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Walking into Lake Grove’s newest café, Bloom & Brew, customers are greeted not only by the aroma of freshly brewed espresso and sweet pastries, but by the scent of fresh-cut flowers arranged on every table.
Co-owned by Eman Cheema, of Coram, and Zahid Mehmood, of Port Jefferson Station, Mehmood says there’s nothing quite like it on Long Island — a coffee and flower shop under one roof.
“It’s a very trendy coffee shop,” he said. “You don’t often find a coffee shop where you can get flowers, too.”
Bloom & Brew, located at 3205 Middle Country Road in a former cellphone repair store, began as an idea Mehmood picked up while visiting family in Europe.
“Coffee shops and flower shops go hand and hand,” he said. “So, we completely gave this space a new look.”
Over three months, Mehmood and his family transformed the storefront into an open café with a full flower shop toward the back. The shop also serves Hershey’s ice cream and offers a bakery case stocked with pastries from Italy, Greece and France — including cheesecakes, tartes and an assortment of croissants.
Along with the imported goods, Bloom & Brew features homemade soups, fruit drinks, and a small sandwich menu, including smoked salmon with avocado and a roasted turkey option.
The beverage lineup includes drip coffee made with Lavazza beans from Italy, plus hot and iced lattes, Americanos, cappuccinos and mochas.
“Lavazza is one of the best coffees,” Mehmood said. “It has a great taste and is very flavorful.”
Mehmood, who has worked in both the flower business and hospitality, says Bloom & Brew is the perfect blend of his background — and he hopes to grow the concept.
“I want to expand the business to multiple stores going forward,” he said. “There’s a lot to do here, it’s a very cozy place.”
For now, he’s thrilled to have planted his first café in Lake Grove.
“Lake Grove is a very happening area,” he said. “We love it here.”
The floral shop can create arrangements big or small for any event, and the business also offers catering — what Mehmood calls a one-stop shop.
“We provide flowers, we provide food,” he laughed. “We do it all.”
Bloom & Brew is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
— photos by Julianne Mosher
