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Schuylerville’s Creative Economy: Revolution Cafe

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Cassie Wilusz Revolution Cafeby Thomas Dimopolous

Inside the Revolution Caf?, a wall labeled “Dream” stands opposite a chalkboard that reads “Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe,” and a full bistro menu boasts titles like Federalist Salads, Patriot Sandwiches, and Constitution Wraps.

“I like the historical aspect of the name Revolution Cafe, because I feel everything in Schuylerville is a revolution,” said Cassandra Wilusz, who went through her own personal revolution when she walked away from her process analyst job in corporate America, to open the Revolution Cafe in summer 2016.

“This business I am passionate about: making food affordable and fresh and connecting with people here, every day,” she said. It has been a journey and there have been some struggles along the way, for example, it took me a while to find an equipment supplier I could rely on (I now use one a little like NellaOnline.com) but my enthusiasm has kept me going and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

The business employs three people during the winter months and eight during the summer. The space accommodates 20 patrons inside and seats nearly three times that amount outdoors, where the view overlooks the canal that adjoins the Hudson River.

Some of the people who have worked the space before have gone on to open their own coffee shops, with some finding franchises (HTTPS://JUSTLOVECOFFEEFRANCHISE.COM/RESEARCH/WHAT-IS-JUST-LOVE/) that match the ideology of the Dream Cafe in helping their local community.

Wilusz’s goal is to create a creative space for all to come together: from local musicians and singers, to high school students and workers from the nearby lumber store.

“The vision is to have an Open Mic night once a week where you can hang out and listen to live music, to add microbrews and a tapas menu,” Wilusz said. “I want to create a casual environment where you can come, hang out, have drinks and appetizers ? and not just for a certain demographic. I want this to be for everyone.”

Contact:

Revolution Caf?, 31 Ferry Street, Schuylerville

(518) 695-3930 // Revolution Cafe on Facebook

Schuylerville’s Creative Economy: Cake by Alissa

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Alissa Woods CakeAlissa Woods worked as an executive recruiter for six years at a Boston, Massachusetts technology firm. “I was bored to tears, so I started taking some cooking classes on the side,” she said, standing behind the counter of her commercial kitchen on Broad Street and fixing an edible stethoscope onto a cake she was creating for a nurse.

Those early cooking classes led to a year-long bakery course and an internship at Putnam Market in Saratoga Springs, where she eventually graduated to the position of executive pastry chef. Woods started her business, Cake By Alissa, out of her Schuylerville home in 2011 and by November 2015, she set up shop on Broad Street. Her menu features more than a dozen cake, frosting and filling combinations, and she offers a bounty of options for special occasions. Putting together the pieces of a person’s life is a combination of creativity and research, said Woods, who also holds a degree in psychology from the University of New Hampshire. Since opening, she has hired two part-time employees to help with the work load.

“I call this my work shop. I’m open by appointment and it’s been working out great,” Woods said. One key is using high-quality ingredients. “There are things that you just can’t skimp on,” she said. The other is having a tight focus and being good at what you do. “It is a specialty, but I think doing one thing very, very well is what makes it successful.”

Taking cooking classes can lead you somewhere you didn’t realize you’d end up, it has a wealth of benefits for personal and professional use! So if you want to try it out, then why not do that? There are cooking classes boston that are available for people to try out, or if you are looking for somewhere closer to home, you can check out the website cocusocial.com to see what they have to offer.

Contact:

Cake By Alissa, 161 Broad Street, Schuylerville

(518) 727-7157 // Cake by Alissa Website

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