Annick Elziere, a native of France, shows off her new Cafe Annick in Flemington - Photo by Ben Scheetz (Hunterdon County Democrat, NJ)THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2003
Hunterdon County Democrat - Business, page A8

FLEMINGTON - Cafe Annick, a cafe and deli cultivating a European ambiance, has opened in Paul Bunyan Village on Broad Street.

Cafe Annick's stealthy slip into the building formerly occupied by Stowe's Village Deli and Cafe seemed, to the outsider, effortless, which is indicative of what the cafe aims to be: a bastion of relaxation.

Owner Annick Elziere, who emigrated from her native France to the U.S. in 1974, had infused the cafe with some aspects of her heritage.

"It's a southern-France atmosphere," said Ms. Elziere, who lived in Frenchtown and Flemington for 10 years before moving to Lawrenceville in 1998. "A Cafe in France is the place where you go for a cup of coffee, dessert and some relaxation. I want to incorporate that into Cafe Annick."

John Stowe, who owned Stowe's Deli, helped Ms. Elziere make the transition and trained her and her employees.

Greg Abbate - Photo by Ben Scheetz (Hunterdon County Democrat)"We transformed the whole thing," said Ms. Elziere, looking around the room. In creating the menu, centered on deli sandwiches and soups but also including crepes, wraps, desserts, espressos and cappucinos, she decided to keep many of the same items from Stowe's.

"The menu is very similar," said Ms. Elziere, noting that the 35 sandwiches on the menu will still be made with fresh italian bread and Boar's Head meats.

The most notable change may be the two flat-screen computers, each equipped with a high-speed Internet connection, sitting in corners of cafe. When the computers aren't being used to surf the Internet, their monitors double as televisions. The cafe also offers a wireless Internet connection for patrons who bring laptops.

Cafe Annick is more a cafe with Internet access than an Internet Cafe. Ms. Elziere said people are just discovering the technological amenities.

News article from the Hunterdon County Democrat, NJ"The kids love it," she said. "When famiies come in, they take the tables closest to the computers, and the kids sit and play."

Though she has litte experience in the cafe business, her knowledge of computers and the Internet is well documented.

Ms. Elziere gained local notoriety in 1997 after a dispute with borough officials over her commercial Web site, Flemington-nj.com.

"I just wanted to help businesses and residents get to know each other better," she said.

Her site, which she runs at her own expense, is still up. It deals with the festivities and events of the borough and does not cover politics. She hopes that local businesses will provide her with more information so she can make the site as comprehensive as possible.

The cafe is open six days a week and is closed Sunday. It opens every day at 10:30 a.m., and will close at 4:30 Monday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays the cafe will be open until 10:30 p.m. and local artists and musicians will entertain patrons.

Ms. Elziere said she is seeking more musicians, poets, spoken word artists and other artists to perform.