Whisk It All is a family-owned and operated cafe and bakery that opened in November 2023 and has already become the go-to coffee shop for locals in Glen Ridge. Located at 10 Herman Street, Whisk It All is in the heart of town and is located right across from the neighborhood tavern, Fitzgerald’s 1928. Featuring chunky cookies, freshly made “croffles,” and homemade simple syrups, the cafe’s owner prepares the baked goods in-house each day. Read on to learn more about Whisk It All Cafe + Bakery in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.
Opening in Glen Ridge
Whisk It All officially opened its doors in November 2023, but it was a long time coming before then. The owners, husband and wife Andres Torres and Melanie David, took over the Bhakti Barn Yoga studio’s lease in April 2023. “We’re from Kearny, so we were looking in Kearny, all the surrounding areas, and just nothing felt right until we drove past this place. And even just from the outside, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s so cute,’” Melanie told The Montclair Girl.
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Given it was the couple’s first shop — opening one of the only Glen Ridge coffee shops — they didn’t know it would expect to take as long as it did. “We’re first-generation from immigrants, so we didn’t really know what we were doing. We couldn’t ask them. We were like, ‘Oh my God, we just got to Google everything,’” Melanie said.
Photo Credit: @whiskitallcafeandbakery
Andres added that, luckily with help from the township and their contractor who helped bring the cafe to life, they were able to complete the building and installation of everything in the kitchen in a matter of months. Plus, they had help from their two children, a 10-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son, who are foodies themselves and found inspiration for the menu items on social media apps like TikTok.
After taking the risk of leaving behind their previous jobs, the proud parents were glad it worked out in the end because the “insane” grand opening drew a large crowd and had people lining up out the door.
What Customers Can Expect
Inside the transformed property is a cozy brown leather couch, a few tables and chairs, a countertop and seating, as well as floating tables with accessible outlets. Melanie explained the vibe, “We definitely didn’t want to be a quick grab and go, which we offer grab and go things, but we wanted people to just hang out, relax, talk to us a little bit and just feel at home.”
There are a variety of homemade baked goods to choose from, including scones (the recipe is from Melanie’s uncle who is a pastry chef at Harvard), chunky cookies (almost five ounces), croissants, and the “crookie” (brown butter chocolate chip cookie and croissant). There are also breakfast and lunch paninis made on the spot, including avocado toast, The Green Goddess (pesto, hummus, artichoke, avocado, + arugula), and The Buffalo Bill (buffalo chicken with mozzarella), among others.
Photo Credit: @whiskitallcafeandbakery
In addition, there are croissants filled with a customer’s choice of ham, egg, or tuna, and the “croffle” — a croissant + waffle — that can be topped with Nutella and bananas, strawberry and cream, or even ube, among other toppings. The croffle became one of the biggest sellers, the owners raved.
Everything is baked in-house except for the bread, which comes from Nicolo’s Italian Bakery and Deli in Montclair.
Apart from the food, there is a variety of different kinds of coffees to choose from, including espresso, cappuccinos, lattes (regular, chai, matcha, or mocha), drip coffee, cold brew, and so forth. The beans come from 813 Coffee Co., a premium line of all-women-produced fair-trade coffee. “We want to tell a story behind everything that we provide. Our beans, for example, are all from women-owned farms in Guatemala, Peru, Brazil, etc,” Melanie said.
Check It Out
Andres told MG, “This place is really a place for family. It is us two and our kids, but we have a supporting cast that help us all around — real close friends that we can actually call family. So we had that support and that’s kind of what we wanted to build. We just wanted to build a place where it felt homey, felt like everyone was cared about, and it was a place to chill.”
Melanie noted that she also creates custom cakes for all types of occasions, which is something she started when her son was just five years old and had a bake sale at school. After baking for family, friends, and friends of friends, she has since started her own business before opening Whisk It All. For all custom orders, including cakes and cookies, customers can fill out a form online.
Photo Credit: @whiskitallcafeandbakery
When asked about the bakery’s goals, Melanie said, “I think just hearing what everyone wants, I think we’re just catering to what everyone wants. When we first opened, we never had decaf, and then just so many people are asking for it, so we offer that.”
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Andres said, “I think the one thing we want to always make sure of is the quality… So there’s going to be a couple things for the summer that we’ll have ready for sure, and seasonal stuff, seasonal drinks.” He also said that they hope to have more collaborations with other small businesses, host open mic nights, and have a pop-up shop at community events.
Photo Credit: @whiskitallcafeandbakery
Whisk It All is open Tuesday through Friday from 8AM to 4PM, Saturday and Sunday from 8AM to 2PM, and is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit the website.
