City Cuts Ribbon On Highland Pop

joined members of the in welcoming the city's new gourmet popcorn place at ribbon cutting on March 9.

"This is awesome,"  said of the chocolate-banana flavored popcorn he sampled in Highland Pop's storefront at 464 Central Avenue. Elrod is a friend and neighbor to Highland Pop owner Kim Cohen. He's also a fan of her popcorn. He walked off with a few bags of different flavors.

Cohen, a 20-year Highland Park resident, . The party planner and self-described PTO mom explained why she was so excited to start her new business in the city:

Her favorite part of party planning is that "last nosh" that is often a take-home party souvenir. Over the years, that nosh has often been a bag of homemade popcorn, made from the recipes that she is now using at Highland Pop. The store is making popcorn the traditional way, utilizing small kettle-cooked batches rather than bulk air-popped corn. Each batch takes around 20 minutes to produce, steaming the storefront windows as the flavor coating mixes with the popcorn. Cohen happily notes that she is keeping the store a nut-free zone to ensure the broadest appeal possible.

Brill may have gotten the scoop from the owner, but at last week's ribbon cutting, I got to speak with the owner's mother.

"It's wonderful," Norine Silvestri, Cohen's mother, said about her daughter's popcorn. Asked to pick a favorite from cheddar, caramel or some of the less traditional flavors she replied, "I think everything good."

See photos from the ribbon cutting above, or click to read Ed Brill's column on Highland Pop.

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