Last August, we heard the sad news that Coney Island Bialys and Bagels, the oldest bialy store in the city (she's a sprightly 91), was about to close because no one in Coney Island buys enough bialys these days. But word comes now that the store has been saved by some rather unlikely heroes: two Muslim businessmen. more ›

Third generation French pastry chef and cookbook author Francois Payard is one of the most sought-after chefs in the world. And now residents of Battery Park City have him right at their doorsteps: on Friday the city's second location of Francois Payard Bakery (or FPB, to the initiated) opened down in Battery Park City. The 850-square-feet restaurant seats ten, and the aesthetic mirrors the flagship location on West Houston, with a white tile floor that's brass plated with the FPB logo. FPB looking OG in the BPC! more ›

You read that right. BabyCakes, the vegan bakery in the Lower East Side, is so psyched over Queen Bee's impending bundle of joy that they're baking a literal bun in the oven. Yes, it gets bigger every week, and no, you sadly cannot eat it. more ›

This afternoon, we heard the sad news that Coney Island Bialys and Bagels, which has been in business since 1920, making it the oldest bialy store in Brooklyn and possibly the whole city, is closing forever. Or...is it? more ›

Good news for fans of fancy breads! Though the city couldn't keep Hostess from taking Wonder Bread from us earlier this year, it is, we guess, nice to know that it will still be a bargain to keep smaller bakeries around. Well, smaller bakeries that deliver to fancy restaurants, hotels and markets, at least! more ›

Does New Jersey really want breakfast? Because first the scent of maple syrup was wafting through the air, and now it's pancake ingredients. CBS 2 reports that a fine layer of flour is covering Englewood, NJ after a silo pipe blew at the nearby La Esperanza Baking Co., releasing 500 pounds of flour into the air. more ›

The Stella D'Oro baked goods factory in the Bronx has been closed for over a year and a half ever since negotiations with its workers broke down and turned into a bitter strike. According to Mike Filippou, who was Stella D'Oro's lead mechanic, at least 100 of the 135 people who lost their jobs in June 2009 are still out of work. But the workers will get a chance to play themselves in an upcoming HBO documentary about the strike. more ›

Though police still haven't released the location of Friday's sexual assault in Park Slope, but various sources are reporting that the suspect attacked the victim while she was at work at a bakery. The assault happened at 9 a.m. and the suspect is still on the loose. One local told ABC 7, "I mean 9 am, that's crazy, there's a lot of people out at 9am." more ›

New York's most famous bakery, known nationwide for its adorable cupcakes and to-die-for banana pudding, has signed a 10-year lease in Harlem. CBS reports that the new facility will serve as a distribution center for Magnolia Bakery's soon-to-open online store, which is sure to appeal to those sweet lovers who can't stomach the traditionally long lines at Magnolia's various locations in the city. Like many companies seeking economic growth, Magnolia is turning to the Internet in order to expand their clientele. Additional store expansions are expected in the near future in New York, as well as other cities across the Northeast. more ›

During the trial of an alleged Gambino mobster, the Daily News reports that a Brooklyn and S.I. bakery chain owner Giuseppe "Joe" Generoso told jurors how he stood up to "reputed mobsters Anthony (Todo) Anastasio and William Scotto - telling them he was his own 'strongman.'" However, "What jurors in Brooklyn Federal Court didn't hear was how nine months later, gunmen ambushed Generoso at his Staten Island home and shot him in the face." more ›

Eurotrash: In the old days, eurotrash did key bumps at Kokie's; now Eurotrash serves meatballs by the Levee (which replaced Williamsburg's aforementioned cocaine bar). Eurotrash isn't a restaurant, but when you're getting your drink on—either at the Levee or Radegast Hall across the street—a starchy bargain food truck in a parking lot sure beats a fussy restaurant, with all their RULES about keeping your voice down and calculating gratuities. Opened about a week ago in a lot next door to the Levee, Eurotrash serves Belgian fries ($3 or $4), Swedish Meatballs ($5) over rotini with gravy and cranberry preserves, Fish and Chips ($5) consisting of 4 oz. Corona-battered cod and Belgian fries, and Bangers and Mash (Irish sausages served over mashed potatoes with gravy). North Third Street and Berry, Williamsburg more ›

Famous pastry chef Francois Payard says he may have to close his flagship bistro on the Upper East Side because landlord Stephen Kirschenbaum wants to double the rent to $1 million a year. (Kirschenbaum presumably fell into a coma just as the Dow hit 14,000 and only woke up yesterday.) Payard, who came here from Paris to be the pastry chef at Le Bernardin, has told the New York State Department of Labor that he'll soon have no choice but to shut down the Lexington Avenue location (he also operates a bakery in DUMBO) and terminate 74 employees in August. The chef tells Crain's, "The maximum increase I can bear in this economy is 20%" The building is also home to prince Ertugrul Osman of Turkey, who has lived there since 1945 and paid considerably less than Payard for his rent-controlled apartment: $350 a month. Of course, he had to raise hell in 2006 just to get Kirschenbaum to repair his bathroom ceiling after it collapsed. more ›

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Laurence Elliott, owner of old Williamsburg's sorely missed Read Cafe (now the more upscale coffee shop El Beit) is opening up a new and bigger place in South Williamsburg, on Bedford between South 4th and South 3rd. First things first: the Read Cafe tradition of backyard garden lounging will live on behind Elliott's new home, called The Rabbit Hole. more ›

An 80-year-old woman was robbed of $75,000 by two men posing as flower delivery guys more than a week ago. The two men fooled the Lower East Side woman into letting them into her apartment by telling her they had a floral delivery for her, showing her a dozen roses. They then bound her with tape and ransacked her apartment. Connie Nieves said the thieves made off with her and her husband's life savings. The... more ›