A 3rd Street staple, Rossy’s Bakery & Café, closes after 16 years

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Rossy's Bakery & Café at 242 E. Third St. has closed after 16 years in the neighborhood. 

As owner Roselia "Rossy" Caba told us last year, trying to stay affordable while covering costs was no longer sustainable. In addition, her mother, Norma Ortiz, who started the business, was retiring.

Caba's brother, Gabriel Escalante, was also part of the operation.

Ortiz began by baking cakes for family and friends from her Second Street apartment. As demand grew, the mother-daughter team opened a storefront a few blocks away between Avenue B and Avenue C in 2010. 

Over the years, Rossy's became a go-to for affordable, home-style Dominican and Spanish food — from BBQ ribs and baked chicken to rice-and-beans plates, along with empanadas, smoothies and coffee. 

Said Caba: "With the way things are, it makes no sense for us to continue… We can't keep trying to be affordable to the community and still make money anymore." 

We recently stopped by as the family was packing up the shop between Avenue B and Avenue C...

The business had been on the market as a turnkey opportunity, though no qualified buyer ultimately stepped forward. 

Rossy's drew a wide cross-section of the neighborhood — regulars grabbing coffee in the morning, workers stopping in for lunch, kids after school, and plenty of familiar faces who didn't need to look at the menu. It was the kind of place where orders were remembered and conversations picked up where they left off. 

A neighborhood spot in every sense.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A visit to Rossy's Bakery & Café on 3rd Street