From a tiny converted grocery store on Smith Island, Brian and Joy Murphy founded Smith Island Baking Company in 2009 to make and ship Maryland’s signature thin-layered Smith Island Cakes. The family bakery now sends its made-from-scratch cakes and other treats to customers across all 50 states and around the world, keeping alive a tradition that island women began in the 1800s for Chesapeake watermen.
Geneva BakeryGeneva Bakery grew from Linda Rannels’s childhood baking at her parents’ produce stand into an East Petersburg bakery making cakes, pies, pastries and cookies from scratch. Rannels started the bakery in 2008 after converting her home garage into an inspected commercial kitchen, then moved in 2015 into the former church building where she worshiped as a child and where her parents were married. Today, the bakery is especially known for made-to-order cakes with creamy, not-too-sweet buttercream and fresh daily baked goods.EAST PETERSBURG, PA
Otterbein's CookiesSince 1881, Otterbein’s Cookies has baked Maryland’s signature thin-and-crispy cookies, using the same original recipe and method that made the brand a regional staple. The family’s six-ingredient sugar cookie and unmistakable paper-thin crunch remain central to a Maryland tradition now more than 140 years old.WINDSOR MILL, MD
Cakes to CrumbsBorn from a sister’s lovingly made wedding cake, Cakes to Crumbs is a North Potomac cottage-law bakery creating custom cakes, cupcakes and other baked goods for special occasions. The bakery was founded in 2008 in honor of Lista, who taught its creator the craft while undergoing chemotherapy, and each made-to-order cake continues that personal legacy. Cakes to Crumbs was also recognized as the 2018 Cupcake Wars DC People’s Choice winner.NORTH POTOMAC, MD
Riesterer's BakeryFor more than 94 years, family-run Riesterer’s Bakery has baked celebration cakes and everyday sweets in West Hempstead, earning a place as Long Island’s oldest bakery. Its professional cake team creates custom centerpieces for special occasions, while the bakery’s classics—including its traditional almond-flavored rainbow cookies—can now be shipped across the continental United States. Riesterer’s is also kosher certified by the Vaad of Queens, with pareve and dairy offerings and baked goods for Shabbat and Jewish holidays.WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY