By Shira Adler
Wednesday, June 21 was an exciting day for the Teaneck food scene with the grand opening of The Brickery, a new ice cream shop on West Englewood Avenue. With a dozen ice cream flavors to choose from, in addition to other desserts and drinks, The Brickery is the place to go for a sweet summer treat.
Founder Miriam Brickman said that after starting her own baking business from her home kitchen during COVID, she knew it was something she wanted to continue doing after college. “I’ve always been very into baking” she said, “and then especially during COVID when I had a lot of time at home,” making desserts became more than a hobby.
With the initial idea to open a food truck, Brickman decided that a more permanent location would likely be less complicated as a first endeavor, although she still loved the idea of having a serving window rather than a larger, sit-down shop. Surprisingly, she managed to find a unique location to offer her both. The Brickery storefront on West Englewood Avenue consists of serving windows that open onto the sidewalk with a kitchen inside, “a perfect mix that’s a physical building but still with that serving window style,” Brickman happily said.
As a lifelong baker, Brickman said that making ice cream is newer, but something she greatly enjoys. Testing flavors has become a beloved activity with her friends. The entrepreneur chose to focus more on ice cream and frozen desserts because she knew that she would first be opening in the summer months, and nothing compares to the feeling of a cool treat on a hot summer day.
The store’s offerings include nine ice cream flavors and three flavors of sorbet, milkshakes and smoothies, plus a few baked goods. “I want to have half-baked cookies with ice cream on top, and ‘croffles,’ croissant waffles,” Brickman said, adding she hopes to venture more into waffles as a menu item down the line. In addition to the classic ice cream flavors, The Brickery offers unique options like pumpkin, apple pie and strawberry cheesecake. Sorbet flavors include strawberry, watermelon and pineapple, each a delicious parve option.
“I wanted to have a menu that was not only diverse in terms of food, but also for different allergies, and that can match people at different price points,” Brickman said. With a menu that extends beyond just ice cream, The Brickery offers a unique spot with something for everyone.
Despite having nuts, gluten and dairy in the shop, Brickman said, there is no cross contamination among items, and any allergen-free option is guaranteed to remain that way. With a blender designated for nut-free milkshakes, as well as a separate one that is dairy-free, Brickman very carefully avoids any cross contamination. The ice cream machine is also thoroughly cleaned between each flavor, and no scoopers are to be used in multiple flavors, Brickman added, speaking to her commitment to maintaining a safe shop for all customers.
“A simple thing like going out for ice cream after a sports game, after a graduation, for a birthday, it just brings people so much joy,” Brickman concluded. “Being able to be a part of that joy through food is a one of a kind experience.”
Shira Adler is a Jewish Link summer intern, and a rising junior at Stern College. She lives in Teaneck.
