Barista Marcelline Smith, Camila Pistone, and cook Natalie Paulidor. At the newly opened Mila Cafe on State Street, Camila Pistone often works ten-hour days to share her Argentinian roots with New Haven through coffee and freshly baked pastries.  The cafe opened in October at 524 State St., formerly home to Annie’s Kitchen. It has attracted members of the local Argentinian community with its dulce de leche-filled Mila Clouds and sweet, buttery Medialuna croissants. Martin and Marina Cohen, who have lived in Connecticut for ten years, said they found the cafe through a Facebook post and made the trip from New Britain to visit on Saturday. “We are Argentinians, so each time we see a restaurant, we come over and support it,” said Martin. Pistone, 31, worked in hospitality in Argentina for over ten years before moving to New Haven last year, opening the cafe just around a year later.  “I always loved baking as my way to show love,” said Pistone. “I just wanted to combine both of my passions, hospitality and bakery. And that’s how I ended up with a coffee shop.” Typically, Mila Cafe is only open on weekdays. Pistone said that so many people had asked about opening on Saturdays that she decided to give it a try on Halloween. For the occasion, the cafe debuted its Monster Cookie: a chewy, green pistachio cookie loaded with white chocolate chips and candy eyes. The Medialuna croissant at Mila Cafe is a family recipe from Pistone’s grandmother. Credit: Contributed photo Credit: Velvet Wu photo Customer Antonella, who works as a chemist in Mystic, said she and her partner also found the cafe through a Facebook group of Argentinians in Connecticut. Because of her work hours, it’s hard for her to come during the week.  “We’re very happy that they opened today so we could try the food,” she said. “We did stop by another time to buy some of the pastries before to take home, but this is the first time we’re sitting here to eat.” Pistone works with her barista, cook, and two employees in the kitchen to bring her vision for the shop to life. She spent a year developing the recipes for the cafe’s menu and wanted to ensure that each product was high quality before adding anything new. Her favorite menu item to bake is the Medialuna, a twist on a croissant that takes two days to make.  Like French croissants, Medialunas are golden, soft and buttery. But Medialunas also feature a distinctive crescent shape, with their ends curved inwards, and have a different balance of ingredients, which results in a sweeter and more tender pastry compared to a crispier French croissant. After baking, Medialunas are also brushed with a sweet syrup, giving them a glossy finish and additional sweetness. “It’s really cool that we make all the pastries on site,” said Marcelline Smith, the cafe’s barista. Smith enjoys seeing people get exposure to Argentinian culture through the cafe, and said Pistone had been teaching her some Spanish. “It almost feels like I’m working with friends, you know, I forget that she’s my boss sometimes,” Smith said, smiling.  Pistone said that business had been better than she expected it to be this early on. “This area is kind of coming to life again,” she said. Nevertheless, she said, the cafe has faced the challenge of opening during flu season, which has sometimes presented difficulties in staffing. Pistone is also still learning how to run the business. Most of the cafe’s customers are people who live and work around State Street, and Yale students who come to the cafe to work and study, according to Pistone. To get the word out about the cafe’s opening, Pistone advertised on Instagram and Facebook, and she conducted a poll on Reddit asking what New Haveners would want in a new cafe. Pistone said the cafe has also received a few large orders for events. In the future, Pistone hopes to continue adding seasonal menu items. “I love to have different products all the time,” Pistone said. But, she also plans to keep the menu small to guarantee the quality of each food item. “In terms of menu, it is what it is.” The post Argentinian Cafe Opens On State appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less