Nutmeg Café Brings Artisanal Baking, Craft Foods to Tuckahoe
By Morris Gut – You may recognize Cindy from her years of working at Farmers Markets around the county in Irvington, Bronxville and Chappaqua, selling her signature goods under the ‘What’s For Dessert?’ brand. When requests for her cakes and pies outgrew her home kitchen, she leased commercial space in Yonkers for her baking. As she moved into her renovated shop in Tuckahoe in September 2016, she brought all her production to the Nutmeg kitchen. Her daily menu items are all prepared fresh on the premises.
Nutmeg Café opened on Main Street in Tuckahoe offers Westchester a titillating variety of artisanal baked goods, craft foods and beverages for eat-in and take-out. It created quite a stir, a steady stream of patrons have been flocking in.
Proprietor and creative force behind Nutmeg is Cindy Bothwell, who grew up in beautiful Napa Valley, California surrounded by family-owned fruit orchards, independent farms and wineries. It was these idyllic surroundings, and a little help from watching Grandma in the kitchen, that provided her with an appreciation of fresh farm-to-table ingredients and the early skills to produce her delicious culinary repertoire.
The Café is warm and inviting. It is a comfortable ambiance. There is seating for up to 25, soft background music, exposed brick walls and display cases filled to the brim with the tempting daily larder. Sample tastings are always available at the counter.
Bothwell calls her way of cooking and baking: “American home-style rustic.” While her offerings change regularly, you can always find Cindy’s staple cakes, pies, tarts, muffins and cookies. Signature specialties include: chocolate, banana and coconut cream pie, classic apple pie, plum raspberry pie, and chocolate bourbon pecan pie. She also uses what’s in season to prepare her delicious quiches and scones.
Fresh-made soups, salads and sandwiches were recently added to Nutmeg’s menu and posted daily on the blackboard. A recent posting included: delectable cheddar scallion scones; caramelized onion and Gruyere crostada; and cauliflower, leek and Asiago quiche.
Delightful beverages include such exclusive artisanal makers as Joe’s Coffee out of Brooklyn. Cindy’s manager Mario Sama also makes his own small-batch Custom Cold Brew coffees and teas on-site.
Nutmeg Café (aka: What’s For Dessert?) is located at 64 Main Street, Tuckahoe, across from Tuckahoe City Hall. Shop hours: Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eat-in or take-out. Advanced reservations for larger groups suggested. Outside catering. Major credit cards. Wi-Fi. Municipal parking. Casual dress. www.thenutmegcafe.com
Morris Gut is a restaurant marketing consultant and former restaurant trade magazine editor. He has been tracking and writing about the food and dining scene in greater Westchester for 30 years. He may be reached at: 914-235-6591. E-mail: gutreactions@optonline.net.
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