Millburn-Short Hills Magazine Holiday 2019 | Page 12

buzzworthy Maplewood GENERAL STORE COOPERATIVE: MORE TO LOVE Maplewood ANI RAMEN The Ani Ramen’s Maplewood location has finally opened its doors with a grand opening ribbon-cut- ting ceremony that was held Nov. 2. The latest outpost of the Ani Ramen empire, which also has locations in Montclair, Jersey City, Summit and the food hall of American Dream in Rutherford, serves a large menu of ramen-based dishes as well as kimchi, spicy miso, bao buns and seasonal slushes. •149 Maplewood Ave., aniramen.com/maplewood Summit DINING ON TREND AT BAR BACOA Barbacoa cooking is coming to New Jersey via chef Justin Antiorio, runner-up on the 2012 season of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking show, Hell’s Kitchen. Antiorio, executive chef of two-year-old Summit House, is set to helm the kitchen at next-door Bar Bacoa, a Mexican restaurant named for the form of cooking that originated in the Caribbean and is widely practiced in Mexico. (Meat is cooked over an open fire in a hole dug into the ground.) “It’s trendy now in Austin and Chicago,” says Antiorio, a New Jersey native and resident. Antiorio offers a variety of home-made tacos stuffed with in-house smoked brisket or chicken. • 10 Maple St., (908) 273-6006, barbacoanj.com 10 HOLIDAY 2019 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE ENGEL; COURTESY The General Store Cooperative, which was established in 2017 to bring local business owners together to boost the shop-local movement, has opened a 3,000-square-foot flag- ship marketplace and café. The co-retail space on Springfield Ave. includes the zero-waste Good Bottle Refill Shop, Three Daughters Baking Co and Mrs. Meshugga, as well as out- posts of two South Orange favorites, Kitchen a la Mode and Sadie’s, among many other local businesses. GSC will show- case a rotating selection of products available from its net- work of local makers, artists and indie businesses, and will run a full-service espresso bar featuring single-origin coffees and kombucha on tap. The cooperative has also partnered with Java’s Compost, who will provide composting services. “[To understand] our flagship marketplace and café, think ‘mini-Chelsea Market,’” says Deborah Engel, who, with Amy Howlett, co-founded the GSC. Seen here, back row: Lisa Buber (Mrs. Meshugga), Deanna Taylor-Heacock (Good Bottle Refill Shop), Erica Leahy (Three Daughters Baking Co), Cat Fisher (Sadie’s & Kitchen a la Mode), Amy Howlett (General Store Cooperative). Front Row: Deborah Engel (General Store Cooperative). • 1875 Springfield Ave., generalstorecooperative.com