Light Switch, a day-to-night coffee shop and wine bar, opens today at 333 Court Street, in the former Brooklyn Strategist space in Carroll Gardens. It’s the first project from Henry Cummings, 32, a native of Park Slope, and Mark Thomas, 42, a former VP at Pret a Manger and a son of hoteliers originally from England. The pair met through a mutual friend and connected over a desire to open a restaurant that would serve the community day to night with an emphasis on sustainability.
The pair will serve Mille-Feuille pastries in the mornings with a full coffee program from local Red Hook roaster Abbotsford Coffee, and transition to lunch with a menu of baguettes stuffed with the likes of brie and hot pepper jam, ham and fontina with cornichons, butter, and dijonaisse, and soppressata with manchego, romesco and arugula, alongside a weekly changing vegetarian quiche with salad.
As day turns to dusk, the coffee shop transitions to a wine bar with craft beer, non alcoholic cocktails, and a spritz menu to go with a selection of charcuterie, cheeses, and small plates like whipped ricotta bruschetta with prosciutto, melon and mint, a vibrant fennel salad, a collection of dips like spiced eggplant and labne, romesco, and tahini topped with roasted tomatoes, served with miche and crudite, and a German-style fondue pot with prosciutto, cornichons and bread. Chips, olive, and nuts will be on hand to snack on with your spritzes.
The friends have leaned hard on their community to bring Light Switch to life. Henry’s pal from lower school, Harrison Anastasio, is their chef, his middle school friend Hannah Small, a somm at Rezdora, did the wine list (3 reds, 3 whites, rose and sparkling), his mom Julie Cummings, an urban gardener and landscaper, transformed the backyard into an oasis, and another buddy, Dylan Schultz, led the build out as their GC.
To staff the restaurant, they’ve partnered with Emma’s Torch, a local nonprofit that trains immigrants and asylum seekers to work in hospitality. Caroline Ward, another local neighbor, of Paper Garden Creative, led interior designer and is the one to thank for the chameleon-like transformation that will take place daily as daylight fades away into night. “We are not doing anything new,” Henry said. “Coffee shops are open late and serve wine, but what we are doing is creating a place where at night you don’t feel like you’re in a coffee shop, and during the day, you don’t feel like you’re in a wine bar. Our designer Caroline has been a huge part of making that happen.”
Cummings and Thomas are incredibly committed to sustainability, both in operations (there is a 33.3% discount for coffee is you bring your own mug; so your $5.50 flat white gets down to around $3.75 with the discount), and in building out their space.
“Everything that could be second hand has been second hand and has been given a second life,” said Cummings, who volunteers at the Red Hook Farms’ compost center. “That was a priority.” The bar room ceiling was fabricated using reclaimed cedar from old NYC water towers; the ceiling in the “Snug,” the Light Switch’s cozy back room, is constructed from Chevron pattern planks of the Coney Island boardwalk sourced from the Sawkill Lumber Yard in Bed-Stuy, the flooring was laid from antique oak from barns in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, and wood wall panels were salvaged from a former hospital and school.
As an ode to the Strategist, they’ll have board games in the snug as well. “They created an incredible business here with such a loyal following and it’s a privilege to uphold it best we can,” said Thomas.
“We wanted to create a place for the community that revolves around and was created by people in the neighborhood who have remained in the neighborhood,” said Cummings.
With a big backyard, the bar room and the snug, they’ve already been rented out for a few baby showers, anniversary parties, milestone birthdays. (To inquire, their email is info@lightswitchnyc.com.) “We want this to become a third space, your modern day local,” said Thomas. “A place to come during the day, hang out, work, have a coffee, and then come in the evening and bring friends and socialize,”
Light Switch opens today, Tuesday August 25th at 333 Court Street in Carroll Gardens. It is open starting at 7:30am, Monday-Friday, and at 8am on Saturday and Sundays. It will close at 10pm Sunday through Wednesday, at 11pm on Thursdays and stay open until midnight on Friday and Saturdays.
Such heart and community in this place! Inspiring!
This looks very appealing! I will check it out today.