Roberto Cruz Cotto was born in Ponce. Puerto Rico and was fascinated by the culinary arts from a very young age. Inspired by his mother's cooking - which has always been his passion - he watched her make her meals with delight. His fervor for cooking was so great that he left after school to help his friend who was in charge of a restaurant, El Patriota, in the city of his birth and was given the opportunity to master his skills at this quaint eatery in the principal cooking style of puerto Rico - Creole cuisine or "cocina criolla". His travels soon led him to New Jersey where he began to work and develop in other areas, but always with the hope of being able to cook one day. After many sacrifices and much work running a successful food stand he is close to seeing his dream realized. In November 2020 Roberto will realize this vision as he opens Robertitos Cuisine, 177 S. Centre, at the Circle, in our beautiful town, Merchantville NJ. How lucky all of us will be to enjoy his mofongos and carne frita! Welcome, Chef Roberto! Visit his Facebook page to check out their menu.

September 15th marked a 5 year anniversary for A Milli Little Things and owner, Saleemah Smith, shared her personal journey on social media. "Wow! I can't believe it. I remember nervously hitting the "Live" button on my Shopify account and paying more for the shipping cost than the actual order on my first sale because I simply didn't know how to ship. I've learned so much on this journey, and still daily. I started with one product and now I'm up to 84 with more than 200 varieties. I couldn't imagine that." She thanked everyone who supports her with reposts, purchases, visits, advice or spreading the word. None of it goes unnoticed! You're invited to celebrate her 5 year business anniversary and first year in her Merchantville storefront on Saturday October 3rd featuring super deals, wine, and food to go.

On July 14th, Kate Holden, owner of Soulflower Yoga, announced the closing of her brick and mortar location at 20A South Centre Street. "Wow, what an amazing year and half it’s been here in Merchantville. The community we built, the fun we had and just getting to know and serve every single one of you was a true honor. COVID-19 has hit so many of us so hard, both as individuals and the small business community. Just because we won’t have our peaceful place to gather doesn’t mean we’re leaving Merchantville or the yoga community!" Kate will still be hosting outdoor classes and provide special, and fun local yoga events to keep in touch. Not knowing what the future may bring, she hopes one day to be able to hold space with you and have regular classes again. Kate thanked the community for all their love and support and reminded everyone that, "It'snot good bye - it’s see you later. Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming outdoor classes and events on social media.

Support our local businesses by getting into the Halloween spirit with these ghoulish t-shirts! Our gruesome zombie will be sure to provide a fright, while our costumed gremlins will make kids jump with scary delight. Shirts come in long or short sleeve with sizes from YOUTH MEDIUM to ADULT XXL. Available for a limited time! Order cutoff date is October 8th. Community Sports Shop will contact each customer to pick up their order at their shop during normal business hours. Use this link to place your order.

We are happy that NJ restaurants have the ability to open for indoor dining in a limited capacity, however, The Blue Monkey, has made a decision to err on the side of caution and remain open for outdoor dining and takeout services at this time. We have created a beautiful, open, airy and safe outdoor dining space and have a DJ playing background music nightly. We are open Wednesday through Sunday from 4:00-9:00 p.m. Please call 856-661-8008 to book your reservation. pleasing and safe space for our community and hope you will continue to dine with us until we decide to bring business back indoors. Our policies and procedures remain the same - all customers must practice proper social distancing and wear their masks when not seated at their table. We operate on a reservation only model and expect customers to remain at their assigned tables. Our If you have not visited we hope you’ll come soon and try one of our newer menu options, viewable at BlueMonkeyTavern.Com. Our entire staff thanks you for your continued support and patronage. 

Courier-Post writer, Tammy Paolino, recently penned a piece on "A food geek's guide to best dishes in South Jersey, still available as takeout". The article shared local places to find incredible "drive-by" food while social distancing. And, it was no surprise to us that two of Merchantville's eateries, Charlies Crepes and Park Place Cafe & Restaurant, took the spotlight. Featured were Charlie's seasonal crepes with crispy potato croquettes or spicy deviled eggs and, ice cream flavors from Chef Manganaro that compliment his juicy burgers and celebrate the region, like the Cherry Bomb or Merchantville Mudslide. And, on June 8th, Tammy featured The Juice Bar owners, Seth Amoah and Kelli Mouzon, in her article about black business owners in SJ.  The cafe is touted as "a healthy oasis in the heart of Merchantville" offering fresh pressed juices, smoothies, salads, panini and vegan options.