2020 is officially behind us, but the Hudson Valley is still stuck in the dead of winter. There’s no better way to warm your spirits than stopping in at a local bakery for fresh pastries, artisanal loaves, and hot coffee. Luckily, in the last year, a handful of new establishments have cropped up. Here are seven of the newest bakeries to rise up in the Hudson Valley.
Half Moon Rondout Café
If you find yourself in the Rondout District one morning, pop into the Half Moon Rondout Cafe. Located right on Broadway in Kingston’s waterfront district, the café was opened its doors in November under co-owners John Pinna and Kaira Teigen, filling the void left by Redstart Coffee. Half Moon serves up fresh, made-to-order doughnuts on the daily alongside hot coffee from the likes of Kingston’s very own Monkey Joe Roasting Company and the Manhattan-based Gotham Coffee Roasters. Their doughnuts come in three timeless flavors: plain, powdered sugar, and cinnamon sugar. Beyond that, the cafe offers occasional daily special pastries, including chocolate babka and raspberry coffee cake.
Hudson Valley Cheesecake
If you have a soft spot for cheesecake and all things cheesecake-related, then Hudson Valley Cheesecake has your number. Opened in late August, Hudson Valley Cheesecake is located right in the heart of New Paltz. The bakery has an impressive selection of cheesecake flavors, including classic New York-style, strawberry, cookies and cream, banana pudding, and Reese’s peanut butter chocolate cakes, to name a few. However, the crown jewel of their establishment would be their signature Rainbow Cookie cheesecake, a one-of-a-kind hybrid between Italian rainbow cookies and cheesecake, which traces its roots back to a special treat prepared for one Thanksgiving, and then many more special occasions after that. The bakery also offers delicious detours from classic cheesecake presentation, with their cheesecake-stuffed cannolis and cheesecake-stuffed cupcakes. Browse the full menu or order a custom creation for any occasion.
Cosmic Donuts
Cosmic Donuts touched down in Kinderhook in October, bringing out-of-this-world yeast-risen doughnuts to the small Columbia County village. The shop is co-owned by Jhori Jurgenson, her partner Jason Garvey, and her mother Bonnie Tedder. Jurgenson and Garvey love treating themselves to a doughnut after bodybuilding competitions, giving them the idea for Cosmic Donuts. The menu includes classics like glazed, Boston cream and jelly. But where Cosmic really shines is their next-level, stacked offerings like the Fat Elvis, a fluffy pastry donut is stuffed with homemade peanut butter buttercream and topped with peanut butter, bananas, and bacon. No bakery is complete without coffee however, and they get theirs from the No. Six Depot Roastery and Café, located in nearby West Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Breadfolks
Opened last June, Hudson’s Breadfolks began as a post-retirement dream from the renowned portrait photographer Norman Jean Roy, and his wife and business partner, Joanna Jean Roy. Norman Jean Roy has photographed some of the most famous celebrities of our time, from Prince William and Kate Middleton to Chadwick Boseman. Their bakery in Hudson was an instant hit, and they’ve had people lined up around the block ever since for a taste of their artisanal sourdough loaves and pastries. From ciabatta, and baguettes to croissants and Danish rugbrød, the bakery is serving up freshly fermented goodies every day. Breadfolks offers custom-roasted, blended-in-house coffees.
Kingston Bread + Bar
In the Stockade District, Kingston Bread + Bar offers a winning combination with artisanal loaves and pastries served alongside craft wine, cider, and beers from local Hudson Valley breweries. Founded by Aaron Quint, Kingston Bread + Bar began in 2017 as Kingston Bread Lab, which Quint operated out of his home kitchen and later out of Rough Draft on weekends. In addition to the bakery’s naturally leavened loaves and drink menu, the bakery offers sandwiches, as well as a selection of appetizers, meats, and cheeses to go with the fresh, warm loaves.
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Nothing Bundt Cakes is a national bakery franchise with dozens of establishments across the country. The chain kicked off when founders Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz started cooking together for their friends and family and realized that they had created something special with their high-quality bundt cakes. It gradually expanded into the nationwide business it is today, and each establishment aims to capture the feel of a cozy home kitchen. The latest bundt cake outpost cropped up in Poughkeepsie in 2019, under owners Susan and Ed Horton. They offer an impressive selection of flavors for their cakes, including festive confetti cake, swirled marble cake, and tangy lemon cake. They not only offer classic cakes, but also miniature versions, dubbed “bundtlets”—adorable—and even smaller bite-sized “bundtinis,” served by the dozen.
Peaceful Provisions
If you’re on the hunt for vegan pastry options, Peaceful Provisions has got your back. This plant-based doughnut brand was established in 2015 by twin sisters Brittany and Justine Soto. They craft specialty doughnuts entirely from scratch, without pre-made ingredients or animal products, using only the freshest and finest vegan ingredients. Their tasty inventions defy logic with offerings like dairy-free New York cream doughnut and the flaky cinnamon-sugar croissant doughnut. Peaceful Provisions is currently operating as a pop-up accepting online pre-orders only while they fundraise for a brick-and-mortar. The Soto sisters have already secured a storefront at 383 Main Street, Beacon. To raise money for equipment and renovation, they are offering tiered fundraising packs through Go-Fund-Me for anyone who wants to chip in and help this business grow.
