Israeli Culinary Chains Arrive in New York

Two of Israel’s most popular culinary chains, Aroma Espresso Bar and Max Brenner Chocolate, have made almost simultaneous American debuts in Manhattan recently. And the founders of both stores say they have plans to expand quickly, first in the city and eventually throughout the country.Max Brenner Chocolate — otherwise known as “Chocolate by the Bald Man”— is a Willy Wonka–worthy chocolate store, 5,000 square feet and stocked with a dizzying array of desserts. Mr. Brenner’s first American store and restaurant opened last Thursday on Broadway just south of Union Square, and he plans to open another location on Second Avenue and 9th Street at the end of August. Founded in 1996, the chain includes five stores in Israel.Mr. Brenner, 38, the bald head behind the brand, is a tireless chocolate innovator. Born in Rehovot, Israel, he began working with cocoa while working as a pastry chef in Europe, before returning to Israel in 1996 to open his first retail store in Ra’anana. But don’t call him a chocolatier: He said he wants to demystify the high-end chocolate experience.“When people think of chocolate, they think it’s sensual and romantic,” he said last week as he sat in the store, a plate of banana split waffles drowning in chocolate sauce in front of him.”But if you go to a chocolate store, you see something totally opposite. It’s intimidating.”He said he has tried to create a “chocolate culture” with his stores. “I’ve created a ceremony about drinking chocolate, from the texture of the drink to different ways of drinking it,” he explained. “My chocolate experience is very beautiful, it’s more unique, not like Starbucks,” he said. “It can cause a lot of happiness, and it should be all over.”His Union Square location, divided into three sections, definitely features chocolate “all over.” The street doors open to a small retail area, where gift sets, tins of chocolate treats, and other confections are on sale.A “chocolate bar,” selling take-out drinks and pastries, runs along one wall. The rest of the chocolate-and-vanilla-colored interior is devoted to restaurant service, where patrons can snack and sip.The café’s elaborate menu includes the Suckao: An egg-shaped candleholder is brought to the table along with a bowl of chocolate bits and a small milk jug. Diners melt the bits in a tiny metal bowl suspended over the candle, and stir in the milk with a metal spoon-straw to create a quick shot of hot chocolate. Two kinds of hot chocolate are served, a traditionally thick drink and a lighter, milkier version called “Chocolat” that features optional toppings including mini chocolate waffle balls. Then there’s the Popping Candies Chocolate Lick, a shot of chocolate sauce topped with sugar crumbles that resemble Pop Rocks. The Popsicle Fondue comes with three different toppings for a small vanilla ice cream stick, because, according to Mr. Brenner, “My favorite part of an ice cream stick is the chocolate around it, and that’s the first part that disappears.”The founders of Aroma Espresso Bar have a similar passion for their product. The two brothers, Yariv and Sahar Sheffa, opened their first Aroma café in Jerusalem in 1994, using a $16,000 loan from their mother. Aroma is now the largest coffee chain in Israel, boasting 75 outlets there. The first New York location opened three weeks ago on Houston Street between Wooster and Greene streets. The brand’s selling points are quality beans; different blends for espressos, cappuccinos, and regularly brewed coffee, and made-to-order sandwiches and snacks.The slim espresso bar and restaurant — which is open 24 hours a day — is decorated in red, black, and white, with low-slung red leather chairs. According to the manager and chief executive of Aroma New York, Hanoch Milwidsky, the most popular items are cappuccinos and burekas, sandwiches made with flaky bread and cheese. The Bureka Treat, for example, features hardboiled eggs, cheese, pickles, and tahini. The café Americano is meant to mimic the taste of regular coffee, but features a shot of rich espresso topped with hot water and either hot or cold milk. The American menu differs slightly from the Israeli version, with some altered sandwiches and drinks that were guided by the chef of Beacon restaurant in Midtown, Waldy Malouf.The vice president of marketing for Aroma, Noam Berman, said the brand is banking on the quality of its coffee for continued success in New York.”I think coffee is like drugs,” Mr. Berman said. “If you taste something good, you’re not going back to a bad product. In New York, there are not many places to get good gourmet coffee. I think we have very good coffee.”According to Messrs. Berman and Milwidsky, who moved to New York from Israel in January, Aroma plans to open more outlets later this year in Manhattan, either on the Upper East or Upper West sides, and possibly Brooklyn. “It should be all over,” Mr. Milwidsky said on a sunny Monday morning in the café.”A lot of people ask me, where did you get the idea? We have a good product, and in New York, people need to have good products.”Judging from the bustle inside the stores over the weekend, coffee and chocolate hounds have already discovered the potential of these new stores. Max Brenner Chocolate, which has so far been open for restaurant service only at night, opens its doors fully tomorrow. If Messrs. Brenner, Berman, and Milwidsky have their way, New Yorkers will soon be able to indulge in the best of Israeli coffee and chocolates all across the city.Max Brenner Chocolate (841 Broadway at 13th Street, 212-388-0030), and Aroma Espresso Bar (145 Greene St. at Houston Street, 212-533-1094).

Israeli Culinary Chains Arrive in New York

Israeli Culinary Chains Arrive in New York

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