Bakery — Blog — Not NYC Bites

Meet Tina Zaccardi: The Woman Behind The Italian Cookie

Do you follow Tina Ziccardi Bakes, aka @theItalianCookie? Her media pages are loaded with baked deliciousness that is not only drool worthy, but is downright eye-candy perfection! Following her grand win on “The Great American Baking Show” Season 4 (Hulu), Augustina Zaccardi (Tina) became a bit of a local celebrity right here in Westchester. Her huge fan base from her hometown of Eastchester rooted her on with each baking challenge, becoming more difficult as each week passed. We all watch in amazement as contestants fly through the challenges on each food competition, but meeting with Zaccardi and listening to her describe what it is really like to be on a cooking show was enlightening. She described the experience, which filmed in England, to be competitive yet jovial and the contenders to have more comradery than might be expected in a contest pitting bakers against each other in difficult timed elimination assignments. Although they were in a heated competition, they became somewhat of a family and are still in close contact with each other today.

Wildly Cakes & Flour Power: 3 Westchester Bakers Open Retail Shops Amidst a Pandemic

Take three bakers. Mix in a pandemic that has us craving carbs and sweets. Sprinkle in some dedicated followers. That’s the recipe for two new bakeries that recently opened in Westchester – Wildly Cakes in Dobbs Ferry and Flour Power in Pelham.

Restaurants, FeaturesAbbe WichmanFebruary 9, 2021Bakery, Custom Cakes, Dessert, Cake, Pastries, Pastry Chef, Openings, Dobbs Ferry, Pelham, HomepageComment

Bagel Pickup Service, Blithe Bagels, Set to Open for Business

Not many would open a business during a pandemic. Don’t tell that to Tina Selsky. For Selsky, it was the perfect time to launch her bagel pickup service, Blithe Bagels, based out of her home in Peekskill.

Selsky—a footwear designer by trade who spent seven years with Coach, who’s now at the upstart Thursday Boot Company—had always wanted to break into the food service industry with her husband, Matthew. The idea for a bagel-based business came about in the days and months leading up to the couple’s wedding. Selsky mentioned that she didn’t want to go on one of those “dreaded wedding diets.” To resist, she got creative and found different ways to eat what she wanted to eat. One of those was a bagel recipe (since tweaked, no doubt) that was half the carbs and half the calories of store brand bagels.

“We always talked about opening a small shop or a B&B,” she says. “I love bagels! We both do! And I ate these every day leading up to our wedding, so I wanted to share these with everyone locally.”

A beginning business model for Blithe Bagels came to fruition during the COVID-19 quarantine. Selsky simply had more time while working from home for over a month. “Even though I’ve been working from home full time, I finally had a little more time to commit, design a website, and put together all the logistics of how it would work,” she says.

Before Blithe Bagels officially launches on April 16, 2020, what should one expect at first bite?

FeaturesAndrew DominickApril 15, 2020Homepage, bagels, COVID-19, Peekskill, Westchester, Bakery Comment

Baked by Susan Opens New Retail Location in Croton-on-Hudson March 7th!

Evolve or dissolve is what they say and this family business has done just that – growing and growing and needing more and more space to accommodate their ever expanding line of bakery items. Constantly evolving, Baked by Susan (BbS) prides itself on making handmade old-fashioned baked goods fresh daily, and thanks to more square feet will now be expanding its savory line of goods. The new wide open space at 379 South Riverside in Croton-on-Hudson will be closer to the train station and therefore offering extended hours to accommodate hungry commuters. Join them for a soft opening this week, and a "party like" grand opening on March 7!

Mad Donuts Opens At The Westchester: Worth a Trip to the Mall

If donut heaven exists, it may very well look like MAD Donuts at The Westchester. The décor, outfitted in white (faux) flowers with splashes of color on the wall, photos of such heavenly deities as Anthony Bourdain and Jimi Hendrix, and the neon sign with its message “donuts and chill” – if this isn’t heaven it’s at least an instagrammer’s dream.

RestaurantsAbbe WichmanJanuary 2, 2020Donuts, Doughnuts, The Westchester, Openings, Dessert, Kid Friendly, Bakery, Homepage