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How did your career as a pastry chef begin?
My love for pastry and cooking started at a young age- my parents were always cooking and baking to some degree. I loved being in the kitchen with them, but, most importantly, I loved to eat. My mom used to take me to this little tea shop where we could get warm scones, clotted cream, and banana bread sandwiches. My first job was washing dishes there.
Tell us about your BK-based bakery, Radio Bakery! What has the journey been like from opening to being one of the city's most celebrated bakeries?
It was and still is a LOT. I'm very grateful - we never expected to be as busy as we were from the start. On our first day, we opened with a staff of about 10 people. Fast forward to today and we have a staff of just under 70 people at both locations. The hardest part is learning to teach, train, delegate, and trust... aspects of the job that I am still working on.
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What’s your favorite part about the New York small business community?
That it's so small! It has never felt "cliquey"- if anything, I feel so supported by the other small businesses/ bakeries. I talk a lot with other bakery owners- see what is working well for them, what isn't, and just commiserate.
We love that you utilize Radio as a space to mentor and collaborate with ambitioning rising pastry chefs! What inspired this initiative in the bakery?
Radio wouldn't be radio without other chef friends allowing us into their space to collaborate. Before we even opened our store front, we did pop ups at restaurants and bakeries to help get the word out- Mel the Baker, Bonnie's, Claud to name a few. We wanted to keep the momentum going and also give back in a way to other bakers/ close friends that may need a jumping off point.
Do you have a favorite pastry on the menu right now?
Our chocolate chunk cookie is my favorite pastry, hands down. I could (and sometimes do) eat one every day.
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