Locals know that Essex County has no shortage of stores to grab a sweet treat — from ice cream shops to French patisseries. We just heard that gourmet cookie spot ‘Chip City’ will be coming to Church Street in Montclair, but with that also comes the closing of a local ice cream spot. APEM Creamery + Sorbetteria, located at 870 Broad Street in Bloomfield, recently announced that it’s closing its storefront. Read on for what we know and what we’ll miss about this Essex County ice cream, gelato, and sorbet shop.
The Closing
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Owner Alex Saneski, who runs the shop alongside Jennifer Ko, recently put up a blog post explaining the reasons for the closure. You can read the full post here. As for the last week at APEM, the shop will be open with limited hours until Sunday, August 13th (unless they sell out). Customers who are looking for a last taste of APEM can find the final flavor offerings on APEM’s Instagram.
Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Desserts in Montclair
About APEM Creamery + Sorbetteria
APEM Creamery is known for creative gelato and sorbet flavors, community engagement, and Jersey dedication, one visit to the sophisticated yet welcoming spot and you may soon become a regular.
As Alex explains, “Good music, good people, treating people well, looking them in the eye on a consistent basis—these are some of the best medicines. And maybe several doses of gelato.”
The meaning behind APEM is to bloom, according to the creamery’s blog. “To bloom into something where people can feel amazing and let themselves go is the core goal of APEM. Actually, I don’t even want amazing. When people eat our gelato I want them to feel like gods where everything dissolves away. It’s crazy to think that way and its not possible but that’s the emotion we put into it,” stated Alex.
APEM’s weekly ingredient list could include everything from Jersey corn, olive oil, lychee, and dark chocolate. The ingredients reflect Alex’s belief that life is about constant change and diversity. Some weekends even had themed menus, such as Christmas in July, Diwali, Italy, and Asia.
Funky flavors with curious names are commonplace like Old School, which is sour cream and strawberry swirl, Afternoon Tea with the Queen — black tea and lemon, or Silk Road — saffron rice pudding with cardamom, cinnamon, pistachios, and strawberries. With vibrant hues ranging from fuchsia to chartreuse, each gelato and sorbet leaves a lasting impression on the eyes and taste buds.
Choosing a flavor can be quite the feat but one can’t go wrong with multiple varieties of cornbread, the ultra luscious cardamom coffee, or the pop of Thai Iced Tea gelato.
See More: Unique Ice Cream Spots in Hoboken + Jersey City
“First and foremost, our community engagement is how we act as a business on a daily basis. The everyday interaction is what I’m passionate about. We are all about people living out their daily lives as happily as possible.”
We’re sad to see APEM go, but locals can enjoy APEM’s offerings of sweet treats and kindness before it shuts its doors for good.
