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 Peekskill, NY - In a celebration of five years of great coffee, terrific music, wonderful art and pleasant relaxation, The Peekskill Coffee House is staging a spectacular 5th Anniversary event on Sunday, June 22nd at 6:30 pm.
Attendees will rejoice in the Coffee House's success with cake, coffee and champagne, get to see a judged latte art and espresso shot competition, and will be able to participate in a drawing for special prizes. Latte art uses expertly poured shots of espresso topped with milk perfection as a canvas for creating drawings of flowers, patterns and almost anything else.
Located in Peekskill's Flatiron Building at 101 South Division Street, The Peekskill Coffee House was a leap into the unknown when it opened its doors back in 2003. Although Peekskill has had an arts community since the mid-90s, nobody knew whether an independent coffee shop would thrive in its location.
But the Peekskill Coffee House has thrived in its location, serving more than 500,000 cups of coffee and becoming a community landmark as it has showcased local artists and musicians and become one of the most popular meeting places in this Hudson Valley city. The Coffee House is also a significant employer, with three full-time and 15 part-time staffers.
Located in one of the city's most historic buildings, The Coffee House boasts authentic tin ceilings and wood floors rich with more than a century of use. Walls of windows ensure the coffee house is always brightly lit and welcoming. The menu includes Brewed Gourmet Coffee, Espresso, Lattes, Mochas and a wide range of flavors, hot chocolate, herbal teas and blended ice drinks. Fresh local baked goods are delivered daily in a menu that's topped off with pies, cakes and chocolate-dipped espresso beans.
“What we're most proud of is that we've become Peekskill's living room,” says James Lorr, one of the three partners who founded the Coffee House. The other two partners are Laura Gillen and Sunny Cover. All three owners have brought a wide variety of experience, hard work and dedication to The Peekskill Coffee House.
Cover had 15 years in retail and wholesale management; Lorr 13 years in restaurant management and cooking; while Gillen brought her 6 years as a scenic artist to help shape the Coffee House's look and decor.
Although passion and atmosphere are crucial, great coffee is what's contributed most to the Coffee House's success. Coffee from more than 20 countries in Africa, South/Central Americas, Central Asia/ Indian Ocean/Pacific Ocean, including Indonesia, Kenya, Panama, India, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Brazil, Tanzania, and Bolivia are served after being brewed in a sophisticated system that costs close to $10,000.
Exotic and sophisticated coffees such as Monsoon Malabar, Celebes Kaloosie, and Tanzania Peaberry are available. Monsoon Malabar is fermented to a nutty light richness during the monsoon season in Malabar region of India; Celebes Kaloosie from a particular micro climate on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, while Tanzanian Peaberry has a very distinct tiny bean and snappy flavor.
Even the more conventional grades of coffee available at The Peekskill Coffee House are hand picked, premium-grade Arabica beans with superior flavor and richness that come down some distant mountains across the world.
The Peekskill Coffee House's roaster hand picks only the best quality green beans and masterly roasts them into beautifully balanced blends, taking care to bring out only the best qualities of each different bean. Customers can get their coffee hot or cold, but all of it is fresh roasted and professionally brewed. Special flavors include southern toasted pecan, vanilla crème, and hazelnut cinnamon, while customer favorites run to the more conventional chocolate, vanilla and caramel.
As part of its commitment to quality, key staffers are trained as “baristas”--in effect, coffee sommeliers. This gives them special skills when it comes to everything from properly brewing exotic blends to using latte foam to draw beautiful designs on top of a fresh drink. Most of the Coffee House's staff is young and either in or just out of high school, and the Coffee House partners are tremendously impressed with their work ethic and commitment. Those attending the anniversary event will get to watch the baristas as they extract the perfect shot of espresso and draw latte art in a judged competition.
Community support has played an essential role in the Coffee House's success. A low-interest loan from the City of Peekskill's Peekskill Grow Fund played a crucial role in giving the Coffee House the resources it needed to get started back in 2003. Advice from the federal government's SCORE program was tremendously helpful, as was support from the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce.
Out of its founders' deep and passionate commitment to community service, the Coffee House has worked closely with many of the non-profit and educational organizations that serve Peekskill, including Westchester Community College, The Jan Peek House, the Garden Road School, the Peekskill Education Foundation, the Peekskill City School District, Peekskill Volunteer Ambulance, Peekskill Area Pastors Association, Peekskill Little League, and Toys for Tots.
The Peekskill Coffee House owners have some hard-earned advice for those who want to follow the triumphant entrepreneurial path the Coffee House has blazed. “Do something you enjoy, stay focused, do it well, and share the love.”
Representatives of The Peekskill Coffee House are available to provide demonstrations of Latte Art, advice on fine coffee brewing, and recipes for hot and cold beverages. For more information, contact James Lorr at 914-739-1287.
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