Newburgh native Jennipher Looney is happy to finally have a kitchen to call home. Looney, a Navy veteran, Newburgh Free Academy graduate and local mother of three, recently opened the doors of The Shack Café, a brunch and lunch spot, in New Windsor.

Together with co-owner Mary Cheuvront of New Jersey, the dynamic duo decided to jump into a venture making a family-friendly café for all to enjoy.

After high school, Looney enlisted in the United States Navy and it was aboard the USS Nimitz that she went to culinary school and honed her skills as a culinary specialist cooking for nearly 5,000 fellow sailors a day. After returning from the Navy, Looney began working as a pastry and sous chef at a restaurant in Port Jervis until it closed. She eventually began a career in the medical field, but earlier this year after thirteen years, Looney decided she needed to follow her dream back to the kitchen.

For years, Looney did her cooking and baking at home even competing in a local radio station bake-off contest and local baking competitions. She often made it to the finals and placed in different categories while developing her skills and she appreciated the constructive criticism those events brought over the years.

“I believe everything happens for a reason in life. I always wanted to own something of my own- to be able to have a storefront and be able to say it’s mine. This is me finally doing what I want to do ‘when I grow up’. It sounds funny when you say it, but it’s the truth,” she joked.

With a wide range of delectable options, The Shack Café has something for every taste. The menu is diverse from traditional breakfast fares such as omelets and waffles to lunch specials like wraps and sandwiches. In addition, diners will notice several menu items pay homage to friends and family members with meals such as the Hunter Wrap, Bella Platter, MJ’s Classic Chicken and Waffles, The Glenn, and Noelle Mac and Grilled Cheese. Looney explained family and friends were a huge support when opening the business and the duo couldn’t have done it without their help. Looney also bakes sweet treats daily from cupcakes to cookies and pastries.

The Shack Café is open for breakfast and lunch only which allows the dynamic duo to focus on their family after their long work day of creating delicious meals and treats is over. “I want to be Mom. I have three wonderful kids and I want to be able to go home and be with them every night and be able to go to the playground or have dinner. Mary has her kids and her grandkids and she wants to be able to go home and be grandma and these hours make that happen,” explained Looney.

Looney’s eldest son is currently in high school and she shared the wise advice she recently gave him. “Right now he’s trying to decide what he wants to be when he grows up and I told him you have your whole life to be what you want to be when you grow up. It took me 37 years to finally be one hundred percent positive that this is what I want when I grow up,” she shared.

The Shack Café is located at 357 Old Forge Hill Road Suite 100 in New Windsor and is open for breakfast and lunch daily from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. except Tuesday (closed).