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A South Orange eatery is aiming to bring that feeling of nostalgia back.
Anne Mandell, of Maplewood, recently opened Cereal Dreams at the Co-Lab at 57 South Orange Ave. Cereal Dreams features 25 different cereals, with Mandell serving as the cerealtender, mixing different cereals to whatever anyone's heart desires, even for the weirdos who don't like milk in their cereal. Cereal Dreams also serves up cereal treats.
Mandell said she had the idea for 20 years but was working in advertising. She initially was making the cereal treats at home and selling them at street fairs and farmers markets and discovered people were passionate about cereal.
"It's fun to talk about," Mandell said. "It makes people happy. People are very animated about their experiences with it."
Having done campaigns for pharmaceutical companies, Mandell was excited to do something that brings people joy. Growing up in Massachusetts, Mandell lived with parents who allowed her to have sugary cereals (though even they drew the line at Lucky Charms), making her the envy of her friends stuck eating shredded wheat.
"My friends would come and get the good stuff," Mandell, who loved Apple Jacks and Cookie Crisp growing up. "Eating cereal, it brings back memories, That feeling of comfort when you were sleeping over at your friend's place and waking up to watch cartoons. It's a happier time."
Mandell said kids get the most excited, but dads also light up when they see the cereal options, while moms act as more of a gatekeeper.
The most popular cereals at Cereal Dreams are Fruity Pebbles, French Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms (sorry Mandell's parents) and Froot Loops. She said she has seen some crazy cereal combinations. Popular combinations include peanut butter and jelly- strawberry frosted flakes and Reese's cereal. A combination of Fruity Pebbles, Froot Loops and Trix is also popular.
One customer wanted 15 different cereals, Mandell noted.
"I want people to feel happy," Mandell said. "I want that excitement that you get in a candy store. I want this to be a joyful experience for people."
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