Old World Food Market's new store in Orangeburg has a rowboat parked by the fish counter and hand-crafted wrought iron chandeliers from Turkey. People who shop at the Nyack original will recognize the style right away. The store soft-opened on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 1A Orangetown Shopping Center. It fits a pattern you can see across most of this season's openings in Pearl River, Orangeburg, Tappan, and Sparkill.
Look at who is behind the new places, and the same names keep coming up. There's a pizza maker from Pearl River, a Piermont restaurateur, a Nyack grocer, a man who managed one Orangeburg restaurant for 21 years, and a chef who grew up in Rockland. Orangetown's fall food news is mostly about local operators trying their next idea, a few doors or a few miles from their last one.
A second store, built around a kitchen
Owner Andrew Poma told The Journal News he opened the Orangeburg market because people kept stopping by or calling the Nyack store every day to ask when the new one would open. The new store took over the former Orange Farm Market and is about half the size of the Nyack flagship.
The cheese case shows the difference in size. Orangeburg carries about 250 cheeses, and Nyack carries about 350. What Orangeburg didn't cut is the kitchen. The new store has its own full kitchen, so the prepared foods the market is known for are made on site. For anyone who lives south of Route 59 and has been driving to Nyack for take-home dinners, that's the change that matters most.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. When the store soft-opened, Poma said the grand opening would come soon, once the small details were finished.
Familiar rooms with new people in charge
Three of this fall's changes happened in buildings that already had a following. In each case, the new operator kept a lot of what came before.
BK Italian Kitchen, Orangeburg. This was Cassie's, at 203 Route 303. David Ernst managed Cassie's for 21 years and took it over in May. He renovated inside and out, added a few seats at the bar, brought in a new chef, and upgraded the ingredients. According to lohud's fall dining roundup, the coal-oven pizzas are still the main draw. The menu also includes Grandma's spaghetti and meatballs and the chicken Mama Mia, a parmesan-crusted chicken with breaded eggplant and vodka sauce over gnocchi. There's a separate gluten-free menu with sandwiches, salads, pastas, and entrées.
Roost, Sparkill. Chef Kevin Reilly and Maria Santini opened Roost in Sparkill in 2013 and moved to the larger space at 2 Union St. in 2015. Ken Helman and Tommy Greco took over in late August. The staff and menu stayed the same, with some upgrades to the meats and fish. The second floor now has live music and an artist-in-residence with exhibits.
Lugo Steakhouse, Tappan. Benny Castro, who owns Basque Tapas Bar in Piermont and Tarrytown, is opening Lugo at 89 Main St. in the former Il Portico space. The restaurant has 130 seats and is named after Lugo, a Galician city in northwestern Spain. The menu will pair tapas with Certified Angus Beef cuts, two-pound lobsters, and a range of seafood and fish. As of today, Lugo hasn't opened. Boozy Burbs reported that it's aiming for a soft opening on October 9 and plans to stay in soft-opening mode through the rest of the month. No hours have been published yet, so check before you go.
Same cooks, new ideas
The two most personal openings this season are both in Pearl River. Each one is a cook's second project.
Eric Casey ran Pan & Peel Pizza at Gentle Giant Brewing for two years. His new place is Seconda Vita, a focacceria and bakery at 137 N. Middletown Road built around hand-mixed, naturally leavened sourdough focaccia. The name is Italian for "second life." Pan & Peel has stopped operating at the brewery, and Casey hopes to reopen it somewhere else eventually. Gentle Giant Brewing itself remains open, according to lohud's roundup. Seconda Vita has been in a soft opening since Sept. 10, serving hot and cold sandwiches, focaccia pizza, and soups. Its website also lists naturally leavened sourdough pizza, house-made mozzarella, meatballs with burrata, and mozzarella sticks.
A few blocks away, chef April "Apes" Camacho Keosky opened Ape in the Kitchen at 20 E. Central Ave. on Aug. 1. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has cooked in high-end New York City kitchens, at Yankee Stadium, and at Madison Square Garden. She told lohud the menu reflects growing up in Rockland as the daughter of Filipino immigrants. The Asian comfort-food side of the menu has an Adobo Rice Bowl, a Korean Short Rib Bowl, and Kare Kare Noodles. The American side has the Kong Smash Burger, a Longganisa Chopped Cheese, and a Pho-Inspired Brisket Dip. She runs the restaurant with her husband, Chris Keosky. They're open 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. lohud also ran a photo gallery of the dining room on Sept. 28.
Three newcomers still building a reputation
Not every new spot has a story you can trace back yet. Three opened this summer and fall without any published background on their owners or their spaces. That just means they're still new.
Taco Central opened at 89 East Central Ave. in Pearl River after announcing in July. It serves tacos, burritos, and other Mexican staples. The online menu features guacamole with chips, carne asada tacos, and pollo tacos. It keeps the longest hours of anything in this roundup: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. On Central Avenue, it also covers the nights Ape in the Kitchen is closed.
Ó Sapore 67 is an Italian vineria, salumeria, and trattoria at 67 Old Tappan Road in Tappan. Boozy Burbs reported it open by Aug. 17. Its hours have changed since then. The opening report said it was closed only on Tuesdays. The website now lists Wednesday and Thursday 2 to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 2 to 10 p.m., Sunday 3 to 8 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday. The site also recommends reservations.
Alma Kitchen & Bar, at 623 Main St. in Sparkill, was reported open on Oct. 1. Owner and mixologist Brenda Ortiz runs the bar, and chef Tatiana Bautista runs the kitchen. The menu is New American with global influences, including tuna wontons, Spanish octopus, pork dumplings, pastas, steaks, and homemade desserts. The cocktail list includes the Alma-Rita and La Ultima Palabra. With Alma a short walk from Roost's new owners, Sparkill has two restaurants starting new chapters at the same time.
Quick reference
| Spot | Hamlet | Address | Status as of Oct. 4, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old World Food Market | Orangeburg | 1A Orangetown Shopping Center | Soft-opened Sept. 23; grand opening TBD |
| BK Italian Kitchen | Orangeburg | 203 Route 303 | Open under new owner since May |
| Seconda Vita | Pearl River | 137 N. Middletown Road | Soft-open; grand opening Oct. 7 |
| Ape in the Kitchen | Pearl River | 20 E. Central Ave. | Open Tue–Sat, 4–9 p.m. |
| Taco Central | Pearl River | 89 E. Central Ave. | Open daily |
| Ó Sapore 67 | Tappan | 67 Old Tappan Road | Open Wed–Sun |
| Lugo Steakhouse | Tappan | 89 Main St. | Soft opening targeted for Oct. 9 |
| Roost | Sparkill | 2 Union St. | Open under new owners since late August |
| Alma Kitchen & Bar | Sparkill | 623 Main St. | Open as of Oct. 1 |
Dates to keep this month
- Oct. 7: Seconda Vita's grand opening in Pearl River.
- Oct. 9: Lugo Steakhouse's soft-opening target in Tappan, with the soft opening planned to run through October.
- Date to come: Old World Food Market's grand opening in Orangeburg.
Openings like these are part of how we follow southern Rockland week to week. If a new spot on Central Avenue or Main Street has you thinking about your own next move in Orangetown, whether that's selling, buying, or just getting a clear read on your home's value, Deal Navigation is glad to talk it through. Contact Us when you're ready for that conversation.
