---

Before downtown Cookman Avenue’s newest restaurant, Talula’s, officially opens on election day, anyone in the area who’d like to satisfy their curiosity and try a slice or two from a short list of their menu offerings can tomorrow.

The restaurant will offer slices, a selection of six beers and two wines on tap, and a special cocktail of the night from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. Partners Steve Mignogna and Shanti Church [shown above, from left to right] will then host invite-only friends and family events before they grand open for their first dinner service at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Talula’s is a sustainable bakery, restaurant, and bar where people are encouraged to come together to enjoy fresh, sustainable food selections made from locally-sourced ingredients.

The restaurant offers artisanal sourdough breads and pizza and features a full bar.

Church, 29, and Mignogna, 31, met on Halloween five years ago, so opening their pizza bakery and bar at the same time seemed a fitting idea to set off on another great start — the two are engaged to be married in April.

Interior decor is “homey and comfortable,” said Mignogna. The palette consists of soft grays and natural wood finishes. A set of white oak communal tables have a place of prominence in the middle of the dining room and set the tone as a place for people in the community to gather and please their palates with dishes made from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.

A Woodstone gas-fired oven can be seen through the service window and features a stone hearth and a vaulted ceiling. Church, a former business and marketing rep turned pastry chef, refers to it as the “lifeblood” of Talula’s.

Both Church and Mignogna come from mixed backgrounds. Mignogna holds a degree in mechanical engineering from UPENN and has worked as an professor of architecture and as a consultant on sustainable buildings. A passion for the culinary arts led him to delve into the profession full-time.

“Because this is a second career for both of us, we sort of just wanted to jump into it,” said Church.

If the oven is the “lifeblood” of Talula’s, a focus on sustainability and community are its heartbeat.

After searching high and low for a place where they could set up a business, immerse themselves in the community and start a family that led them to cities like Detroit, Nashville and Louisville, a family friend suggested they take a look at Asbury Park.

Mignogna looked at the space first and came back with a positive report, so Church ventured to the area to check it out. After three trips, they were sold on the idea of building a business in Asbury Park and moved to a place in Ocean Grove.

“We just got here and kind of hit the ground running. We met people very quickly and have awesome friends here now,” Church said. “It felt like home immediately.”

They tapped local farmers and have sourced ingredients from Rumson’s Seven Arrows East, Shangri La Farm in Howell, Hudson Valley area coffee roasters Irving Farm, and Freehold-based raw honey manufacturers From the Garden.

Artisan sourdough pies include the “Saltie” topped with mozzarella, feta, pickled vegetables, egg, pimentone and a salsa verde — which gets its name from the Brooklyn-based bakery Church worked and learned in — “Rocket,” topped with fresh arugula and sprinkled with lemon and parmesan; and “Beekeepers Lament” which features their homemade four-hour tomato sauce, Calabrian sopresatta and chilies, and honey.

Food delivery via bicycle and car will be available, and owners are looking into the possibility of alcoholic beverage delivery in the future.

Prices range from $10 – $20 brunch selections, lunch selections from $7 – $14, and dinner priced between $15-$25. Beverages, which include a red and a white wine selection on tap, run between $6 and $12.

Regular hours of operation are as follows: Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon. – Fri; Dinner: 5 to 11 p.m. Mon. – Sat. and 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays; Brunch service is from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. on weekends; a late-night menu runs 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Talula’s is located at 550 Cookman Ave. in suite 108.

Find them on the web at www.talulaspizza.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/talulasap, and on twitter and instagram @talulasDTAP.

————————————————————

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram.

---