HEYDAY X OMMA
We have a friend, Nastya, who created OMMA out of her deep passion for Japanese culture and tea. What started as curiosity became a lifelong journey — to understand the art of matcha not just as a drink, but as a way of being.
Blog | HEYDAY EATERY
OMMA’s story began in 2022. Since then, Nastya travels to Japan every year, visiting small family farms and tea masters who have been cultivating matcha for generations. She walks the same fields, learns their rituals, and brings back the quiet dedication that defines true craftsmanship.
Thanks to her, HEYDAY now serves ceremonial-grade matcha from Miyazaki prefecture — made from the first spring Okumidori leaves, stone-milled in Shizuoka, a region where tea traditions have been preserved for centuries. Each jar carries the story of soil, patience, and the people who continue this tradition.
OMMA is based in Dublin, its roots are in Japan, and now — it lives in Chicago, at HEYDAY. Every cup reveals a sweet aroma, gentle umami, and a soft chestnut-like finish. But more than that, it reflects a shared rhythm — slow, intentional, and full of life.
From Miyazaki to Chicago, OMMA brings ceremonial matcha that has become part of the city’s daily flow — calm energy in motion.
We love teaming up with friends who share our values, even across thousands of miles.Come taste it — or grab a jar to take home.
Each sip brings a little calm to the city’s fast rhythm.
HEYDAY X FAMILY & FRIENDS
This summer, we teamed up with our friends at Family & Friends in Miami to create three drinks inspired by long sunny days, fresh flavors, and the feeling that summer should last a little longer. One collaboration, two cities, and the same idea: make every sip feel like a small escape.
Chicago and Miami have different rhythms, but summer feels exciting in both. Together, we created a limited menu that brings bright fruit, creamy textures, and refreshing flavors into every drink. Each recipe was developed by both teams to celebrate the season in a way that feels playful, fresh, and unmistakably summer.
Mango Bloom Matcha — ceremonial matcha, mango purée, coconut water, vanilla ice cream foam, and delicate sugar flowers.
Raspberry Sparkle Latte — espresso, raspberry purée, salted caramel, raspberry-peach foam, served in our sparkling summer cup.
Vanilla Cream Soda — house-made apple vanilla cream soda, finished with rich cream and a dusting of cocoa.
Whether you’re spending summer in Chicago or Miami, these drinks are a reminder to slow down and enjoy the season while it’s here. Find your favorite, take it to go, and make the most of summer—one sip at a time. 💛
HEYDAY SUNFLOWERS × BURNING MAN
Our story with the HEYDAY Sunflowers began in Chicago — during the creation of the very concept of HEYDAY.
They were imagined as an art object that would symbolize life, movement, and the energy of bloom — everything that defines our rhythm and spirit. But soon, we realized they could become something bigger — a cultural and charitable gesture. That’s how our Sunflowers found their way to the desert of Nevada, to Burning Man 2025, where art met purpose — in support of the Rescue Now foundation.
Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the HEYDAY Sunflowers are futuristic metal sculptures that embody resilience, light, and life — images deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture yet expressed through a modern design language.
Their form began with the sketches of architect and interior designer Volodymyr Ponomarenko, which were digitized and transformed into 3D models.
To bring them to life, the team used hydroforming technology — a process where two sheets of metal are hermetically welded and shaped under water pressure to achieve smooth, organic curves.
Each element was then hand-refined to highlight individuality and a sense of “living” movement in the form. During installation, the petals were placed at different levels and angles, creating a sense of motion — as if the sunflowers were reaching toward the light. Their mirrored surface reflects the surroundings, merging with the desert by day, scattering sunlight, and glowing softly at night through gentle internal illumination.
Constantly shifting with the light, they respond to the environment — alive, just like everything that grows. After their journey through the dust, storms, and energy of Burning Man, the Sunflowers have returned home — to HEYDAY Chicago. Now they stand here, glowing in steel and light, reflecting everything they’ve been through — and everything we stand for: resilience, renewal, and connection.
Inside HEYDAY, the mirrored petals continue to play with light, changing with every hour of the day. They bring a fragment of the desert’s vastness into the rhythm of the city — reminding us that even in motion, there’s space to pause and shine.From Kharkiv to the desert. From the desert to Chicago. The Sunflowers keep shining — in steel, in sunlight, in us.
HEYDAY INTERIOR: A SPACE THAT REFLECTS RHYTHM
The interior of HEYDAY was created by Ukrainian architect Volodymyr Ponomarenko — a space where rhythm, light, and motion shape the experience of every guest. When Volodymyr first stepped into the location — a former Intelligentsia café on the corner of Division and Ashland — the goal wasn’t just to redesign it. It was to rethink how the space could live.
The original layout didn’t work for a fast, intuitive daily flow: too much was given to the technical zone, and seating felt secondary. The task was to create a new structure of movement — a space that keeps pace with the city, yet feels calm inside.
From the very beginning, the team built a 3D model of the café and tested every scenario in virtual reality — walking through routes, checking furniture heights, and simulating guest flow. This process allowed them to refine every decision before construction began. The name HEYDAY became the architectural starting point. It speaks about energy, daylight, and the moment of bloom — ideas that naturally shaped the logic of the interior.
The space was designed to follow the rhythm of a day: from the first morning rush to the slower afternoon moments. The trajectory moves in a smooth curve — from the entrance to the counter, pickup, and seating — creating a natural flow without collisions. Closer to the entrance, the energy is higher: quick seats and short stops. Deeper inside, it slows down — softer light, quieter zones, longer stays. Each guest intuitively finds their rhythm.
Simplicity and motion guided every choice. The plan remains open, with no partitions or fixed boundaries. The technical area runs along the back wall, leaving the rest free for people — a communal table in the center, bar seats by the windows, a long oak bench in the back. Many of the materials carry their own story.
The oak wood from the previous interior was disassembled, cleaned, and transformed into new furniture — a gesture of respect for what was already part of the place. It’s not sustainability as a statement, but as a quiet continuity. The color concept grew from the name itself. HEYDAY is about light, energy, and renewal — and the sunflower became its natural metaphor.
The yellow-painted floor brings warmth and optimism, while polished steel objects above reflect and shift with daylight, like petals catching the sun. At their center — black rotating HEY REVOLVER chairs, minimal and dynamic, echoing the idea of movement and growth. The process of realization was alive and collaborative — shaped day by day with craftsmen, designers, and the HEYDAY team.
Many solutions evolved on-site, guided by the same principle: nothing extra, only what supports flow and feeling. Today, HEYDAY lives as a space that moves with the rhythm of the neighborhood — light, fast, and full of life. It’s more than just a café interior; it’s an environment designed to reflect how the city wakes up, moves, and slows down again.
HEYDAY`S SUNFLOWER
Stainless Steel Sunflowers — an art installation created in Ukraine specifically for this project using hydroforming technology. Their shape was developed already at the concept stage: sketches by Volodymyr Ponomarenko, the project’s author, were first drawn by hand, then digitized and run through a series of 3D simulations. These virtual models made it possible to test proportions and the spatial dynamics of the petals long before physical production began.
Hydroforming, developed in the mid-20th century for the automotive and aviation industries, is rarely used in interior design. The essence of the method lies in sealing two metal sheets along the perimeter and inflating them with water under high pressure, forming complex volumetric shapes with smooth transitions. In this project, the technology was applied to create the most “alive” kind of plasticity — one that echoes the natural form of flowers.
The manufacturing process involved a series of experiments: testing different metal thicknesses, pressure levels, and shape variations to find the right balance between strength and flexibility. Each element was further refined by hand after hydroforming, and during installation, positioned at various heights and angles to enhance the sense of movement — as if the sunflowers were reaching for the light.
The composition extends beyond the bar area — the sunflowers serve as a spatial accent throughout the entire interior. During the day, the mirror-like petals scatter natural light; in the evening, warm illumination creates a play of soft reflections and shadows that continuously transforms the atmosphere.
For Heyday, this installation is a symbolic gesture. The sunflowers embody the sun, life, and resilience — yet they are presented through the modern language of design as an urban art object.
