Jackson’s “Action Painting I,” on display at the MoMA, is a big draw to the famed art museum. And it’s almost a perfect piece of art, except for one thing: you can’t eat it.
Luckily, Gotham’s top bakers are adept at creating mouthwatering masterpieces every bit as artful as anything you’d find on a gallery wall. After all, when planning the perfect NYC Holiday Event, the food is every bit a work of art as the MoMA’s most celebrated works.
You put your creative soul into every detail of your New York events. These top 12 bakery and dessert specialists will serve up enticing treats for your NYC holiday events is big, artistic, and mouth-watering way. But the impeccable artistry with which they do it? That’s the icing on the cake.
1. Levain Bakery
In an age when people become internet-famous for banal reasons, it’s refreshing to come across a duo who became renowned for doing something unheard-of and extraordinary. Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald created a cookie that weighs nearly half a pound. And after founding Levain Bakery in 1995, their oozing chocolate contribution to humanity was featured in the New York Times.
Today, this top New York bakery has over a dozen locations, including L.A. and Chicago. Their resounding success is proof enough that karma is real and goodness is sweet. You can be a New York event planner on Santa’s nice list and bring some good karma your way when you serve cookies from Levain Bakery at your holiday event.
2. Maman
New York is known as the melting pot of the world, and thank goodness there’s an extra dose of French cuisine thanks to Maman. This charming Provençal bakery and café blends French and North American flavors into various baked goods.
Hit up Maman for your New York events and serve your guests delectable pastries, such as the Nutella brownie or the Everything croissant. Or serve up one of “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” Maman’s nutty chocolate chip cookie was featured in the Queen of All Media’s 2017 list of gift ideas.
3. Funny Face Bakery
Sarah Silverman, founder of Funny Face Bakery, says the idea of a face on a cookie came to her when she was “being really lazy.” Actually, she was exhausted from working. But the moral of the story (as we choose to see it) is that you can become a mega-successful baker with clients such as the Kardashians by chilling in your room and dreaming about it.
In truth, Silverman worked like the dickens to make Funny Face Bakery a pop-culture phenomenon. Today, customers can order custom portrait cookies or any of the bakery’s beloved signature cookies, e.g., Pizza Rat.
You can order custom cookies from Funny Face Bakery for your event, featuring anything from your corporate logo to the CEO’s face.
4. Betty Bakery
Cheryl Kleinman and Ellen Baumwoll were already well-known for their luxury wedding cakes before turning their eyes to more traditional baked goods. Betty Bakery is an ode to mid-century mothers who rolled their dough on Formica tabletops and stored their creations within almond-hued Tupperware containers.
Located in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, Betty Bakery can outfit your holiday event services with updated retro classics, from gooey chocolate cookies to the humble yet stalwart bundt cake. But these cake artisans still wield their piping bags like paintbrushes. Order cupcakes from Betty Bakery for eye-pleasing treats you always wished your mother made for your second-grade class.
5. Sweet Touch By Iva
If you’re looking for a cake that is too beautiful to eat, then you’re looking for Sweet Touch By Iva. Winner of Cake Designer of the Year Brooklyn in the 2019 New York Wedding Awards, Sweet Touch By Iva will deliver a show stopping centerpiece for your NYC holiday event. Owner Iva Velazquez is an artist in every sense, and her intricate, colorful creations will capture the spirit of your event services.
6. Ron Ben-Israel Cakes
The ultimate list of the best bakeries in New York City isn’t complete without mentioning Ron Ben-Israel Cakes. Featured in both Martha Stewart and Oprah’s online magazines, Ron Ben-Israel has been called the King of Cakes. Currently, he is a judge on Food Network’s Cake Wars.
Despite TV fame, Ron Ben-Israel Cakes still has time to create elegant, delicate, and classy cakes. While Ron Ben-Israel is famous for his wedding cakes, the New York bakery also takes orders for all celebrations, including holiday events.
7. Fresh Flours LLC
Tis the season for giving, and your guests will love sweet party favors from Fresh Flours LLC. Specializing in individually wrapped treats, Fresh Flours LLC will create delicious goodies wrapped with custom labels. Guests can open a logoed bag containing yummy cookies, tasty muffins, or delectable bars. This award-winning New York bakery also has gluten-free options, ensuring every guest can partake in the sweet goodness.
8. Heritage Grand Bakery
It’s not a holiday party without pie. And Heritage Grand Bakery delivers with scrumptious Apple Crumble, Pecan, and Pumpkin pies. Mentioned in the New York Post and the New York Times, Heritage Grand Bakery entered the scene as a bakery that grinds its own artisanal flour. The result is a taste that is “completely different” and, as many would argue, better.
Heritage Grand Bakery is one of the few on our list that doesn’t stop with dessert. The bakery can also provide fresh bread and homemade pasta for your holiday party. And the following day, when you’re too tired to do anything else, hit them up for some pizza at their restaurant.
9. Billy’s Bakery
One of NYC’s best bakeries, according to CBS New York and Secret NYC, Billy’s Bakery makes everything like your grandmother used to—only better. Butterscotch gingerbread cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, banana cream pie. Billy’s Bakery has all of the quintessential holiday baked goods.
10. One Girl Cookies
Like many of the greatest chefs, Dawn Casale’s love of baking began in her grandmother’s kitchen. The Queen’s native turned those memories into the popular One Girl Cookies. The bakery specializes in cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. One Girl Cookies can furnish your holiday event with everything from a multilayer cake to a fully deck-out dessert table to individually wrapped party favors.
11. Magnolia Bakery
Few bakeries reach icon status. Magnolia Bakery climbed the venerable pinnacle of film and television references when it was featured in The Devil Wears Prada. In addition to its fame in several films and TV shows, Magnolia Bakery is a key player in the NYC baking scene.
Magnolia Bakery has any dessert you can imagine. Their universal crowd-pleaser is banana pudding, of which there is also a gluten-free variety. They also have cookie flavors you won’t find elsewhere, such as red velvet banana pudding and spritz cookies.
You won’t find fancy sugar flowers or over-the-top decorations on Magnolia Bakery’s cakes and cupcakes. They’re all about the taste, with flavors like German chocolate and red velvet. You can hardly call yourself a New York bakery without cheesecake, and Magnolia Bakery has all the best flavors, as well as brownies and bars.
12. Ferrara Bakery and Cafe
Dubbed Little Italy’s oldest bakery, historic Ferrara Bakery and Café opened in 1892, and in that time, you could say they’ve perfected the art of Italian pastries and sweets. Still family-owned and operated by the fifth generation, Ferrara Bakery is a New York treasure.
New York natives will attest that their signature pastries taste the same as when they visited the bakery as children. That’s because Ferrara Bakery doesn’t change recipes or cheapen the ingredients. They still serve the same Italian comfort as they did when their primary clientele were poor Italian immigrants.
Your holiday party will have that same quality and nostalgia when you order any of Ferrara’s cookies, cakes, or cannoli.
Serve Up Edible Art at Your NYC Holiday Event
Your event services are an outpouring of your artistic vision and creative energy. Your New York holiday party is no less a feast for the senses. From mesmerizing lights to striking décor to captivating entertainment, you wow them at every turn.
You need a New York bakery and dessert specialist who will bring the same visionary zeal to their creations. When you book any of these 12 bakery artisans, your guests will enjoy sweet treats baked with the same love of artistry as you have. It’s the mouth-watering experience that resonates with your event clients and guests. Whether you’re planning a corporate event or fundraising gala, the delectable and delightful morsels you offer after dinner can such a memorable impact.
And remember, when you’re looking to meet the absolute best event services and providers in New York City, you have to get to The Event Planner Expo! From the high-energy opening party and immersive Speaker Series to the impressive trade show floor on day three, this is the conference where strategic partnerships come together, and the magic happens. Start exploring your ticket options for The Event Planner Expo 2024 next October and reserve your coveted exhibition space today!
