When Meg Lang, owner of the long-standing eatery Lang-a-Tang Cafe & Catering in New Haven made a vulnerable post on Facebook at the beginning of summer outlining her plans to close the cafe and pivot to private chef and catering, her community, while sad to see the cafe close, rallied behind her decision. After years of running the business with her mom Myrna, it was time for them to pursue other projects and interests. In her post, Meg shared her hope that someone would purchase the cafe so that it could get a new life and remain a staple for the New Haven community.
And just a few weeks after that fateful social media post, another post outlined how a family had bought the business from Meg and had plans to rebrand it to Sugar & Whisk Cafe. The new owners, Venus and Freddy Mendoza, are a local couple who took over the business at the beginning of this month and are slowly rolling out new menu items, as well as keeping some tried and true customer favorites.
“I had a cottage bakery before this and when I saw at the bottom of Meg’s post that this was a turnkey cafe for sale, I thought this is my chance,” Venus shares.
Since taking over the business, Venus says that everything has moved fast, but that she and her husband are loving the journey so far. The cafe offers catering for Franklin County and parts of Crawford County, and over the next few months customers can expect to see some new menu items available.
“We’re going to be adding some gluten-free options,” Venus explains of some of the planned changes.
The menu
The cafe serves traditional drip coffee and espresso beverages, as well as bubble tea, and smoothies, which are a new drink option. One popular menu item that’s familiar to anyone who visited the cafe under the former ownership is the Butter Beer latte, an espresso made with toffee, caramel, and cinnamon. Another popular menu favorite is the turkey and fig sandwich, which combines turkey, cheese, crisp greens, and a fig spread, giving it a delightful slightly sweet finish.
Other sandwiches include a turkey club, chicken salad, and a wrap available with chicken or turkey, plus bacon and ranch. Each sandwich or wrap comes with a generous side of chips and a pickle spear.
The menu also features a selection of breakfast options, including a sandwich made with choice of bacon or sausage, plus an egg and cheese, as well as a burrito and breakfast bowl, or a parfait for a lighter, vegetarian option.
There’s a number of sweet treats available, including muffins and cookies, along with unique and tasty rotating options in the pastry cases that reflect Venus’ creativity as a baker. On my visit I tried three delectable baked goods. One of those was the peach cobbler cookie, which is a soft sugar cookie topped with peach cobbler filling, and despite it being the largest item I tried it was in no way heavy. The pillowy texture of the cookie held the peach chunks in place, providing a soft, yummy base and a flavor profile that’s strikingly similar to a slice of peach cobbler.
I also spied something called a breakfast cupcake that intrigued me before I’d even tried it. This cupcake combines moist red velvet cake with maple flavored frosting, adorned with a piece of waffle, and crispy bacon. The sweet and savory combo brings several delectable breakfast flavors together in one bite.
Although I loved the creativity shown with the cobbler cookie and breakfast cupcake, I’m a sucker for a classic that’s done really well, and for me, the chocolate chip cookies at Sugar & Whisk fit that description. They’re made just the way I (try to) bake them at home: soft and loaded with melty chocolate chips, with a slightly gooey center.
Follow Sugar & Whisk Cafe on Facebook to learn more about its menu options and hours of operation.
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