by Patrick Wilbraham
When Sonya Smutz found herself driving around the area realizing there was really nowhere that she could go to get a good cup of coffee and a croissant, she decided she should do something about it. Smutz has spent a lot of time in France and has grown fond of quaint French cafés that offer delicious coffee and baked goods.
Enter Coffee and Cream, Swedesboro’s new coffee shop located downtown at 1334 Kings Highway.
*Let’s pause while the public, that’s been clamoring for a coffee shop ever since the closing of Mugs, lets out a jubilant cheer.*
I sat down with Smutz a couple weeks ago, while she was still working to get everything set up and ready for a soft open, to discuss the overall concept. The café will feature a mix of tables and more comfortable seating to lounge in while customers sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and a bite to eat.
She prepared me an espresso with beans roasted in Italy. Like most people in the area, I have been forced to settle for the coffee offered in various regional and national chains even though I honestly know that it’s not the best. It’s safe to say that the coffee at Coffee and Cream is absolutely divine.
Of course, this café will be more than just amazing coffee. She plans to offer a variety of breakfast and lunch items from pastries and paninis to breakfast sandwiches and fresh fruit smoothies.
“You go to get a breakfast sandwich at one of the other places that just taste and feel rubbery and leave you feeling not so good the rest of the day. I plan to only serve the best items made with fresh and natural ingredients,” Smutz said.
Fresh is the name of the game at Coffee and Cream, as the menu will boast fresh foods with no preservatives. She plans to stay away from flavor pumps that are full of sugars and chemicals and is looking to offer alternative natural flavor options.
She added, “My salad dressings and all sandwich sauces are homemade. The thought of making a healthy salad and having a customer put chemicals on it, just didn’t make sense.”
As if it were by design, or the stars had aligned, our sit-down was interrupted by a delivery of sample items from Le Bus Bakery from King of Prussia. Our mouths watered at the sight of boxes full of croissants, Danishes, muffins and breads. According to the Le Bus website “Each loaf, roll, and pastry is still made by hand using only the finest, natural ingredients.”
My go-to selections at a particular big Seattle based coffee chain (which will remain unnamed), is an espresso and chocolate croissant. Theirs cannot begin to compare to the Le Bus chocolate croissant that I found myself enjoying with a cup of Coffee and Cream’s espresso.
Get ready, Swedesboro. This is the real deal.
Smutz intends to listen to customer suggestions and get in different products that people seem to be interested in seeing on the menu. She also hopes to offer periodic special menu options like homemade gelato.
Coffee and Cream,1334 Kings Highway next to Great Wall, is set to open at 6:30am on Thursday June 9th with a grand opening celebration on Saturday June 11th . (More information to follow).