Plaza House Coffee begins
Salvatore Russo Sr. starts the Staten Island coffee company that supplies the beans and experience behind Java & Gelato.
A Family Tradition
Poured Forward
Raised around coffee
Java & Gelato comes from a family coffee business built on sourcing, roasting, coffee equipment, and helping other cafes succeed.
Plaza House Coffee began in Staten Island in 1982. Java & Gelato carries that coffee knowledge into a cafe and mobile service made for the Jersey Shore.
Read the Plaza House storyA landscape trailer becomes a cafe
Sal Jr. converts an old trailer into Java & Gelato, taking espresso and gelato to weddings, birthdays, and company events.
The fleet hits the road
In August, Sal adds the Java & Gelato truck to the fleet and begins serving coffee in Old Bridge—taking the cafe story on the road.
The doors open in Asbury Park
After years on the road, Java & Gelato opens its first permanent cafe at 711 4th Avenue.
In the news
105.7 The Hawk · June 5, 2026Java and Gelato Is Opening in Asbury Park, NJ
Monmouth 365 · July 17, 2026Java & Gelato Grand Opening in Asbury Park
The Coaster · June 10, 2026Java & Gelato Opens Asbury Park’s Newest Coffee Shop
The Jersey Shore Girl · June 8, 2026Java + Gelato, the New York Coffee and Gelato Truck, Opens in Asbury Park