Clutch & Throttle is definitely not your average motorcycle shop, or even a brakes and engine shop at all, but rather a cookie, coffee, tea and milkshake paradise.
Get stuff to go or maybe come set a spell in the cozy fire room with a hot beverage and some confections.
Stephanie and Todd Grubbs and canine pals have entrepreneurially settled in the mountains, creating Clutch & Throttle Cookies on Main Street in Windham. “We use only the best ingredients. We aren’t the cheapest guy in town but we are the best,” the owners say.
To drink or not to drink is the question, swallowing or saving the artistic beverage.
By Michael Ryan
WINDHAM - So what’s with the name, you might ask, wondering what the proprietors were thinking when they came up with Clutch & Throttle to describe their new cookie and coffee shop in downtown Windham.
It’s a long story for Stephanie and Todd Grubbs who are set to open on January 18 inside warm and cozy 5383 Main Street, next door to, and tucked beneath the steeple of, the venerable Centre Church.
To begin to tell it…but wait. First things first. Their colorful website weaves a tasty tale of what they will be offering, starting and possibly ending as well with…what are those little roundish munchies called?
“Cookies to crave,” the website states, perhaps accompanied by, “coffee to fuel, milkshakes to savor,” unashamedly saying their sweet mom-and-pop is where “indulgence meets community in every bite and sip.
“Our gourmet cookies? Baked fresh daily, using only the finest ingredients,
because you deserve treats that are both indulgent and comforting.
“We have partnered with a family-owned, multi-generational, cookie company to bring you delicious cookies made from scratch and baked to a fragrant, whisper-light perfection using unique cookie recipes.
“We will have our house regulars, weekly specials, and seasonal cookies,” the website states, such as chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodle.
“Pair them with our specialty teas and locally roasted coffees, sourced from fair-trade, sustainable farms across Asia.
Drip coffee is the Clutch & Throttle, “signature blend, brewed fresh throughout the day,” the website states.
“Smooth, rich and crafted from locally roasted, fair-trade beans for a comforting and flavorful cup. Perfect for any time of day.”
Choices include Espresso, Americano (double or triple shot of Espresso combined with hot water for a smooth, robust cup), Macchiato, Cortado,
Latte and Mocha.
Let’s not forget the specialty teas from Spirit Tea, for example, “Matcha Latte, a creamy blend of ceremonial-grade matcha and steamed milk.”
Maybe suiting your fancy means a milkshake, “crafted fresh onsite, each milkshake is blended with premium, high-quality ingredients for a rich, velvety texture and unforgettable flavor,” the website states.
The Plane Jane is anything but, “a timeless classic with a playful twist! Our creamy vanilla milkshake is made with premium ice cream for a luxuriously smooth texture, topped with a swirl of fluffy whipped cream and a cheerful sprinkle of rainbow magic.
Chocolate shakes are, “decadently smooth and irresistibly rich, crafted with creamy ice cream and premium chocolate. Pure chocolate bliss in a glass.”
Or there are the Cookie Monster, the Oreo Overload - how could there be such a thing? - and Bananas Foster, ripe bananas laced with caramel.
On the horizon, “you can expect a tempting variety of freshly baked pastries and lite bites, from flaky croissants to hearty breakfast sandwiches,” the website states.
Okay, so getting back to this whole Clutch & Throttle name thing, to begin, Stephanie and Todd met in Virginia where they both grew up although in different parts, serendipitously crossing paths in Virginia Beach.
Or was it up here in the mountains when they were doing the Warrior Dash, a madcap 5K mud run? But wait, they were already together by then and maybe not knowing it but falling in love with their future home.
Hard to keep track of everything with Todd owning a couple of hair salons, doing very well in them, and Stephanie getting a degree in financing, exhibiting a natural knack for numbers and marketing.
“It’s a funny story how we got together,” Stephanie says, him being her hairdresser and her needing a date for an important financial function.
She asked him and it was supposed to be just a onetime deal but then he asked her to go with him on a trip to New York City and, well, you know how those things can go.
Betwixt and between, there are two daughters and - who can believe it? - Stephanie and Todd are grandparents and somehow, with her starting a pop up clothing store and teaching yoga, and him selling the salons, working for Chip City cookies and hoping to break into filmmaking…
Voila`. They built a timber frame house in Prattsville, see the “For Rent” sign in the window of what had been a real estate office in the heart of Windham and poof, they transform it into Clutch & Throttle.
“We called [local realtor] Carol Shaw, went inside and saw a vision,” says Stephanie. “We’re the type who have no fear, plus we work hard, so we said, ‘let’s do it’ and here we are.” End of story.
But, umm, what’s all that got to do with the motor parts theme? “Clutch is modeled after our rescue pit bull,” Stephanie says, a pooch that never grows tired of pets (which is probably why they are called that).
The Throttle part is in honor of departed pug Mondo, but “calling it Clutch and Mondo didn’t work,” Stephanie says. And there you have it.
Clutch & Throttle hours are Thursday thru Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (10 p.m. on Friday & Saturday). Special key chains are available to local residents offering 15 percent off.
Clients may order to go or stop and set a spell. “We want to be a space where the community can feel comfortable,” the owners say.
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