Did you ever wonder?

Have you ever wondered where some of the ideas we have at the Comfort Zone come from? Whether it's the soup of the day, the desserts in the case, or the seasonal beverages we promote, it's a team of us that are constantly working to find new and exciting things to serve to our customers.


Peanut Butter Belly BustersSome classic Comfort Zone goodies have origins you would probably never have guessed. For instance, our Peanut Butter Belly Buster, we found this idea on a family trip to Historic Williamsburg Virginia. Cindy, unable to stomach hotel coffee, was on a hunt for a decent cup of Joe and we stumbled upon a little coffee shop with "Cookie Monsters" in the dessert case. When we got home we tried our hand at making something similar and the Peanut Butter Belly Buster was born - but it didn't have a name! That led to one of our first CZ contests, where customers submitted their name ideas and among dozens of great entries, the winner was chosen Laughing 

How about Great Grandma Davis' Chicken Pastry?

That's an easy one, it was Great Grandma Davis' recipe that she passed down to Grandma Ebert, and Grandma Ebert taught Cindy years ago. Now she's tried teaching me, but I have not mastered it yet. 

 MG 8273What about the Samoa Cookie Lake Effect or our Award Winning Beef on Weck Soup?

These two represent where a lot of our ideas come from. We start with a flavor combination that we already know people will enjoy, and then we find a way to put a twist on them. When we started trying to develop the Samoa flavor combination as a coffee beverage we actually started with warm drink ideas. After weeks of difficult, strenuous, exhausting tasting of dozens of different recipe attempts, we decided that we couldn't get the coconut and caramel flavors to stand out in the hot drink and against the chocolate. At that point we switched to a cold drink idea, and a few samples later, we had my favorite Lake Effect perfected - the Samoa!

How about that Beef on Weck soup?

Buffalo Soupfest was holding a Yancey's Fancy cheese soup contest and we wanted to enter. Not long before we decided to enter the contest my fiance (boyfriend at the time!) had made me a delicious "Beef on Weck" omlet using their Wasabi Cheddar cheese. I decided that I wanted to try to turn that idea into a soup, and so it was born. Again, a few weeks of testing, tweaking, and sharing samples with friends and family, and my Beef on Weck soup was born (Thanks again for the idea Zach)!

Lately, one of my favorite ways to find new ideas to try has been Pinterest!

pinterestIt is simply amazing to have this resource of a constant flow of new ideas, beautifully documented by "pinners" all across the globe, sharing recipes, ideas, and fun graphics all the time. I LOVE to find new-to-me flavor combinations, traditional ethnic dishes, and healthy twists on old favorites, and find ways to turn them into new dishes to serve to customers at the Comfort Zone! I have definitely found some new favorites on Pinterest! If you want to check out some of the pins that I've been working from, or ones I'm hoping to try soon, visit my Pinterest Board that's just for CZ work - let me know if you see something on there that you really want me to try (just put it in the comment section below), I'm a sucker for requests!

Whether it's out of necessity, a need to mix things up, or because sometimes our kitchen is like being on an episode of Chopped (it's amazing the "mystery basket" ingredients we wind up with sometimes!) - we are always looking for new and exciting things to try.

Wondering about the origins of any other items on our menu? Want to make a menu suggestion or request? Give me a "Chopped" challenge? Please let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear from you!

~Zenia

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Comfort Zone Cafe, Hamburg, NY