly everything, they're left with nothing but gratitude.

"It's been pretty magnificent," said Robbie. "To now look back and look at our future, man, we're just so excited."

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