Destination Jersey: Cheech's Own coffee circles back to Somerville with new cafe
Jenna Intersimone
SOMERVILLE – Steven "Cheech" Chiocchi, born and raised in Bridgewater, is back in Somerset County after eight years hopping around locales such as Florida and Philadelphia — and he has brought his New Jersey-centric brand Cheech's Own Coffee Company with him to be showcased at a new Main Street café.
“Main Street was where my first job was at the Texas Ranch House (now Dunkin' Donuts), so I have always been a part of that community,” said Chiocchi, a Somerville resident since 2015.
“Plus, we launched at several Somerville events after we became an official company in September of 2016 and we found that that’s where our products resonated the best with people, so a move to Somerville made sense.”
Cheech's Own Coffee Company will settle in at the 1200-square-foot and 40-seat space at 37 W. Main St. (formerly Teylev Tea) in late April or early May with a speakeasy and community-oriented vibe where coffee lovers can enjoy local and sustainably sourced coffee, hang out at a 16-foot-long community table surrounded by wood textures and mid-century modern décor, enjoy local arts and entertainment and learn the secrets behind their mugs.
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Learning about what he was sipping while he was managing his design, development and software agency the Areli Group, as well as working as the technical officer for the River Town Film Festival, was what inspired Chiocchi to launch Cheech’s Own Coffee Company.
“If you ask a Starbucks barista where the coffee beans come from, they don’t know and that bothered me,” he said. “So, I decided to make my own coffee and it got great feedback from family and friends, which motivated me to keep trying out new recipes until I eventually founded the company.”
Since Chiocchi is often working, he’s also often sipping coffee to stay focused and he found that cold brew specifically was one of the things that kept him going since it is more caffeine-concentrated, plus he liked the taste and low acidity better than a standard cup o’ joe.
He’s clearly not the only one — Cheech’s Own products, including organic whole bean Ethiopian, Colombian and Indonesian coffee and organic cold brew concentrate — can be found in various coffee cocktails and beverages at Tapastre in Somerville, Project P.U.B. in Somerville, Verve in Somerville, Hansel 'n Griddle in Somerville and the Stirling Tavern in Morristown, as well as various health food stores such as Dean’s Natural Food Market.
The brand originally grew its fan base as it launched as an events company, frequently found at Duke Farms Farm to Table Market, the Somerville Farmers’ Market, the Bridgewater Farmers’ Market, the Madison Farmers’ Market, the Highland Park Farmers’ Market, the Somerville Craft Beer Fest and various street fairs and other pop-up events.
“In you order something from our specialty menu at one of our events, we create everything in front of you on a wooden board in a speakeasy vibe so we want to re-create that in our café and make drinks with transparency,” Chiocchi said.
“We’re going to have a cocktail bar-trained staff who will have flair and style, and customers will see every ingredient that goes into their cup.”
At the café, customers will be able to purchase from Cheech’s Own rotating line of cold brews, including a new canned beverage that is launching this year as well as purchase bartenders’ ingredients for cocktails, dry goods, cutting-edge behind-the-bar tools and local wares, since Cheech’s Own comes from a farmers’ market background and wants to showcase a different vendor’s products each month or quarter.
On top of that, the café will feature an arts platform for local entertainment.
“The major difference between us and other coffee shops will be our community atmosphere,” Chiocchi said. “We truly feel like we have an open-door policy for the community and the arts. We want people to come here to do business, make presentations and learn about coffee and entrepreneurship.”
Cheech's Own Coffee Company
Where: 37 W. Main St., Somerville
When: Opening late April/early May
Contact: cheechsown.com
Jenna Intersimone's "Destination Jersey" column appears Tuesdays. Her "Life Aboard The Traveling Circus" blog is at LifeAboardTheTravelingCircus.com. Tweet her at @JIntersimone or email her at JIntersimone@GannettNJ.com.