The Pink House AM is serving up community

It all started with a yoga class. Mare Rubin was working on her second act after leaving the Upper West Side, where she’d raised a family and worked in corporate marketing. Newly empty nesters, she and her husband decided to move to the wilds of northwestern Connecticut, where they had spent 15 years as weekenders, to see what life in the woods had in store for them.

Rubin started teaching yoga classes at the Union in West Cornwall, a space designated by the town of Cornwall as a community hub with couches, Wi-Fi, occasional events and a growing yoga class schedule. She was adjusting well but missed one important thing about city life: a casual coffee shop.

She decided to talk to David Ellen, principal owner of the Pink House, West Cornwall’s trendy eatery, which was hitting its stride with a new paint job and some rave reviews. Serving dinner only Thursday through Monday and brunch on weekends, the stylish restaurant sat empty much of the time. The idea was simple. Rubin would use the space to serve coffee and, with a little luck, find somebody who could bake.

Rubin turned to her yoga community to ask if somebody was interested in joining this crazy, if not entirely illogical, idea. That’s when Maggie Levine chimed in. After 25 years as a teacher in Brooklyn Heights, Levine was also looking for life’s next challenge. Though some time had passed since her days working in the pastry world, including a stint in a Wolfgang Puck kitchen, she’d never lost her love for baking. Just like that, a team was born.

Ellen had been interested in making better use of the space for some time and was patient enough with the cafe newcomers to let Rubin take some time to become a barista. Not many people take to the espresso machine for the first time in their 50s, but Rubin was determined to do it right. She knew a good cafe requires a skilled barista, so she spent days driving to No. 6 Roastery in West Stockbridge. There, she learned about the intricacies of the beans, how best to brew them and even took a couple of lessons in latte art, all while giving Levine the chance to refine her baking skills. By the time they opened those morning doors, their tools were sharp and the frittata recipe was perfect.

Though Rubin and Levine might disagree on how crisp they like their toast, the biggest challenges have been practical. The Pink House AM is part of the Pink House business, but the dinner and brunch restaurant has priority for the kitchen and coffee space. That means setting up and breaking down the entire cafe operation every day.

Much of the team’s goal is to provide a space for community. It’s not uncommon to find groups of longtime locals who meet morning after morning to chew the fat and enjoy coffee and pastries. A few enthusiastic customers have become such regular fixtures that they’ve had drinks named after them, including a flat white named after West Cornwall-based photographer Martin Chalk.

The team is also hosting Cedric Gairard of local arts publication Fieldwork to play vinyl records outdoors on Thursdays or Fridays, depending on the weather.

For now, full service is available Monday through Friday until noon, and coffee is available before the Pink House brunch service starts at 11 a.m. on weekends. Though not ready to disclose their future plans, the team has additional offerings in the works. For now, the space is open and ready for the casual laptop user, groups of old friends or even a curious couple to sit, enjoy their coffee and read a copy of The Lakeville Journal.

Follow the Pink House AM on Instagram at @pink
house.am.