Pastry’s New Era: Inside NYC’s Post-Pandemic Bakery Renaissance

The Limits of Restaurant Kitchens for Pastry Talent

Mahira Rivers, a food journalist and critic with a newsletter dedicated to New York City’s dessert scene, makes it her mission to visit new bakeries as soon as they open.

“All chefs are, at their core, creatives with a desire to share their creations with others. But pastry chefs are usually tucked away in a restaurant’s kitchen (or, more often, basement) and there is a limit to their upward movement within a restaurant, where an executive chef typically gets most of the credit,” says Rivers. “So, branching out on their own is a chance for a pastry chef to really shine. It’s also a chance for them to create freely, without the limitations of a restaurant concept to adhere to.”

Miro and Shilpa—currently an editor at Bon Appétit—were both laid off during the pandemic, which prompted them to consider their next move. In 2021, they wrote a business plan, began searching for a location, and eventually opened Hani’s without investors. Years spent working in restaurants helped prepare them for the process.

“When I joined Gramercy Tavern, I made it clear that I wanted to be part of every conversation and I wanted a seat in every room, to learn and to experience,” says Uskokovic. “I wanted to be in the financial meeting, in the forecast meeting, in the PR meeting—I wanted to learn everything. I wanted to know, who’s our waste company? How are we handling that, cleaning grease?”

When it came time to run their own shop, Miro and Shilpa approached each detail with intention and insight. They even infused the space with fine dining flair—modern lighting and fresh flower arrangements on the counter.

“When we first opened, I would go to Wegmans and get tulips. Then we realized, when we started doing these arrangements, that people started taking photos. And that’s a big draw at Gramercy Tavern, too.” Now, Shilpa does a new arrangement every Friday.

Dominique Ansel, formerly executive pastry chef at Daniel for six years, opened Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho in 2011—and most recently launched Papa D’Amour near Union Square. More than a decade later, he still draws on the fine dining values instilled at Daniel.

“Working at Daniel taught me a lot about the guest experience and service standards. You understand that every part of the meal—the ambiance, the service, the presentation—it all matters, even if you’re serving something as simple as a croissant,” says Ansel. “I think the minute you work in fine dining, you see guests and service differently for the rest of your life.”

How the Pandemic Sparked a Bakery Boom in NYC

New York City is in the midst of a bakery renaissance, with new shops opening from pastry chefs, bakers, and food entrepreneurs of all kinds. In the five years since the pandemic, the city has seen a boom in high-quality bakeries—dozens of them slinging fresh bread, ultra-flaky croissants, and wildly inventive creations that continue to push the category forward. The movement builds on momentum first sparked when Dominique Ansel unleashed the cronut on Manhattan (and the world) in 2013.

When the pandemic shuttered New York City restaurants in March 2020, pastry chefs were often the first to be let go—viewed as expendable in kitchens where desserts could be simplified or swapped for a scoop of ice cream. Some pivoted to new careers, while others joined the wave of home-based baking projects that took off across the city. Even after restaurants reopened, many pastry chefs weren’t rehired, giving them the space—and the push—they needed to pursue long-held or newly sparked dreams of opening their own bakeries.

“On the supply side, the pandemic lowered the barriers to entry for so many bakers and pastry chefs who started their own cottage and pop-up projects after being laid off from their restaurant jobs,” says Rivers. “Once they built up an audience and effectively market-tested a concept, it was much easier to move into an actual brick-and-mortar space.”

Luckily, New Yorkers were also ready to consume and support these new businesses, and the bakery industry is thriving—as evidenced by those lines. “I think people have really leaned into the culture of little treats after the turbulence of the pandemic,” says Rivers. “[Pastries] are relatively affordable daily indulgences, and for the most part—as we’re living in a golden era of amazing quality and diversity in pastry—it’s not hard to find something that will be really delicious.”

Bakeries often give pastry chefs more creative freedom—especially those previously restricted by the ultra-refined expectations of fine dining. Renata Ameni, formerly executive pastry chef for Kent Hospitality—overseeing dessert programs at Crown Shy, Saga, and Overstory—found the opportunity to experiment more at her new bakery, Birdee (think churro croissants and pistachio and cherry milk breads). Located on the Williamsburg waterfront and part of Kent Hospitality, Birdee opened in April. Ameni stepped down from her executive role to fully focus on the bakery. She found herself actively unlearning some of her fine dining instincts, easing away from hyper-attentive service to better suit a fast-casual environment. She also quickly realized that plated desserts are a world apart from baked goods.

“I’m not a real baker, I’m a pastry chef, and it’s different,” says Ameni. “It was a lot of trial and error. I tried millions of croissant laminations. Even a simple thing, like a blueberry muffin, took me eight tries.” (For the record, the blueberry muffin is incredible.)

Still, some of her plated dessert creations helped shape Birdee’s offerings. The strawberry Danish, for instance, evolved from a tart she made at Crown Shy—reimagined with fewer components and adapted into a handheld format.