James Caruana owned Stranded Deli Café for 10 years before a vacant space became available across the street.
“I started baking sweet treats and pastries at Stranded Deli Café, which took off and was really well-liked by customers. When a space opened up across the road, I thought it would be great chance to expand the bakery to its own location,” James says.
Strandello café and bakehouse serves a variety of freshly baked breads and pastries including rolls, bagels, and gourmet sandwiches. Customers delight in its spinach and feta pastries and braided pecan pastries. Strandello is also known for its popular apple crumble tarts, and crowd favourite almond and pistachio croissants.
Strandello serves Paradox Coffee Roasters Penny Lane blend to complement its fresh bakery selection. Penny Lane blend features tasting notes of salted caramel, dark chocolate, and cinnamon. The café also has Paradox single origin coffees on rotation and a range of Paradox coffee beans available for retail purchase so that customers can also enjoy great coffee at home.
“Paradox Coffee Roasters Penny Lane blend is a great fit for our clientele. We tend to drink darker blends around here, so the flavour profile matches what our customers like,” James says.
James is eager to continue growing his two cafés over the coming years. Having lived in Croydon since he was six years old, the café owner says there’s nowhere else that feels quite like home.
“I love talking to people and getting to know the locals, hearing people’s stories and building friendships with the community. Now, I can do this on both sides of the street,” he says.
Strandello
13 The Strand, Croydon, New South Wales, 2131
Open Tuesday to Friday 6am — 2:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday 7am — 2:30pm
This article appears in the August 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
