Milkman Delivers

It is hard not to notice the homey feeling when entering the 's Charlotte Street storefront. Behind cozy square tables lies a kitchen that looks more like it belongs in a massive home than a restaurant. Photos of cakes chef Sam Rhame made and pieces by local artists line the walls.

"You just feel comfortable when you come in," Rhame said. "We've had people come in and say it's like walking into their grandmother's or an old friend's."

That friendly feeling may be one reason why Milkman -- incorporated in January, 2011 and in the storefront since the following April -- has seen solid business in the midst of an economic downturn. 

"January's been good so far for us," said Milkman owner Christopher Longeway. "We really grew quite a lot, strong through the fall and the winter months so far, which has been really nice. We weren't sure, this being our first year, what would happen. We were busy through November, through December for all the holiday orders."

After the holiday rush, however, Longeway wondered if business would drop off.

"But it's been really steady and we've been really fortunate," he said. "(We're) very pleased."

That success may have never happened had Longeway and Rhame stuck with their original plan, which was to open a beauty school. Rhame always wanted a little cafe, while Longeway longed for a business of his own.

"I looked into different possibilities," Longeway said.

"Since we both used to teach hairdressing, and I teach barbering as well, we're licensed cosmetologists and I originally looked at starting my own beauty school. But for that you need a whole lot of money," Longeway said, laughing. "So Sam's idea of having a cafe, and a little place like this, was something that was very doable for us."

Rhame brought decades of experience as a chef to the new venture.

"I had gone to Johnson & Wales," Rhame said. "I was a chef for about 30 years and left the business for 10 years. I just needed a break."

Once the Pottstown shop's model was decided, it was time for the name.

"Our name … came about in the early days of trying to think of a business," Longeway said. "Sam had thought of a cafe and I had thought of the box lunch business and where we could kind of combine those. The idea was, 'how do you put those two things together?' What I was looking for was kind of like a name that was nostalgic and really brought about a good memory - something that could have a great image, clean and crisp and that had great service values … and something that was really inviting."

Rendered as milkman caricatures in their logo, the duo hope to eventually have a delivery service complete with members dressed like their namesake.

"That's dreaming ahead," Rhame said.

Milkman offers build-your-own sandwiches and a variety of soups for customers to enjoy in store or to go. Various meat, cheese and bread options can be combined to create the customer's desired sandwich, as well as a host of vegetarian options.

"Things like grilled marinated asparagus and artichoke tapenade," Rhame said.

"We make our own humus," Longeway added. "Those are all great vegetarian toppings."

Milkman also offers a specialty sandwich at a unique price.

"We might do different things with the specialty sandwich," Longeway said. "Special breads -- like crusty Italian bread to make a great panini -- maybe different meats. This week, Chef Sam glazed up some cinnamon and brown sugar onions."

That combination will flavor a ham sandwich with Granny Smith apples and Swiss cheese, Rhame said.

Soups and sandwiches aside, the pastry selection takes center stage at Milkman.

"We are a specialty cake shop," Longeway said. "All of our cakes are done to order. We'll have a consultation with the person so we can design a cake for them and what they want. We do all kinds of different flavors, different sizes. Beautiful wedding cakes and fun party cakes and birthday cakes. Just really get creative. We really like to specialize and really create one of a kind cakes for these occasions. And we just got into things like cupcakes, which are huge right now. I always think there's room in the world for more cupcakes."

Lest taste be ignored for aesthetics, Longeway assures that "they're not just creative and fun, they also taste good."

Rhame makes the cakes by hand, painstakingly shaping intricate flowers and other designs over many hours. Aspiring young chefs can pick up a few tricks of the trade at birthday parties.

"We just started doing birthday parties for kids," Rhame said. After eating, the party goers take a class with the chef, who teaches them the basics of working with a pastry bag and various tips. "Each kid then gets four cupcakes to decorate."

The parties are just one way to expand the business. Longeway and Rhame look to cater box lunches by early spring. Longeway hopes the box lunches will offer "a good, healthy lunch that appeals to adults and to teens and kids as well."

Milkman puts pictures of their cakes and other delicacies on their Facebook page, and the proprietors encourage Pottstown residents to "come on down" and visit.

"The neighborhood kids come in daily," to watch the cakes being made, Rhame said.

Far from being just another pastry, every creation Milkman finishes is one more aspect of a fantasy becoming reality.

"We started small with a dream," Rhame said.