Laurel Weiser never wanted to work for someone else.
After finishing school and moving back to her hometown of Grantville, the pastry chef took jobs as a baker, first at the Hilton Harrisburg and later at the Hershey Hotel.
While she enjoyed the work, she dreamed of creating her own recipes and running her own business. Just when she felt she might be stuck as someone else’s employee, a speck of hope appeared at the end of her rolling pin.
Weiser’s aunt, Vicky, wanted to retire from Bridge Street Coffee Shop, the New Cumberland fixture she owned for about 15 years. Weiser decided it would be the perfect time for her to make a jump. After working alongside her aunt for several weeks, she officially took over the shop on Sept. 1.
“It suddenly felt like everything I had worked for would be worth it,” she said.
Weiser’s family helped her put her own touches on the shop décor, and she renamed it Brew Crumberland’s Best (pun totally intended). But new paint on the walls and a different furniture arrangement was just an aesthetic change. Bigger things were going on inside the kitchen.
A new espresso grinder and fresh roasted coffee beans delivered each week from Mosaic Coffee Company in Shippensburg were one part of a two-part menu redesign Weiser had in mind.
“A lot of places can offer you just one thing—either great tasting coffee or a great tasting pastry,” Weiser said. “They specialize in one thing, but I want to make sure we’re the best of both.”
When Weiser isn’t out front making specialty coffee drinks for regular customers, she’s back in the kitchen. It’s there that she finds the freedom to explore recipes she never had the chance to tackle when she worked in other places.
Her daily baked scones and muffins, most recently created with fall flavors apple cider and pumpkin roll, are her biggest sellers. Brownies and peanut butter pie are close seconds, but she soon hopes to break into more sweet breads, as well as cinnamon rolls, cheesecake and other desserts.
“I can do whatever I’m in the mood to do,” Weiser said of her creations. “The special thing to me is being able to see people’s reactions when they eat my food. I was always stuck in the back of a kitchen, making the same recipes every day. There’s something very unique to getting immediate feedback from people who eat what you create.”
The young business owner has big plans for her new endeavor. She hopes to eventually offer live music and have local art displayed on the walls.
“I really want to immerse myself in this community,” she said.
Meredith Brewster, who stopped into the coffee shop recently, said she happened to be passing through and needed something to get her through the rest of her day.
The Lower Paxton Township woman munched on a panini and snuck a scone into her purse for later.
“I never go to the big name coffee shops,” she said. “For me, the great thing about this area is that there are so many independent businesses. I always try to help them—especially when they make stuff as delicious as this.”
Jeremy Lewis of Harrisburg was on his way between business meetings when he decided to use the drive-thru for a late lunch the same day.
“I’ve come here a few times, always for the coffee,” he said. “When I find a place that makes a good cup, it becomes a regular stop for me.”
The comments of happily fed customers keep Weiser inspired. She’s always looking for something new to create, something else she can improve and another customer she can please.
“I’m exhausted every day, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy,” she said. “I’m learning a lot, and I have a lot of areas to grow in, but I’m happy to be on this path. I think great things are going to happen.”
Brew Crumberland’s Best is at 1903 Bridge St. in New Cumberland. Hours are Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 717-774-6511 or search for “Brew Crumberland’s Best” on Facebook.
