Date: Fri 02-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

food-business-Anne's-Red-Brick

Full Text:

Kick Back and Enjoy Coffee and Creative Cookery On Route 25

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

If you have a hankering for Aunt Mabel's tapioca pudding, but don't have the

skill or time to make it, just bring the recipe to Anne's Red Brick Coffee

House at 79 South Main Street and one of the Corsano family will whip it up

and feature it on their daily menu with your name attached to it.

This, and many other special touches, are all part of the inspiration to

create a community breakfast and lunch spot that serves home style food.

Everything is cooked or baked fresh on the premises throughout the day,

generous portions of "simple" food are offered, and patrons are invited to sit

back in one of the 16 seats and relax in the bright, airy sitting area.

"We want people to come, play checkers, read the paper - not rush," said Anne

Corsano, who operates the business with her three daughters, Vanessa, Laura,

and Jennifer. "We love children. We have a candy jar, and if mom says it's

okay, they can have some candy."

There is no set menu at Anne's because the Corsanos are trying to get a feel

for what the community is interested in. The menu changes daily and, although

the women are of Italian heritage, they offer a variety of lunch specials such

as hummus and grilled eggplant sandwich, teriyaki chicken, and salads. Anne

even decided to offer fried banana sandwich with peanut butter and honey one

day last week, just for fun.

"We're trying to do a little of everything," said Vanessa. "The only Italian

in everything we do is [to offer] a lot of it."

Although he is not to be found stirring a pot, Vincent Corsano is often at the

shop giving his wife and daughters support. The family, which lives just over

the line in Brookfield, is close-knit and works well together.

"We're always laughing," said Laura who, along with her mom, spends most of

her time cooking at Anne's. And they all like to please. "All day long, we'll

ask customers, `Does it taste good? Do you want something for free?'" she

said.

There was much debate between the women about whether or not to have a coffee

bar, or serve coffee to customers. Anne wanted to serve the patrons, make them

feel special. Laura felt it was more important for someone to be able to fix

his own coffee and have it exactly as he wants it. Anne was persuaded that

"getting it right" was more important than serving. This is the type of

thoughtful deliberation that goes into every decision connected with the

business.

"We started out with the concept of breakfast and coffee, and got into

lunches," said Anne. "We're not a fast food place, but we try to be speedy.

We've had the best response. People don't mind waiting a little bit extra

because we're making it fresh. We're not scrimping; we make it with good stuff

- all fresh."

As Vanessa said, the only thing out of a jar is mayonnaise and mustard. They

use fresh vegetables, fresh herbs. Banana muffins have chunks of banana; apple

muffins have chunks of apples.

"We try to cook with good health in mind," said Anne. "Some of the muffins are

low fat, we have fresh fruit, salads, grilled eggplant instead of fried." But

if people start asking for french fries, Anne said they will be guided by the

community.

Anne's Red Brick Coffee House also offers cold beverages; iced or hot

cappuccino, espresso, or latte; Green Mountain coffee; croissants; a wide

selection of cookies and muffins; spinach, garden, tuna, crab, and pasta

salads; sandwich and other lunch specials. Fresh bread and bagels are

delivered daily. On Saturday and Sunday, they serve breakfast all day. Patrons

have a choice of pancakes with fresh blueberries or strawberries, omelets, or

French toast.

Small gift items, gift baskets oriented to a theme, and newspapers are also

available. For frequent coffee drinkers, Anne's also has a coffee club. Soon,

the women will bake cheese cakes using a prized collection of recipes that

Anne has been assembling over the years.

Occasionally on a Wednesday evening, Anne's will have an Open Mike Night

hosted by an emcee, where patrons can read poetry, sing, dance, or perform

karaoke. The Corsanos plan to get some cozy chairs in the "book corner" so

people can have a cup of coffee and kick back.

"I'm not looking to make a million dollars," said Anne. "My goal is more to be

a part of the community."

Anne's Red Brick Coffee House is open Monday through Friday 6 am to 3 pm, and

Saturday and Sunday 7 am to 2 pm. There is parking in front, on the side, and

in back of the building. They also have a fax machine (270-7946) so patrons

can have daily specials faxed to them or place an order. Orders may also be

phoned in by calling 270-7976.