BY JESSICA MILITELLO
Coffee Plus Cake, a new café
located on 25-11 Astoria
Blvd., is easy to spot by its
expansive window that gives
passersby a perfect view of customers
sitting at their tables, either catching up
with a friend, or just enjoying the moment
on their own with their hot coffee and
handmade treats.
This is exactly what owner Zaynab
Abdullah had in mind when she set her
sights on opening her very own coffee shop,
which officially opened to the neighborhood
on Jan. 11. But as the shop’s name
suggests, Coffee Plus Cake is much more
than a coffee shop, as Abdullah personally
makes all of the store’s treats from scratch
with her own creative recipes.
“I make everything in the small
kitchen here,” said Abdullah. “We’re
taking a mix of my American and
Middle Eastern cultures in my
background, and I like to mash those
together and create treats that people
are familiar with but have a little bit
of a twist, too.”
Coffee Plus Cake is Abdullah’s first
individually owned business venture,
but prior to her café she was a part of
founding the international ice cream
company Four Winters as the head
of product development and U.S.
operations, one of which is located
in Long Island City. Before her life
as a self-employed entrepreneur, she
worked in information technology as a
project manager. A desire for change
from working in a 9 to 5 setting is what
12 FEBRUARY 2020 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
inspired her to pursue her dreams and
go to culinary school, which led to her
opening up her own coffee shop.
“In IT, I dealt with keeping people in
line for their projects and deadlines and
I didn’t want to be that person anymore,”
said Abdullah. “I wanted to have fun with
what I was doing and I wanted to be
creative. I’ve always loved the kitchen,
I always loved to bake, so it was time
for a transition.”
The shop has many fresh made
treats to offer, like their fudge cake
made with espresso, chocolate and
buttercream and their cinnamon buns
which are covered in a thick layer of
sweet icing. But another one of their
go-to treats are the orange blossom
pistachio scones as well as a berry cake
with a rose scented buttercream.
And with fresh goods it’s only natural
to expect a fresh cup of coffee and the
shop makes sure to get their coffee
grounds fresh daily from a Brooklyn-based
company called Partners Coffee Roasters.
“When we order they roast it the
day of the order, so it’s always really
fresh and you can taste it in the coffee,”
said Abdullah.
But aside from freshly made treats
and delicious coffee, Abdullah hopes to
bring a welcome space for all residents
in the community to feel comfortable in
and enjoy themselves.
“I just want to bring a place where
people feel comfortable to come hang
out with their families, whether it’s moms
with their kids or young adults,” she said.
“I want to make it a home away from
home and that’s the goal.”
What’s New
Coffee
Plus Cake
Jessica Militello
New coffee shop offers creative
treats and a place to relax in Astoria
/www.qns.com
/www.qns.com
