There’s a personal touch to both the food and the service at Brooklyn Café & Organic Kitchen, and owner Sandra Marinelli says that’s no coincidence. She’s been immersed in food culture since she was a baby.

The oldest child of Italian immigrants who owned several pizzerias, Marinelli spent most days after school as well as most weekends with her grandmother, who cooked fresh food from scratch every day. “My grandmother taught me to love my food. Not just cook it— love it,” Marinelli says. “The love she had for me went right into my food and created the person I am today.”

​It’s not surprising, then, that the coffee shop she opened last June had grown into a full-service café just a year later, with a full breakfast and lunch menu featuring crepes, french toast, omelets, soups, salads, sandwiches and panini. The focus is on serving fresh, high-quality organic food in a warm, inviting environment, Marinelli says.

“We use only USDA Certified Organic vegetables, eggs, chicken and milk,” she says, “and the majority of our other ingredients are either all-natural or organic as well. I believe that even the simplest of foods can be amazing with clean, fresh ingredients, and that begins with organic food.”

Marinelli prides herself on getting to know her customers—not just their names, but also their food preferences. “Whether it’s how they prefer their eggs poached or how they like their double Americano, I make my customers feel like someone is truly paying attention,” she says.      

And even now, she says, when she makes something to eat, she thinks about who will be eating it and how it will affect them. After years of studying traditional and alternative nutrition, she learned that this practice is based on Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old system of medicine that supports natural healing and provides guidelines on ideal daily and seasonal routines, diet and behavior, and the proper use of the senses.

“Ayurveda reminds us that health is the balanced and dynamic integration between our environment, body, mind and spirit,” she says. “Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to own a restaurant that is based on these beliefs.”

Brooklyn Café & Organic Kitchen is located at 562 Rte. 6, Mahopac, NY. It’s open every day except Tuesday for breakfast and lunch. This summer, it is also open for dinner Thursday and Friday. See BrooklynOrganicKitchen.com for exact hours. For more info, call 845.628.7772.