Jammin’ Crêpes Slated to Open New Cafe in Downtown Princeton Tomorrow
The owners of Jammin’ Crêpes have built up a loyal following at area farmers markets and festivals with their made-to-order griddle creations filled with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.
Starting tomorrow, Princeton area crepe devotees will have a permanent location to flock to as Jammin’ Crêpes opens its new cafe at 20 Nassau Street, next to the Red Onion.
As the new brick and mortar location, the owners of the cafe will still continue to follow the same recipe for success that has made their crepes such a big hit with locals.
“When most people think of a creperie, they think of strawberries and whipped cream and Nutella, but that’s not us,” Jammin’ Crêpes co-owner Kim Rizk said. “Our crepes are made with local, fresh ingredients from area farms. We’re also working towards becoming a zero-waste restaurant.”
Jammin’ Crêpes has contracted with Central Jersey Waste to pick up its organic waste, to be turned into compost, three times a week. All off the cafe’s take out containers are also compostable, Rizk said.
The inside of cafe has red-barn walls and a casual, cozy feel, but is spacious enough to seat 43 people. Mason jars filled with preserves line shelves along with farmhouse-style decorations and a large map of the state showing which farms the cafe sources its produce from.
“The restaurant has soul,” said Martha Moseley as she and her dining companions polished off a cinnamon crepe for dessert Friday night at a private cafe gathering.
Jammin’ Crêpes will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner six days a week. In addition to sweet and savory crepes, the cafe will serve salads, fresh-baked cookies, large muffins with jam inside, and Small World Coffee. The cafe will sell take out, including salads already packed to go, and an assortment of bottled beverages. The cafe will also sell Jammin’ Kitchen jams and preserves in 8-ounce jars with flavors like strawberry lavender, blueberry, and lemon curd.
The cafe, which will employ about 20 people, will be open special hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 12, for its first day of business. Regular hours will be Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The cafe will be closed Mondays. The cafe is BYOB and will offer outdoor seating and free Wifi.
Jammin’ Crêpes has been a vision of Kim Rizk, husband Amin Rizk, and partner Kathy Klockenbrink for several years.
Kim Rizk has a history of culinary expertise that includes managing a successful gourmet food store in Connecticut, authoring a nationally launched and acclaimed cookbook and working as a freelance food writer and restaurant critic. She also holds a “master food preserver” certification from Cornell University and has led several community initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of supporting local farms.
After four years of serving crepes at local farm markets, the Jammin’ Crêpes crew is thrilled to have a home base where they can dish up their creations all year.
“It’s really exciting for us, and a little overwhelming too,” said Rizk as friends hugged her, offered their congratulations, and scarfed down some crepes.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.