Wonder What It Takes to Run a Bakery in NYC? We Followed an Owner to Find Out

While the universal sign of peace is an olive branch, a brown butter cookie might be even better. We’d make the case—and so would Tiara Bennett, founder of The Pastry Box, a beloved bakery in Manhattan’s East Village.

When she first signed the lease on her shop, the neighborhood didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat. In fact, one super down the block warned her that ten other businesses had failed in that same space. Tiara’s response? She handed him a cookie—literally.

“And now he’s a regular,” she laughed.

He’s not the only one who’s come around. In a city packed with bakeries, it’s no small feat to earn a reputation for the best chocolate chip cookie in town. Sure, lots of places slap that claim on a sign, but in Tiara’s case, it actually holds up. Her signature cookie has earned top billing from publications like Eater, The Infatuation, and The Wall Street Journal (okay, some ranked it #2, but come on—it’s close enough).

Despite the lines that often snake down the block and her cookies’ viral acclaim, Tiara isn’t resting on her laurels.

“It hasn’t kicked in yet,” she shared at the premiere of her new docuseries. “I always tell my assistant, I’m not successful yet.”

But spend five minutes with her—or watch the premiere—and it’s clear she’s a force. Her friends and family will tell you they saw this success coming from the moment they tasted her cookies. That same best friend who encouraged her to deliver a cookie to the skeptical neighbor? She’s been in her corner since day one.

When we tried Tiara’s cookies last year, we knew instantly that there was something different going on. Her take has all the hallmarks of a classic: crisp edges, soft centers, and the perfect amount of melty chocolate. But it’s more than that. There’s soul in every bite.

And there’s certainly soul in her story.

Tiara is a classically trained pastry chef with experience at some of NYC’s top kitchens—Maialino and Café Boulud, to name a couple. She opened her first storefront in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, before eventually moving to the East Village. Though she initially wanted to stay in Brooklyn—and was warned about the string of closures in her new space—she says she felt pulled to the location.

Now, she’s the first Black-owned bakery in that neighborhood in more than 20 years.

“We didn’t choose the East Village, it chose us,” she said. “We’re here to stay.”

What you might not expect: despite her pedigree, Tiara is incredibly down to earth. Warm, quick to laugh, and generous with her time—she’s as committed to people as she is to pastry. And if you scroll through the reviews, the love is universal.

Tiara is also quick to credit the role that that media—and her community—played in helping the shop thrive.

After a writeup in Eater, she said, they made a month’s rent by the end of the weekend. “All of the influencers and food writers that came in helped to get the word out,” she explained. “I do 90 percent of the work in the bakery, so we don’t have the biggest marketing budget.”

“We just put love into everything we do,” she added. That care extends beyond her cookies. It’s baked into the way she leads her team.

“I come from a very hardcore Michelin-star background. I’ve tried to be the very opposite of that. I joke around with them,” she laughed, glancing toward her staff.

While she’s still chasing big dreams, it’s clear she’s doing exactly what she loves.

“I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else at this point,” she said.

And she’s still in the thick of it. Stop by The Pastry Box tomorrow and there’s a good chance you’ll see her behind the counter—taking orders, answering phones, boxing cookies, probably all at once. She’s the baker, the marketer, the cashier, the admin. Her small team sticks with her through it all, helping her bring new ideas to life.

Like the savory sandwich pop-up featured in the first episode of our series. It was her first time making savory breads—and she pulled it off in just two weeks.

Representation is at the heart of everything she does.

“We want young Black chefs to come in and be able to learn under somebody that looks like us, feels like us,” she said.

Growing up, she didn’t have the luxury of family finances to fall back on—so failing wasn’t an option. And now, part of her mission is to create the kind of opportunities she never saw growing up.

“I’m building a seat for the next generation.”

Another thing she’s held onto? Her famous cookie—still just $2. In a world of $9 croissants and $10 lattes, it’s refreshing.

Can’t make it to NYC? She shared her cookie recipe at the premiere, and yes—it’s online. We have it here.

As we like to say, come for the cookies, stay for the story.

The first episode of The Pastry Box docuseries is officially live on our YouTube. New episodes drop weekly—so stay tuned, and keep an eye on our Instagram and TikTok for even more behind-the-scenes clips, original recipes, and moments from Tiara’s world.