Maplewood is quickly becoming a food destination in New Jersey, with new restaurants and specialty stores sprouting up throughout the town. The common thread among them? Their love of community and the joy of food. One particular neighborhood in Maplewood, the corner of Boyden and Jacoby Avenues, is home to Porta Rossa Pasta + Provisions, Perla Oyster Bar, and Corner Slice Pizza. This food family just welcomed a newcomer with a mission that’s all too familiar. Wheelhouse Cheese + More, located at 417 Boyden Avenue, is a specialty market and cafe looking to make community connections through cheese (and more, of course). Read more about Wheelhouse Cheese + More, a specialty cheese shop in Maplewood, New Jersey.
A Permanent Home for Wheelhouse
Earlier this spring, Wheelhouse Cheese + More opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Maplewood, New Jersey. The specialty cheese shop was previously operating out of The Co Lab in South Orange, a co-retail space designed to support small businesses.
The new storefront, located at 417 Boyden Avenue, Maplewood, is a food specialty store specializing in a curated selection of cheese, but staying true to its name, there’s a lot more in this wheelhouse. Nestled between the imported and domestic cheeses, there is olive oil, charcuterie, exotic canned fish, specialty sandwiches, and fresh baguettes (baked by another Maplewood gem, Arties). There are also sweets and desserts to indulge in, in addition to non-edible items like art.
Customers can BYOB and dine in at the garden or the cafe. The in-house menu includes cheese plates, charcuterie boards, sandwiches, and cakes. You might even learn a thing or two about cheese pairings, like how a specific mustard or syrup-soaked cherries can complement the flavor of a specific type.
MG Pro Tip: Be sure to order The Chocolate Dream Cake — it’s baked by Three Daughters Bakery in South Orange, and ridiculously good.
Wheelhouse Cheese also provides customized cheese and charcuterie platters for groups of four to six, eight to twelve, and fourteen to sixteen people. Forty-eight hours’ advanced notice is required.
Read More: Paper Plane Coffee Company is Expanding to Maplewood, New Jersey
The Founders
Aaron Kirtz, a Maplewood local, started Wheelhouse Cheese in 2019 while working as a sales manager at Forever Cheese for over a decade. He is a member of the Guilde de Fromage and the American Cheese Society. Wanting to introduce his favorite cheeses to his community in Maplewood, he began selling them through The Co Lab. Aaron is also a D.J. and can be seen and heard spinning vinyl in the shop.
Leigh Friend, also known as FriendLee, went to culinary school, worked in high-end restaurants, and landed at Casellula in New York City, a cheese-focused restaurant serving over forty different kinds of cheese from all over the world. Leigh then worked in cheese retail and wrote a book about cheese, Composing The Cheese Plate.
Aaron and Leigh became friends through the cheese industry, which, they admit, is a very small community. They would meet at cheese conferences, competitions, and other related events, where their friendship eventually led to a partnership, moving Wheelhouse Cheese to its current location and first storefront.
The Mission
Aaron and Leigh believe in supporting locally crafted businesses, small farmers, and cheesemongers worldwide. They are committed to quality sourcing and a standard of excellence in all the goods the shop sells. The two see themselves as shepherds of all Wheelhouse’s food, crafts, and arts, as each product has a story behind it.
Aaron and Leigh want to create a feeling through food and believe breaking bread with neighbors and new friends expands the community. This sentiment is shared within their unique neighborhood, and on any given day, their neighbors, Porta Rossa, Perla, and Corner Slice, are also breaking bread with the community, and of course, Wheelhouse.
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You can keep up with Wheelhouse Cheese + More by following its Instagram here.
Mattarello Bakery + Café: Inside This Italian Bakery in Montclair
On the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Valley Road in Montclair sits a quaint cafe lined with beautiful pastries and sweet treats. But a cute Italian bakery wasn’t always so easy to find in Montclair. That is, until Mattarello Bakery + Café opened its doors in 2020 at 254 Bellevue Avenue. Since its inception, the heart, soul, and passion poured into the desserts found here can be felt. We took a trip to Mattarello Bakery + Café and connected with owner Amin Deroui to find out all about this sweet spot. Read on to learn more about this gem in Montclair, New Jersey.
How It Started
While New Jersey has no shortage of Italian eateries, the owner of Mattarello knew there was still a void to be filled. During the 2020 pandemic, an opportunity arose, and Amin knew his dream could come to fruition. “The idea to open a True Italian Bakery in Montclair [was] in the works for a few years, and when the opportunity came, we didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger,” he previously told The Montclair Girl.
Amin continued, “Our entire area had a lack of Italian pastries, having the closest ones to us in Bloomfield and Verona, but there was nothing in Montclair.” He went on to share how Montclair has been more than just a location, it has become a true community for the past five years. “We have built a daily clientele that we love dearly, and most of our customers visit us several times per month. Montclairians know that they can trust us for their daily espresso dose, special occasions such as birthdays, and during the holidays, where we go full on for our community, making sure we over-deliver in every interaction.”
Read More: Nicolo’s: Montclair’s OG Italian Bakery + Deli
The Space
Mattarello Bakery + Café has a great ambiance for both working solo and enjoying sweets with loved ones. Guests can choose between quaint outdoor seating based on the weather or an abundance of seating inside. The front of the shop is adorned with beautiful rotating cases showing off full cakes and pastries for sale.
To the left of the entrance is a stocked market full of items for the home chef. Amin once shared, “When it comes to sourcing our market items, we focus on the uniqueness of the product, quality, and value. We like to offer items that are interesting and fun to try. We try to focus mainly on Italian products imported directly from Italy.”
Customers can find Mattarello swag, coffee beans, a variety of jams, and different spreads for purchase. When looking for freshly baked goods, keep moving towards the focal point of the bakery, the long case of pastries.
The Menu
Mattarello is stacked with everything Italian bakeries are known for. It serves a variety of traditional and contemporary pastries such as sfogliatelle or lobster tails, pignoli cookies, babas, cannolis, and a wide selection of cakes and mousses. Amin knows his customers well and says their favorites are “definitely the sfogliatelle, lobster tails, bombolone (Italian donuts), and cannolis.”
At this spot, locals can also find more than just desserts. The menu includes breakfast, lunch, and brunch options, including breakfast platters, waffles, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and pasta. Customers can also order edible fruit bouquets at Mattarello.
What sets this bakery + cafe apart from many others is its extensive gluten-free menu. Guests who need or prefer gluten-free desserts will be able to choose from a wide range including pistachio ricotta cheesecake, lemon or chocolate caprese, macarons, and a few different Italian cookies.
Because no trip to a bakery is complete without a nice beverage, the menu doesn’t stop at pastries. The beverage menu at Mattarello starts off with both hot and cold coffee and tea drinks. There are also drinks like cappuccino, cold brew, lattes, and herbal teas.
But of course, some specialties really stand out. Starting with Italian hot chocolate and whipped coffee then getting a bit more bold with choices such as a mokaccino made with espresso, frothed milk, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce, and a Palermo, which is made with espresso, frothed milk, gianduia cream, and chocolate flakes are among the list as well.
Catering + Events
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Matterello’s desserts or lunch and brunch options are a great addition to any event or gathering. For this purpose, catering is available. The most popular choice for catering is cakes, which range in size from six to 12 inches and come in a variety of flavors. Larger orders of pastries and mini pastries can be accommodated — customers should reach out to the team for more information ahead of the event. See this link for the spot's catering menu.
See More: Hoboken’s Oldest Family-Owned Italian Eateries + Restaurants
Mattarello is open daily at 254 Bellevue Avenue in Montclair from 6:30AM to 9PM.
