Casaroma Cafe Now Brewing The Perfect Cup In New Rochelle

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — It might seem like an obvious thing to say, but at the city's newest cafe, it really is all about the coffee.

While everyone from Dunkin' Donuts to Starbucks touts their superior blends, a recent visit to Casaroma's cozy new downtown spot found that, in this case, the proof is in the cup.

That dedication to creating the perfect cup every single time has helped Casaroma to build a following before they ever even opened their doors.

It's not surprising to anyone keeping an eye on New Rochelle's rapidly growing skyline that the building inspectors in the city have full dance cards. Casaroma's owners told Patch that this made opening a new business a frustratingly slow process.

But, in the long run, the red tape delays may have proven to be something of a marketing boon. While the owners waited for approvals to put the final touches on their brick-and-mortar location, they were busy building a reputation in the Queen City of the Sound.

Over the past year, Casaroma has hosted a series of pop-up shops. They started with a CV Rich Mansion pop-up in May, a Casaroma x HudCo pop-up in June, a Casaroma x PVD pop-up in Rhode Island last August, and the New Rochelle Holiday Market 2022.

Because Casaroma invests so much in their product, word of mouth began traveling months before opening day, and the only way for those who didn't make it to a pop-up event to taste the coffee for themselves would be to come to the long-awaited opening of the shop.

No amount of promotion could have created this kind of grassroots buzz.

In the end, the owners opted to open right away, with a soft opening and some limited hours and options, but the under-the-radar premiere still somehow feels like a grand opening celebration, thanks in part to months spent building anticipation.

Casaroma Cafe celebrated its soft opening this past weekend, on the first floor of The Huguenot apartment building. Owners Yaretsy Flores, Kevin Rucker and Donnell Culver say that they are driven by their "mission to create a home away from home."

Patch first met up with two of the owners, Flores and Rucker, last May when touring The Huguenot. At the time, they told Patch that in addition to selling a fine cup of joe, the new venture will focus on culture, community and collaboration, making the small business a perfect fit in the big building with a neighborly vibe.

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The menu offers unique items like cinnamon agave lattes, Dominican mocha lattes, matcha lattes and "everything" croissants.

Flores has a background in hospitality, food and beverage, and human resources. She said coffee has been a huge part of her life ever since she was a child, so she grew up to be quite the coffee enthusiast. Through social media and her "Coffee with Yari" video series, she has explored coffee even deeper and began to learn about different roasts, flavor profiles and brews.

"My love for coffee and building community has led me to create a space where all of these qualities merge," Flores explains. "I'm excited to embark on this next chapter and feel immense gratitude for all the support surrounding us through this journey."

Rucker's background is in business operations management. He said he has spent his entire career finding the most efficient and cost-effective ways to get things done. As an MBA, he said he is an expert budgeter and will be handling finances and backend operations for Casaroma.

"It has always been a dream of mine to start a business from scratch using the techniques that I have fine tuned over the years. In addition to my professional accomplishments, I have a passion for building communities and creating environments for people to collaborate." Through the "Wolf and Unicorn" podcast, they have been able to connect with so many people, which has made the process of forming this business much easier.

Culver is an experienced video producer with a history of working in the media production industry.

"My experience includes producing high quality large and small scale video content for use across print, digital and social platforms," he explains. "I'm a detail-oriented and highly creative producer, with a strong eye for visual storytelling. Casaroma is in great hands, and I'll use my connections within my industry to make sure Casaroma represents our key principles as a company, and is visually pleasing in every way."

Casaroma even had a visit on Thursday morning from actor Leon Preston Robinson (Madonna's "Like a Prayer" video, Cool Runnings, Above the Rim, Little Richard, The Five Heartbeats, The Temptations, City on a Hill, Blue Bloods).

Casaroma Cafe is located at 391 Huguenot St. in New Rochelle. Their soft open hours are 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sundays.

Find out more about Casaroma's menu, loyalty program, job openings and more on their website.