First Bit of Press

Posted on September 21, 2025

I was recently featured on Greater Long Island.

I’m happy to get some press, and I’ve already had some customers come my way from that exposure. But my recovering-academic-self can’t help but want to add footnotes, caveats, clarifications, and corrections. As a human interest piece, I’m totally okay with the author needing to massage quotes to tell the story. And as I wasn’t the author, I’m totally okay with him choosing his particular angle, even if it’s not what I would have chosen.

I spoke with Andrew Rappaport for about half an hour over the phone, and I answered questions about my venture. He was particularly interested in telling a story about someone leaving what seems like a safe option to go their own way. I think he basically told that story, in a stream-lined way that misses the nuance my brain craves. I think he also framed my relationship with my previous job in a more adverserial way than I would have. For example, I don’t recall using the phrase “office politics” and I think he chose that phrase instead of “bureaucracy” (or whatever similar, possibly clunky phrasing I might have used). The truth is, the lack of office politics has been one of my favorite parts of working at Farmingdale. I am glad I started my own thing instead of getting a job in industry and risking office politics somewhere other that Farmingdale.

That said, for 350 words, he told the basic story he was looking for. I wish he had gone more for “local man builds love letter to Montauk Highway in the form of coffee trailer” or “former professor takes big bet on himself”. But I’ll take the free press and leave my footnotes here:

• That former student who was my first customer is Rob Cutrone, owner of COHO Coffee House in Patchogue. He saw me at Restaurant Depot at 6am the morning of my first service. I appreciate his encouragement so much!
• I still teach at Farmingdale (part-time) and need to remember to invite Rob to talk to my classes this semester!
• I haven’t had any negative experiences with office politics at Farmingdale. I have had negative experiences with student engagement (as has every professor who has taught at any American University in the last 5 years).
• I don’t think anyone has been particularly pissed off that I’ve assigned homework, but I do have complicated thoughts on how the current system of higher-education creates an adversarial and counter-productive relationship between students and professors. Stop by the trailer on a Thursday or Friday morning and I’d be happy to talk your ear off about it.
• Apparently Lubbock has a pretty good coffee scene. I bought my roaster before moving their because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get coffee and didn’t want to take any chances.
• I’m 37 (almost 38).
• It wasn’t last May that I decided to make a change. The ball started rolling in April of 2023 when I incorporated, but the decision to make some sort of change goes back before then and was accelerated during COVID.
• I love working in Bayport, especially at my favorite nursery on my favorite stretch of Montauk Highway–the only road on Long Island that I really like. The community has been incredible. Being able to work so close to my home in Patchogue is a huge motivation in stepping away from my teaching career.

There’s so much to talk about here, but the world doesn’t need (or want) me to make some gushy Substack about all my inspirations and semi-random thoughts on the future, so I’ll stop here. If you do want to was philosophical about autonomy and Dunbar’s Number and how AI and Big Tech is ruining everything, come on down to the trailer on a slow Thursday and I’ll happily talk your ear off!