When it rains...go to a bakery!

It's that caffeine time of day and my earlier thoughts of digging in the garden would only mean mud pies. Now what?

It must be time to check out that new little panaderia (bakery) directly across from the Municipal Court. Between downpours I ran over, got a parking spot right out front and walked into La Chapinita with the thought of cheering myself up with a coffee accoutrement.

Corina Cabrera's shop has only been open for one week and besides the bakery (in the back) she is selling a variety of items in the front part of the store. Originally from Guatemala, Corina hopes to have more crafts from her birth country to offer--which include many beautiful woven fabrics.

Before opening the door, Corina did her homework and got assistance from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and the Union County Economic Development Corporation (UCEDC).

The shop is open 7-days and, in addition to bakery items, Corina is selling tamales, enchiladas (Sat & Sun) and various natural beverages such as horchata (a delicious/nutritious rice drink) and a lemonade with chan (chia seed) -- both are popular and well-known throughout Central America and Mexico.

Moral of this story: I went in search of a freshly baked pastry to make a dreary afternoon seem less so. Sure, I bought a tamale (late lunch) and a sweet treat, but what I found was a person, a friendly and out-going woman with a lot of pride in the work she's put into starting-up up her own shop.

Corina knows how to make a customer feel welcome. Treating new people with warmth is not only part of her plan to make her business succeed, it is, after all, the kind of person Corina is.

La Chapinita
408 Watchung Avenue
908-753-6683

BUY LOCAL - SHOP IN PLAINFIELD - MEET NEW PEOPLE !

--Barbara Todd Kerr

KEYWORDS: business, food