33-04 Broadway (Photo: Bassim Sifelnasr)
- April 19, 2018 By Tara Law
Two young bakers plan to open an innovative patisserie and dessert bar in Astoria this May.
Queens Bake House will open at 33-04 Broadway next month, the former location of Nature’s Soul Organic Cafe.
The Bake House will offer a shifting menu of pastries and desserts— such as cakes, croissants and bonbons— made from inventive new recipes that blend flavors from around the world.
The shop also plans to apply for a beer and wine license, and to serve desserts paired with drinks in the evenings.
The shop is owned by two men who have very different baking backgrounds. Colm Singh, 28, is a Woodside resident and the owner of Brooklyn Bagel Boys, while Bassim Sifelnasr, a 27-year-old Kew Gardens resident, is a Paris-trained pastry chef who worked at Manhattan’s Patisserie Chanson.
The pair, however, shared a vision to open a non-traditional bake shop in Astoria, Singh said. The men had both noticed that despite the changing demographics in the neighborhood, the majority of bakeries in Astoria continue to offer just the classical items, and rarely introduce new pastries or desserts.
Caramel Cheesecake made with chocolate, hazelnut and Praline (Photo: Queens Bake House)
At Queens Bake House, Singh and Sifelnasr are looking to appeal to the neighborhood’s growing millennial market, who Singh says are interested in trying new and interesting flavors.
“We’re going to be constantly changing the menu,” said Singh. “Nothing is going to go stale.”
Many of the desserts will be inspired by the borough’s ethnic diversity, Singh said. Singh is particularly fond of a Bailey’s mousse cardamom chocolate ganache cake, which honors Singh’s Irish and Indian heritage.
Sifelnasr will be responsible for creating all the baked goods.
The bakery has not yet released a menu, but Singh swears by his colleague’s desserts.
“They’re all really good, and extremely creative,” he said. “A lot of thought goes into each pastry.”
The bakery will deliver and provide catering soon after opening.
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Bailey’s Mousse Cardamom Chocolate Ganache (Photo: Queens Bake House)
