Three years ago, Amy Delfin-Torres surprised her husband, Willie Torres, with a bright red 1954 Willys Jeep. She bought it in Las Vegas, only revealing the secret when she sent him a photo of the vehicle on a trailer bound for Georgia.
“I was blown away,” Torres said. “I never asked her to do that for me. She saw an opportunity and she just took it.”
While the front of the Jeep looks like a typical Jeep, the back features a built-in roaster, grinder, separator and a boiler to pull the shot and can craft an espresso from start to finish.
This unique vehicle is what inspired Town and Country Kafe’s Jeep Invasion on Saturday, an event Torres, co-owner of the cafe, designed to unite local Jeep enthusiasts and connect community members.
“Jeep has a strong following,” he said. “People who have Jeeps take pride in their Jeeps, appreciate their Jeeps, and their Jeep is signature (to) who they are.”
The event began at 9 a.m., staffed by a crew of cafe employees and local volunteers who were eager to help.
“It’s like family asking you to come help out with something, you’re gonna say yes,” volunteer Jada Ralston said. “After all (Torres has) done too, why not come out and help?”
Ralston spent the morning directing traffic alongside volunteers Debora Perez and Shyanne Pass. Meanwhile, the cafe served regular menu items and three themed signature drinks: The Willys Wake-Up, Mud Tire Mocha and 4x4 Iced Cuban.
During the event, attendees were invited to enter a raffle to win off-road essentials donated by truck accessory companies Real Truck and All About Trux. Chris Fleeman, an employee of RealTruck and lifelong resident of Oglethorpe County, helped facilitate the donation.
“I saw where Willie had posted it on Facebook, and then I was like ‘Hey, a Jeep event, I’m in the truck and off-road business, I’d like to try to help give a little bit back to our community,’” Fleeman said.
Winners took home items like soft rope shackles, a traction recovery kit and 50-inch LED light bars.
Throughout the morning, the cafe grounds filled with regulars and first-timers alike, with many saying they came out to support Torres and see the estimated dozen vehicles on display.
“You get to meet local people (and) know more people that are in the community and then actually have the same kind of interest you have in Jeeps,” said Carol Eidson, a Sandy Cross resident.
Around 11 a.m., there was a competition featuring categories like Best Classic Jeep, Best Custom Build and Muddiest Jeep. Dane Schroff, a Watkinsville resident, won the Crowd Favorite award with his Willys Jeep CJ-2A, historically recognized as the first full-production civilian Jeep.
Torres marked the day as a success and he said the cafe may host more events like this one, possibly pivoting to other types of vehicles, like motorcycles.
“I think it was 100% success,” Torres said. “I had a good number of volunteers, the kitchen staff was amazing, the day was beautiful, nothing went wrong. The fact that we didn’t get 100 Jeeps, that’s OK, but the big picture was the event was a success.”
As for the red Willys that started it all, Torres wants to convert the boiler to a modern espresso machine, like the one that sits on the cafe counter. In the meantime, he plans to continue driving it around with his wife, who loves the vehicle just as much as he does.