Hawthorne’s City Creamery

“Io grido, tu gridi, noi gridiama, Gelato!” Might not be a familiar cry until its translated to, I scream, you scream, we all scream, Gelato!” Yes, ice cream will probably always be king of treats in America, but gelato is looking to take a bite out of the multi-billion dollar ice cream industry. The Italian frozen dessert is growing fast in popularity as Americans, and other nations around the globe, learn that intense flavor and smooth texture does not always mean high calories. And it is Wyckoff’s Mitchell Greene who is bringing gelato and gourmet baked goods to a family-friendly spot in Hawthorne’s resurging downtown.

While other frozen specialties marketed with a health conscious image have seen their sales drop dramatically, gelato is on the rise. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it has stood the test of time over centuries. Unlike ice cream which is made from cream and infused with air to create a less dense product, gelato uses milk or water and is more dense. It provides the sumptuous flavor people crave, but offers an alternative to the very high fat content required for premium ice creams.

As an independent business owner, Mitchell Greene sets his own standards and seeks out his own vendors to find a mix of the best and freshest ingredients to use in his products. With over 25 years in the food industry as both chef and administrator in prominent, high end operations, Mitchell is bringing his skills, experience and passion to a new business venture which offers old school quality and service, with modern attributes such as video games and televisions. The interior offers a sophisticated, warm, and welcoming atmosphere which should appeal to a wide range of demographics. The cafe will also be offering lite fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner for those seeking a regular meal before imbibing on the desserts.

Sweets appeal to all ages, races, and creeds, and the sense of nostalgia created by City Creamery returns one to an era when going out for some sweets was in itself a treat. It becomes not just an experience that appeals to the taste buds, but the visuals of candies, cones and cakes makes it a delight to the eyes. Including the more modern social components which invite people to linger and also provides a social experience which should benefit both the community and neighboring shops and movie theater.

Mitchell has brought two talented artisans who share his passion and vision for City Creamery. The new pastry chef is Cori Folb, 25 yrs old, who grew up in the business. Her mother and a family friend own a bakery nearby on Lincoln Avenue, which at one point Cori was running. It was all in the family but Cori felt it was time to move on elsewhere and is now at City Creamery, where she is responsible for the entire bakery operation, and personally prepares the cheesecakes, pies and cookies. She is ably assisted by other staffers who do cake decorating, tart baking and more. Cori studied culinary arts at Bergen Technical-Vocational H.S. in Paramus, ended up switching gears and studying medical technology at Lincoln Tech, but the lure of her baking genes was too strong … she has baked for as long as she can remember, since childhood. Her family is supportive of her move to City Creamery, where she hopes to instill a sense of working together for the greater good as a team.

The gelato chef, Josh Brambir, brings not only skill, passion and expertise, but a youthful Bohemian experience where he traveled and worked extensively in Europe. All nationalities have pride and love for particular dishes, and his time in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Prague, Spain and Italy allowed him to gain an appreciation for the various cafes. His love affair with gelato became a dedicated career path on his return to America were he developed the dish for bakeries and restaurants, and further expanded his skills with training through university and industry programs offered by acclaimed dessert chefs. Most people in America never get to taste real gelato, and that’s what Josh brings to City Creamery.

The gelato is made fresh daily with fresh ingredients. Some specialty ones, such as pistachio, include ingredients imported from Sicily. The fat content, except for flavors like peanut butter and such, have 1/3 the fat content of ice cream; in addition, there are no preservatives. The cheesecakes, the apple, peach, key-lime, and other pies will be big sellers. As Bob Lucibello of Hawthorne, one of the patrons at the grand opening said, “This place is going to be jumping for the holidays.”

A unique story is wrapped around the making of their biscotti. City Creamery’s owner, Mitchell Green, was choosing tile in the early stages of the cafe’s construction and soon would find his biscotti baker- Laura Virtue of Bushkill, PA. It was fate that Laura’s husband became in engaged in conversation with Mitchell Green and upon his return home encouraged his wife Laura to submit her own recipe for biscotti to the owner. Preparing a huge basket with an array of biscotti, Laura put herself out for the taste test and hoped the product would speak for itself, and it does.

The biscotti of her own making took two years of trial and error as she sought to create a cookie that could stand up to dunking in a hot beverage, but not be quite as hard and dry as others she tried. Laura is on site in City Creamery several days a week even though she and her husband Jim still live in Pennsylvania.

The grand opening was a real community event with the Hawthorne marching band, the mayor, the sheriff, and participation of other local businesses who added to the celebration by donating prizes for the “Name the Cow” contest. Elite Gymnastics is donating gymnastic classes, Tons of Toys of Wyckoff is providing a one hundred dollar gift certificate and Wee Can Shop is donating the 2nd runner up prize. Mitchell Green also announced a one thousand dollar scholarship he will bestow on a local student entering a culinary institute program.

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