Tranquility Store offers excellent food and cake creations

BY LAURIE GORDON
GREEN — One of Chris Bilik's favorite stories about The Tranquility Store is when one couple entered from the left and another from the right and while in the store, realized they'd been neighbors for six years yet never met. “That's what this store is all about,” he said, “Community and bringing people together.” Many don't know this Susex County treasure exists and features not just excellent food but also specialty cakes and confections that are out of this world.

Owned by the Bilik family, you won't find cigarettes or lottery tickets inside this red store that sits on a corner at 97 Kennedy Road. What you will find is milk in glass bottles from a local dairy, local brown eggs, local produce and some amazing homemade cakes and baked goods. “This is what we want the store to be,” Bilik said, “A place that uses locally produced products and offers high quality food.”

Though it's changed owners throughout the years, the store has been around since 1844 and used to be a post office. In fact, being a post office after men first landed on the moon made it quite a tourist attraction, Bilik said. “People would come from all over so they could get the Tranquility post mark.”

The family-owned business which the Biliks purchased in 2010. “The store had been vacant for a while, so we did a lot of renovations,” Chris Bilik said. Operated by Bilik, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University and his wife, Heidi Silbernagel Bilik, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, the store features scrumptious sandwiches, baked goods, soups and quiche, all made on premises from the freshest ingredients. The menu offers traditional items such as the Jersey classic Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwich, Italian subs, BLT, and creative weekly specials.

Heidi's special occasion cakes and sweets can be ordered with just a couple of days notice. One of the most popular items is a Heaven & Hell Cake, made of Angel Food and Devil's Food Cake layered with Chocolate Mousse and covered with Buttercream, then Ganache. “She can make just about anything as long as you give her a little notice,” Bilik said. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming, the store has a whole list of options for pies, cakes, cheesecakes (even cheesecake lollipops) or you can create your own.

The Bilik children are often seen helping with cookie-baking or sweeping, and both are more than willing to share their opinions about favorite bakery items. They are usually available to join customers who are enjoying ice cream cones at the counter too.

Chris Bilik stresses, “This is not a deli.” Rather, he refers to it as a community gathering place where people can stop by, enjoy great food and... there are no cigarettes. “I remember bumming my first pack of cigarettes and I don't want to be part of that story for other kids. You can't get cigarettes or lottery tickets here.”

“The Tranquility Store offers the best that Green Township has to offer,” Bilik said. “We serve breakfast, lunch and our own baked goods all day long, specialize in delicious home-style food and friendly service in an old-fashioned general store setting. Our customers can purchase ice cream from Cliff's of Ledgewood, milk in old fashioned glass bottles, local eggs, our own jam, jelly and pickles, grocery items, newspapers, fishing lures and seasonal produce from Tranquillity Farms.”

Parking is available in front of the store, parallel to the street. There are also a couple of spots for the public to park just after turning right onto Creek Road. The Tranquility Store where good, old fashioned family values and attention to detail create a great environment and tremendous food.