PENFIELD, N.Y. — A local musician from the Grammy-nominated rock band Daughtry has opened a new café where up-and-coming musicians can practice their craft.

Elvio’s on Empire Boulevard by Irondequoit Bay celebrated its grand opening on Thursday. Co-owner Elvio Fernandez, who plays keyboards for Daughtry, says the café aims to be a place that combines coffee, music, and culture.

“It’s a space that not only has great coffee and great food, but a space where young, emerging singer-songwriters and artists can come and not feel judged and work on their craft,” he said.

Fernandez said one inspiration for the café is exploring different specialty coffee shops while on tour. Fernandez said the café has the same mission as ROC Star Academy, his music school in East Rochester.

“Having a space where they can work on their skills is also a huge passion of mine,” he said.

Fernandez’s family members are also involved in the business, including his brother in the kitchen. Fernandez is opening the café with friends Anthony Marsocci and Charles Cipolla.

“We were hanging out. I was at his house and we’re just talking like we always do, and I’m like, you know, we should open up a coffee shop. There’s nothing in Webster really around this area and we should just do it,” Marsocci said.

Cipolla said creating the cafe was a big undertaking but was all worth it.

“This used to be a canoe and kayak rental place. So we had to strip it down to bare bones and, for about a year, we’ve been working on it,” Cipolla said.

The live music at Elvio’s kicks off on Friday night with Joseph Monti, a graduate of the ROC Star Academy.