When Jerry Sorrentino opened the doors to The Social Bean Café, 1255 Grand Marais West, in April, he envisioned the kind of place you could come in with friends, relax, have a great cup of coffee and feel at home.
“We were always looking for someplace to relax at night,” explains Jerry. “I knew South Windsor was an untapped market and there was really nothing like that here. Mind you I was looking for someplace to relax but now that we’re open I’m not the one relaxing!”
Formerly a cake decorating shop, the place has been transformed. Jerry has created a space where people feel welcomed and are comfortable, with an ambiance that is warm and inviting.
“It was important for people to come in here and not feel rushed,” says Jerry. “I really wanted to slow people down and not have them feel rushed when they come in. This is a different experience from the normal fast food coffee shop. It’s a destination.”
The lunch menu is light and designed to be simple and not overly complicated. In addition to soups and salads, the café also serves up grilled paninis including the Grilled Monte Cristo (ham, swiss, tomato, honey mustard) and the Mediterranean (feta, cream cheese, roasted red peppers, green onions and basil).
Ordering a coffee, cappuccino, chai tea or smoothie is typical of any coffeeshop but at The Social Bean, Jerry can custom make a drink for you, whether or not it’s on the menu.
“If you can come up with an original drink, I’ll name it after you!”
And, of course, nowadays, a café wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t offer free wifi. So along with your latte and grilled panini, bring your laptop and get connected. There’s no need for passwords here either, just turn on and tune in.
Jerry is also looking for artists and musicians and encourages anyone who is interested to contact him. The café schedules musicians on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and every first Tuesday of the month, they will be hosting the WindsorEats Trivia Night.
