Photos and text by Stacie Joy
I dropped by Sunday's grand opening of Sweet Generation with my neighbor Ed and his son, baby Ed, for some cupcakes and treats, and to learn more about its "sweet" social mission.
[Baby Ed and Ed]
First of all, the bakery at 130 First Ave. near St. Mark's Place has more than just cupcakes, which is a relief, as I have been a bit cupcaked-out. There are cookies and brownies and banana breads ... and croissants, muffins and tarts, plus coffee drinks and lemonades.
Owner Amy Chasan, a former high school teacher, was kind enough to take a few minutes out of her busy and crowded-with-well-wishers day to tell me a bit more about the program at her bakery.
She introduced me to one of her interns, Elizabeth, and her piping artist, Rena (serious decorative skills here!), as well as her café manager and arts curator, Regina.
We viewed the youth artwork on a special magnetic wall, set up for rotating displays (currently titled "Selfies").
Amy explained that her mission (partnered with Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and the Lower Manhattan Arts Academy) is to help young people by instilling a work ethic and learning food-handling as well as baking and customer service skills. In addition, a portion of the shop's proceeds go to developing arts education, which Amy is passionate about.
I took home a blackberry kolaczki, made in honor of First Avenue Pierogi and Deli, the previous tenant here whose family, who owns the building, decided to retire last summer.
You can learn more about the new bakery at its Facebook page.
Previously.
7 comments:
"I took home a blackberry kolaczki, made in honor of First Avenue Pierogi and Deli, the previous tenant here whose family, who owns the building, decided to retire last summer."
LESSON:When old-school business owners choose to retire, but retain ownership of their building, cool things can happen: like new tenancy by a community-minded new business that honors what came before.
Lesson #2: When old-school business owners like DeRobertis sell out to developers, noting good will happen.
That being said its so nice to see a new bakery and not just cupcakes. How does that Cupcakes by Melissa chain keep expanding, their cupcakes are smaller than a gnats stomach?
Another example of an old-school owner: Lanza's Restaurant, a few doors south of De Robertis. The building is still owned by the Lanza family, though the restaurant is no longer operated by them. The family stipulated in the lease that the restaurant's interior must remain the same. Another kind of #restoprez.
Stopped in here today and got a few things to try. Am thrilled to report that all of it was very good. Really looking forward to trying more. So glad to have a new 1st Ave. bakery!
Sounds great. But "interns" ...really?
any vegan ice cream?
Hi--I LOVE this place. I love their mission as well as their baked goods. I am particularly impressed by their internship program, which trains at-risk youth for brief, supervised periods, as part of a larger, impressive-sounding training program to help them become employable. Smart, socially aware and engaged, this bakery makes me feel hopeful about the next generation. There IS a sweetness to it! (I know, I'm definitely 'plugging' it, but I've never, in over four decades of living in this neighborhood, felt so happy about a new business coming in.)
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