From Manhattan to Rhinebeck, the Matchbox Cafe Shines
Tucked away in the trees along Route 9, the Matchbox Cafe stands as a staple in Rhinebeck’s culinary scene, drawing visitors from New York City and beyond. Built upon a strong foundation in the bakery business, the Matchbox Cafe has grown into a booming restaurant while maintaining a cozy, home-away-from-home feel on account of owners Sam and Joann Cohen.
In between greeting customers old and new, co-owner of the Matchbox Cafe, Sam Cohen, took time to relive the restaurant’s impressive history over one of its most popular meals — the Matchbox Veggieburger.
Before bringing their highly sought-after treats to the Hudson Valley, Sam and his wife Joann established a flourishing bakery called Dessert Delivery. Situated in bustling Manhattan, the Cohen’s bakery became a popular destination for celebrities and visitors alike. After many years of success in the gift and bakery business, the pair decided to bring the business to their weekend home here in Rhinebeck. Expanding upon their impressive list of baked goods, the Cohens integrated a full cafe menu.
After scoping out the local restaurant scene, Cohen said, “we thought we’d open a little place here just to see.”
The mind behind the menu, Sam Cohen, surprisingly did not have a formal education in the culinary arts. His baked creations and unique treats include a variety of 1/4 lb. cookies (pictured above), mouth watering cupcakes, and shmoogies — giant chocolate cookie sandwiches. He attributes the success of his homemade recipes to being entirely self-taught.
In between bites of the signature Matchbox Veggieburger, stuffed with fresh spinach, zucchini, potato and onion, Cohen spoke to the freshness and quality of their ingredients. The unique, distinguishable flavors packed into each homemade recipe make Matchbox a standout among local eateries who use frozen, genetically produced ingredients. Purchasing the majority of ingredients from local farms, Cohen reveals the true difference between the food from Matchbox in relation to other high-end restaurants in the area.
“The Matchbox is special because we don’t use anything frozen. We just buy from the farms and small companies and dairies. So, we don’t have frozen french fries like everybody does. We actually make the french fries by hand. We soak them at night…you see the difference.”
Everything at Matchbox is made by hand, which I was able to see first-hand after learning about how everything down to the potato chips are crafted on-site. Peering over the dessert-filled countertop, Sam points to a scrumptious stack of veggie burgers being hand-formed in the kitchen.
The neighborly ambiance was evident through each visitor’s interaction with Cohen, whose demeanor never strayed from friendly and approachable. Each exchange demonstrated the restaurant as a common spot for locals as they greeted the owners by their first names, only to hear the return: “The usual?”. Though dining-in was unpopular at the late afternoon hour, handfuls of visitors popped in and out to take their usual eats on the road — to which Sam even offered to bring the food to their cars when ready.
The sociable nature of the Matchbox owners has led many celebrities to be lifelong supporters of the pair’s endeavors. After listing various names of these well-known lovers of the Matchbox Cafe, Sam brought me to what he considers the coolest part of the cafe: its custom sign made by famous artist, Tony Palladino. An esteemed American illustrator, whose work landed him a spot in the Art Directors Hall of Fame, Palladino’s signature style is seen in his design for the Matchbox Cafe, which was gifted to the owners. Palladino was one of many famous names to have been customers and friends of the Cohen’s since their work in NYC.
“That’s what we try to do here, give really good service and really good, fresh food.”
