The Chroma Cafe & Bakery has been a city of Binghamton staple for over a decade and will continue to provide an assortment of food and drinks after its Nov. 15 reopening. Located at 97 Court St., it was first opened in 2012 by Heath and Nancy Hauptfleisch, and in 2019, the business was transferred to the new ownership of Gerilyn and Kim Cummings.

The cafe suspended operations following Christmas of last year and has now reopened under new management — Leighton Blackwood ‘21, also the founder of 2nd Heaven in the Marketplace.

In 2020, Blackwood opened a stand at the Broome County Farmer’s Market, which allowed him to grow and develop his skills further. He founded 2nd Heaven shortly after graduating from BU’s School of Management and said that since he was young, his goal has always been to run his own business. After coming to Binghamton, he added, he saw an opportunity to launch the bubble tea shop right on campus.

After three years of running 2nd Heaven, Blackwood said he hoped to continue growing his brand and business, and reopening Chroma Cafe gave him a chance to do so.

“I kind of wanted not only adaptation for a year-round service, but to also kind of mature the brand a little bit while expanding our footprint Downtown,” Blackwood said.

After speaking with the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, he was informed that the owners were looking for someone to take over the cafe, so he reached out. It took the majority of the past year to put everything together.

Blackwood is a member of the Incubator, which is run by the University’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships, providing resources and programs to aspiring business owners and startup companies. It has allowed him to benefit from tools, like the Small Business Development Center.

“Leighton embodies the entrepreneurial spirit we strive to cultivate at Koffman,” wrote Eric Krohn, director of Incubation Programming. “Watching him grow from launching 2nd Heaven to revitalizing Chroma has been incredibly rewarding. His determination, creativity, and adaptability have been key to his success. We’re proud to have supported his journey and are excited to see how he continues to impact the Binghamton community. This is just the beginning for Leighton, and I look forward to seeing where his passion and drive take him next.”

In his speech during the ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday, Blackwood thanked the Binghamton community for supporting him in his entrepreneurial journey.

“This new iteration of Chroma, I believe, really speaks to the testament of the quote ‘it takes a village,’” he said.

In addition to the items on 2nd Heaven’s menu, mainly boba tea and other drinks, Blackwood said Chroma Cafe will offer a broader selection. He plans to implement a revolving menu, so the same choices may not be offered each day. The cafe has a rotating array of lunch and breakfast sandwiches, like a bacon, egg and cheese, and some of their coffee options include an iced espresso latte and a drip brew, with different milk choices.

French toast, either original or lemon blackberry, offers customers a sweet treat to start their busy days. They can also indulge in several other types of toast, like avocado, sweet toast and peanut butter and jelly toast. The menu also introduces daily specials, like a smash burger being offered on Nov. 25. Some of their other options include chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, double chocolate chip cookies and a Basque cheesecake.

“Now we have a kitchen, now we have a little bakery,” Blackwood said. “Now we have bakers, you know, things like that. In this evolution of the brand, also came a lot of learning.”

Inside the bakery, patrons will discover orange-toned booths with lime green and blue cushioned chairs, inspiring a homey feel, perfect for a morning coffee or to catch up with old friends over one of their vanilla cruffins or red velvet Swiss rolls. Signs lining the brick wall spotlight bakery-themed sayings, reading “Have your cake and eat it too,” “Fresh baked” and “Made with love, always fresh bakery.” Behind the clear case at the front of the shop, there are packaged items like ramen — perfect for students looking for a quick meal — and chips. (7)

Students can enjoy a taste of Chroma on campus as well, with some of their offerings on display at 2nd Heaven.

“Stop by,” Blackwood said. “Order a birthday cake, order some lunch, order some drinks. We’ll also be offering some of our pastries that we do here. We’ll be on campus as well. We have a little bakery case in 2nd Heaven, so doing a little bit of cross promoting that way. And [I’m] really excited to show people what we got.”