An introduction to Charlie’s Crepes in Merchantville, NJ
One of the first things Charles of Charlie’s Crepes said to me – “If you’re using good quality local ingredients, you feel good.” This quote resonates with me because I try to make my recipes and my food choices by the motto – If you eat more good, you do more good.
I stopped by the Charlie’s Crepes storefront in Merchantville, NJ and the traveling stand at the Collingswood Farmers Market to learn more.
Crepes are a thin pancake, with your choice of filling. With the ability to use any combination of fillings, crepes can be sweet or savory. According to Charlie, “A crepe is whatever you want to put inside it.”
That’s where Charlie’s Crepes becomes more. Each recipe is crafted using local, seasonal, and incredibly fresh ingredients. Starting as a vendor at the Collingswood Farmers Market in 2015, Charlie has been able to build relationships with the market vendors and get access to all kinds of local produce.
It starts with the market. We have our standards on the menu, but other than that we use what we find seasonally at the market.
Some incredible combos of flavors, and where the ingredients are sourced from:
- Sherry Shallot Portobello Mushroom crepe with asiago cheese and garlic lime crema (mushrooms from Davidson Farms) – pictured below
- Garlic Scape Pesto Chicken (scapes from Savoie Farms)
- Roasted Ratatouille with whipped ricotta and goat cheese (squash from Viereck Farms)
- Cherry bruschetta compote with whipped ricotta and goat cheese (cherries from Fruitwood Farms)
- Cherry & Berry Pie with vanilla bean custard, butterscotch cookies, and whipped cream (cherries from Fruitwood Farms, plus raspberries and blueberries from Mood’s Farm)
The best part – all of these combinations are from within the last two weeks! There’s no limit to the number of combinations Charlie’s Crepes will come up with. Other recipes have included other great market finds: Hillacres Pride bacon, Buck Wild Bison, and Schober Farms peaches. According to Charlie, he and his wife “have a lot of fun using our imagination coming up with new dishes.”
Charlie got started making crepes after his honeymoon in France. During part of their trip, they stayed in a house outside of Normandy with a couple from the Netherlands, who taught him their grandmother’s crepe recipe. That recipe has been tweaked to become the tasty crepes he makes today.
You can find Charlie’s Crepes at the brick-and-mortar in Merchantville (they’re BYOB!) and with the crepe cart at the Collingswood Market on Saturday mornings.
At the crepe shop, you can get crepes to eat-in or to-go, plus enjoy local Boylan sodas, board games, an outdoor patio, and even live music.
Learn more: https://www.charliescrepes.com
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