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Date: 9/8/2021
EAST LONGMEADOW – The Step Sister Cafe is officially open inside Brew Practitioners Brewery and Taproom at 45 Baldwin St.
The cafe is serving light, sharable options perfect for pairing with rounds of beer. Owner Georgianna Brunton said that menu items include a jumbo pretzel, house-made chips with beer chipotle dip, paninis, flatbreads, a charcuterie board, a stout fudge brownie and chocolate chip cookies.
Brunton started her journey in the restaurant business in her early teens. It was her first job and one that she continued throughout college. After college, she went into the corporate world, which took her to various locations across the East Coast.
In 2018, Brunton returned to Western Massachusetts when she bought the Miss Florence Diner.
Brunton said she became fast friends with Brew Practitioner’s owners, Tanzi and Joe Eckerle, when they had their location in Florence.
“We started chatting about the pandemic and just how crappy it was and that it was a struggle for every business,” said Brunton. “We got along really well and kind of had the same vision about how service is in a restaurant and how it should be and how to entice your guests and things like that.”
With COVID-19 restrictions, any brewery or bar needed to serve food in order to operate. Brunton said that the Eckerle’s wanted to be prepared in case COVID-19 ramped up again or shutdowns were ordered, which led to the opening of The Step Sister Cafe at their new location.
“It helped them draw in more people by having a kitchen and it gave me a creative outlet,” said Brunton.
According to Brunton, she helps with the cooking along with her oldest son, Logan, and his best friend, Mike.
“They are learning right now on how to do it, so I spend a lot of time training. They will be handling the bulk of the cooking and I’ll still be there, but not full time,” she said.
The Step Sister Cafe had their soft opening on Aug. 27. Brunton said they saw a tremendous amount of community support.
“We were so very well received. The folks in East Longmeadow and in that area are just lovely. Everything that I experienced opening The Step Sister Cafe was just super easy and everyone was just super helpful. The people are super friendly,” she said. “It was just such a great experience. Everyone was just super happy and thankful that they have a different spot to get a light bite to eat and get a couple drinks with friends.”
The Step Sister Cafe is now open Thursday through Sunday. Brunton said that the brewery has space for dogs on their outdoor patio, games and kids are welcome.
She said she is most excited about getting to know the community and getting involved.
“I’m looking forward to spending some time getting to know the different groups that are in the area and offering some more community service and helping out. I think that’s a super important part of being a business owner in any community is to be involved with the folks and do your part. Not only am I there to make money, but I’m there to kind of help out where I can and be involved,” said Brunton.
Those interested in learning more about The Step Sister Cafe are encouraged to visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stepsistercafe/.