Thousands of visitors have sat down at the counter or at a table of the famed Phoenicia Diner in New York over the years, digging into generous plates of homestyle food among the picturesque setting of the Catskills. While patrons can’t take home the scenic views, the packaged mixes with the diner’s name emblazoned on them enable consumers to enjoy a bit of the Phonicia Diner in the comfort of their homes.

To learn more, we connected with Phonecia Diner owner Mike Cioffi.

Jenni Spinner: Could you please tell us about the Phoenicia Diner—how it got started, moved to the Catskills, and built a loyal following over the years?

Mike Cioffi: The diner was operating in Long Island from 1962 to 1981, when it was transported to its current location to the Catskills in Phoenicia, NY. Pre-diner purchase, I had been passing the previous iteration of the diner for about 20 years on our way to and from a small cabin in the woods my wife and I owned. We had been escaping the city on weekends when we could get away for our jobs. I owned a theatrical scenery manufacturing company I had started in Brooklyn back in the mid-80s. I sold that company and was looking for a new career. My family and I stopped into the diner for breakfast and struck up a conversation with the then-owner, and sure enough, he was ready to sell, and I was ready to challenge myself with a new and different direction. 

Our following and brand awareness have increased year over year because of our laser-like focus on authenticity. Not just to the food/diner concept, but to the Catskills. We are rooted here, and we make sure it shows through in everything we do, serve, and reflect.

JS: You launched the first pancake mixes a few years ago—please tell us why you decided to launch a packaged product after running a successful diner for so long.

MC: We determined it was the next step in expanding our brand past its brick-and-mortar location. While people continue to enjoy the full-service dining experience at our diner, we wanted them to be able to have a small “taste” of what they enjoyed in the Catskills from home. 

Courtesy of the Phoenicia Diner

JS: How did you decide upon pancake mix?

MC: It was clearly one of the most popular items on the menu, and we saw it being shared at many tables. We knew it would be the first product we brought to market.

JS: How did you work to get a mix that met your quality standards (you’d mentioned the owner felt strongly about that), and who (if anyone) helped you along the way?

MC: To get us started on this path, Shama Davis, our key team member, signed up and attended a food product development workshop at Cornell University. This class entailed working through product development, workshopping recipes, and marketing plans for the product. As a fun exercise, we also had our pancake line cook literally walk us through all the steps he takes in making the dry and wet mixes, tasting and comparing different versions for the best “loft” height or buttery taste. Shama then identified a co-packer who could duplicate the flavor and mouthfeel we required to match what our line cook created each day. This was the fun AND stressful part of the process. We wanted to get it right, and we did!

JS: Then, last year, you expanded the mix line with some new flavors—please tell us about those.

MC: We chose to make a more nutritionally focused buckwheat version along with a vegan flavor. Both went through the same process; we made and tested ones made at the diner against the versions the co-packer made from our recipes. We tweaked here and there, but we feel we nailed the taste for these as well. 

JS: Now, you’ve refreshed the packaging—can you tell us why you felt the bags needed a makeover, and what’s improved on the new packs?

MC: We just tweaked the labeling to pop a bit more. We went for a catchy foil effect to bring out the DINER lettering as well as boosting up the word CATSKILLS. We felt that would resonate with folks who may not know Phoenicia. 

JS: What’s next for the diner—do you have any other products planned, more flavors in this line, etc.?

MC: We're exploring other popular items on the diner menu to add to our CPG line and planning to release more seasonal pancake flavors. 

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