We finally have a coffee house in Williston Park. Irresistibly Good is its name and its location is 82A Hillside Ave. right next to Hildebrandts.
The owner is Debbie Winter and when I interviewed her she said “I felt this town did not need another convenience store or fast food conglomerate to degrade it. My dream is to provide a space that is more upscale but cozy and friendly.”
It has been a long time since we had a true coffee shop in town.
Starbucks left many years ago and I’ve been waiting for something like this a while.
I began noticing the table and stools out front last week so I thought it was about time to stop in and see what they had to offer. The ambience is warm, quaint, cozy and rustic.
They use yellow light and have a counter in front and chairs and tables in the rear next to the coffee machines.
The displays are filled with homemade goodies like apple pies, cheesecake, brownies, tres leches, scones, assorted muffins, cupcakes, cherry tarts and even homemade candy. I knew I was in the right place.
They also serve breakfast and light lunch and homemade soup as well. It all reminded me of the famed Culinary Heights in Garden City but within walking distance.
Debbie Winter learned her craft by growing up in a large Italian home in Brooklyn where baking was taught and valued.
As we sat and chatted I could see that already even though they had only been open two weeks they had a good following with folks coming in and asking for her specialty items like Heavenly White which were shots of desserts served in a small cup.
And the reason her shop is so important is because it offers that crucial ‘third place’ which is a public space where local citizens can gather and talk.
Anyone who reads this column knows my view on public spaces and the importance of the third places in our lives.
Nowadays we find third places in yoga class, in gyms, book stores, coffee houses and parks. These places serve as a mixing bowl where local folks of any age, gender or social status can meet and mingle.
But what I found unique about Irresistibly Good was that the pies and cakes were all homemade.
Honestly, who doesn’t love homemade apple pie? After the interview I walked down Hillside and regretted that I did not sample the apple pie on display.
In fact I regretted it so much that by the time I got back to my office I grew inspired enough to make my own apple pie.
I had done so once before when in graduate school with the help of my sister and I still remember the taste.
But when I looked up recipes for how to make a pie crust I was panicked by words like rolling pin, wax paper, quarter inch cubes of butter, ice water, etc.
So I cheated, went to Whole Foods to buy a frozen pie crust and made my pie.
All it took was six Granny Smith apples, flour, sugar, and cinnamon and two hours of my time. I had some the next day and it was pretty good but not great.
I think the key to any great pie is in the crust.
So the next time I have an urge for some gourmet coffee and something truly homemade I will save myself three hours of labor by walking down to 82A Hillside Ave. and asking for a piece by Debbie Winter.
I am very glad we now have a real coffee shop in town and if you have a hankering for something homemade my advice is to stop by Irresistibly Good and see for yourself how our little town is changing for the better.
