Cafe Amici: Keeping it Local

At 3 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, it’s still busy in Café Amici. While its appeal is no secret to local diners, many of whom are residents of Franklin Lakes, Wyckoff and neighboring towns, it is clear that customer devotion goes beyond the obvious tangibles. 

“We’re a part of this community,” said Brent Cestone, co-owner along with 28-year veteran restaurateur George DeLuca of Café Amici in Wyckoff. Cestone added, “We know most of our customers on a first name basis and it’s very important to us to help our town and local businesses in any way we can.”  

 Having grown up in Wyckoff, Cestone’s commitment to maintaining strong economic and environmental responsibility at a local level resonates personally. Since opening its doors in 2002, Café Amici has presented its self-described Italian New-age American style cuisine while highlighting fresh ingredients. Keeping it local is fundamental at Amici, so if it isn’t made in-house, nearly everything from produce to pastries is supplied by a business in the Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes or Oakland area.

 Wyckoff’s Abma’s Farm is Amici’s choice supplier for fresh seasonal produce, vegetables and eggs. Integrated both daily as well as seasonally, Abma’s presence is obvious from its namesake Abma’s Salad, to the fresh baked frittata made with Abma’s Farm eggs. “There’s no question that using fresh locally grown produce makes an obvious difference in the taste and quality of our food,” stated Cestone. 

Committed to healthful and ethically sustainable food practices, Amici buys poultry from Murray’s All Natural Chickens. Murray’s raises 100 percent grain fed, non-hormone treated free-range birds, is certified humane for its ethical treatment and raising practices and guarantees their chickens are locally raised. Many of Amici’s most popular dishes, such as Herb Roasted Chicken marinated with fresh thyme, rosemary and garlic served with sautéed spinach and mashed potato, specifically highlight the quality of their chicken. 

Midland Park-based wholesale seafood supplier, John Sclafani of Off the Hook, has been providing Amici with fresh seafood daily, from grouper to wild king salmon, for the past six years. A fourth generation seafood purveyor, Sclafani provides only the best for Amici.

“It’s by far the highest quality seafood,” said Cestone. “We sell out of our seafood specials every nigh.”  Insisting on fresh wild fish, never farm raised, Amici presents creatively artisanal seafood specials such as Pan Seared Branzini with a white bean ragout over sautéed cherry tomatoes. 

Also known for its decadent desserts, local baker Sharyn Sherman of Simply Homemade Desserts located in nearby Glen Rock provides Amici with a variety of customer favorites, including red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing as well as a towering three layered coconut cake brimming with fresh shaved coconut.

Even the ambiance is laced with local flavor, as every table is adorned daily with fresh flower arrangements delivered from nearby Wyckoff Florist.  

Amici’s generosity, however, extends beyond economic and environmental responsibility. Regularly donating gift certificates to many area schools and churches for raffles and fundraisers, Amici also supports a variety of nearby non-profit organizations including RBAR (Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge) in Oakland and OASIS, a Paterson based non-profit organization helping women and children overcome domestic violence.

“Many of our customers have become close friends, even like family,” said Cestone. “We’re all a part of this community and we’re committed to keeping it strong.”   

Café Amici is located at 315 Franklin Ave, Wyckoff. Patrons can also visit www.cafeamiciwyckoff.com.