This past Saturday, Downtown Cranford Director Caren Demyen, Mayor Brian Andrews, Township Commissioner and Downtown liaison Kathleen Miller Prunty, and DMC Board members held a ribbon cutting to officially welcome the new owners of Cranford Vanilla Bean Creamery! Congratulations to Sherri, Mike, and their young daughters on this new (very delicious) endeavor. Sherri and Mike were Cranford residents from 2014-2020 before moving to Westfield, and have a special place in their heart for Cranford Vanilla Bean Creamery. When they originally met with Ralph, Mike proudly showed him the large stack of Vanilla Bean Creamery punch cards their family has collected over the past few years.

Mike and Sherri knew they would need Ralph’s guidance to make sure that Vanilla Bean Creamery would continue to put out the high quality ice cream it’s been known for. To that end, Ralph has been sharing his original recipes with them and teaching them how to make ice cream. “My one piece of advice for them is consistency,” said Ralph. “It’s what Vanilla Bean Creamery is known for, and what keeps bringing customers back.”

Ralph will be around for the next few weeks, assisting Mike and Sherri in any way he can. Vanilla Bean Creamery is open 7 days a week so stop in to wish Ralph well and welcome Mike and Sherri!

If you’ve walked by Sweet n' Fancy Emporium LLC. recently and noticed it looked a bit different, that’s because the candy and baking supply store is under new ownership! Last month, Amanda Girardi took over as the owner of Sweet n’ Fancy Emporium, bringing her experience and passion for baking and retail to Downtown Cranford. The Downtown Cranford office held a ribbon cutting ceremony earlier this week, officially welcoming Amanda and her family to the business community.

Amanda has a successful baking business, The Sprinkle Experiment, which took off during the pandemic and led to a reconsideration of her career path. On a shopping trip to Sweet n’ Fancy one day, the topic of ownership was broached and Amanda decided that the time had come to follow her dream.

“My dad was a chef so I’ve grown up cooking and baking,” said Amanda. “I love the creativity that baking allows me to do.” Amanda has big plans for Sweet n' Fancy, including expanding its candy and cake supply offerings. There will be a bakery on-site and customers will be able to attend classes and book parties. “I see Sweet n’ Fancy becoming a one-stop shop for bakers. We’re currently fully stocked for the holidays with everything you could need: cookie cutters, sprinkles, chocolate, molds, cake pans, boxes, and more. People should also feel free to request a special item if we don't have it, and we can order it.”

Amanda’s specialty is crumb cake, which has received rave reviews and even won awards. Once the kitchen in Sweet n’ Fancy Emporium is set up, sweet treats like crumb cake will be available for purchase. Until then, customers can give the store a call at 908-272-0848 to place orders. The store also has special holiday gift boxes available to order on their website, including a Hanukah Cookie Kit and Letter to Santa Box.

“In the short time that I’ve been in Cranford, it’s hard to describe how incredibly welcoming the community has been,” said Amanda. “We’re all about service here and I feel like customers appreciate that. I’ve already had people stop in who haven’t been here before and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. In addition, a number of my Sprinkle Experiment customers have visited and I’m excited for them to see my storefront and also see everything that Cranford has to offer.”

Sweet n’ Fancy Emporium is located at 1 South Avenue East and is open Tuesday – Saturday. You can visit their website, https://www.sweetnfancy.com, and follow the business on social media to stay updated on what they’re offering and what’s coming up. Welcome to Cranford, Amanda!

Welcome to the New Owners of Vanilla Bean Creamery!

Welcome to the new owners of Sweet n' Fancy Emporium!