Cafés were among the oldest and most popular meeting places for poets and artists to gather and exchange ideas. Ordinary working people, including coachmen, wood sawyers, fishermen and timber rafters, favoured the “Enkurs” tavern on the banks of the Daugava, where many artists studied the characters who would later appear in their works. Nearby were also popular gathering places for sailors, including “Melnā bumba” and the legendary “Bedre,” where Aleksandrs Čaks found inspiration for the characters in his literary works.

In the summer of 1928, after returning from his teaching post in Drabeši, Čaks met a group of young artists who introduced him to the world of restaurants and taverns. He enjoyed the atmosphere of cafés and restaurants, where he could be among people while still feeling detached from those around him.

The exhibition, comprising materials from the museum’s collection, is divided into three sections:

• The Čaks family’s household and economic activities;
• Cookbooks, handwritten recipe notebooks and the dishes most fondly remembered by the poet’s friends;
• The history of Riga’s most famous restaurants and taverns frequently visited by Aleksandrs Čaks.

The exhibition features notes written by the poet to his family members, photographs of social gatherings with friends, cookbooks collected by his mother, and manuscripts reflecting his passion for cooking and the culinary arts.