60 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • FEBRUARY 13, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
dining out
Photo by Jessica Militello
New coff ee shop off ers
creative treats in Astoria
BY JESSICA MILITELLO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Coff ee Plus Cake, a new café located on
25-11 Astoria Blvd., is easy to spot by its
expansive window that give 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 coff ee and handmade treats.
Th is is exactly what owner Zaynab
Abdullah had in mind when she set her
sights on opening her very own coffee
shop, which offi cially opened to the
neighborhood on Jan. 11. But as the shop’s
name suggests, Coff ee Plus Cake is much
more than a coff ee 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.”
Coff ee Plus Cake is Abdullah’s fi rst 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 9-5 setting is what inspired
her to pursue her dreams and go to culinary
school, which led to her opening up
her own coff ee shop.
“In I.T., 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.”
Th e shop has many fresh made treats
to off er, 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 coff ee. Th e shop
makes sure to get their coff ee grounds
fresh daily from a Brooklyn-based company
called Partners Coff ee 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 coff ee,” said Abdullah.
But aside from freshly made treats and
delicious coff ee, 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.”
On Friday night, February 28, 2020, hundreds of synagogues across the continent will take part in
an historic national Jewish event to celebrate that which unites all Jews – Shabbat! Everyone is
invited… singles, couples, families, all ages. Let’s celebrate together!
Join us for Shabbat Family Service at 6:30 pm, with dinner to follow; the traditional kosher
meal is $25 per adult, and $8 per child over 5 years old.
In addition to our wonderful Shabbat Across
America, please also join us on Saturday, March 7th
as we dance the night away at our annual Purim Ball -
please contact our Temple office for more
details!
Special Musical Guest:
Akira "The Believer"
Wharton
There is limited dinner seating so please reserve early!
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