Since Rita Curry began baking for Ocean City’s Garden Restaurant in 1977, Desserts by Rita has made custom cakes and signature desserts from its Bishopville bakery. Curry, who remains hands-on in the kitchen, created the original Lemon Lust and Rita’s Delight before opening her first shop in 1985; those creations remain central to the bakery’s local identity. The bakery has also been named “Best Desserts” multiple times in Metropolitan Magazine’s Best of the Eastern Shore contest.
The Village Bake ShoppeFounded in 1993 by mother-and-daughter team Vicki and Tracy Marshall, The Village Bake Shoppe is a Lewiston bakery making from-scratch desserts from original recipes. Now owned by Michael Fiore and his family, the shop has served the community for more than 30 years and is known for custom celebration and wedding cakes, including imaginative creations such as its “barrel-over-the-falls” cake for the Hard Rock Café opening. Its made-from-scratch desserts also reach local restaurants throughout Western New York.WOOSTER, OH
Brown Betty Dessert BoutiqueNamed for Elizabeth “Betty” Ruth Hnton, Brown Betty Dessert Boutique is a Philadelphia bakery founded in 2004 by mother-and-daughter team Linda and Norrinda Brown, making cakes and other desserts from family baking traditions. Betty’s Sunday biscuits, apple pies, and mile-high poundcakes inspired the recipes, while Norrinda pushed the bakery toward a modern pastry shop where special-occasion cakes are designed to look as good as they taste. The Northern Liberties confectionary was named one of Philadelphia Magazine’s best bakeries just one year after opening.PHILADELPHIA, PA
Whistle Stop DessertsWhistle Stop Desserts is a family-owned Oceanside bake shop making cheesecake and other desserts, with a specialty in custom cakes for weddings and celebrations. Jeff and Mary Tierney opened the business at the Oceanside Railroad station in 1977, and its cheesecake was rated No. 1 by the New York Daily News in 1978. Today, the family business is led by their son Dan, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, and continues to draw on recipes passed down through the family.OCEANSIDE, NY
Jjsweettooth bakeryIn Chester, Jjsweettooth Bakery turns custom cake ideas into celebration desserts, with owner Mikeysha Crawford—known locally as “Cakebossofchester”—bringing a pastry education from the Art Institute of Philadelphia to each order. Crawford says she began baking about 10 years ago and builds cakes around the customer’s style, from special-event designs to familiar favorites such as 7Up pound cake and pineapple cake.CHESTER, PA