A bakery has revived Black-owned restaurants in a New York City area, while giving back to its community.
Tiara Bennett’s love of baking and communal upliftment go hand-in-hand. When the culinary school-trained pastry chef decided to open her own bakery and re-establish a Black-owned eatery in Manhattan’s East Village, she knew she wanted to do more to leave a legacy.
However, becoming the first Black-owned restaurant in the historic neighborhood in 25 years was not a cakewalk. When she opened The Pastry Box in 2023, bringing back diversity in this space came with its own struggles. Despite the ebbs of entrepreneurship, Bennett’s supporters encouraged her to continue her mission, as told to Food52.
“People in my neighborhood who
knew me from passing out fliers and selling cookies before I had a shop were excited for me, but I was the first Black person to open a business on this block in decades, so there were some challenges,” she explained, according to the Legal Defense Fund.Bennett had always championed empowerment in her craft, a skill learned by baking with her grandmother. Two years after graduating from culinary school with honors in 2018, she opened her first pop-up on Juneteenth to showcase her pastries. Bennett spent years sharpening her skills in high-end restaurants and pastry programs, later taking the opportunity for her own store.
Unfortunately, the Brooklyn native still received pushback and disheartening comments from those around the East Village. Many did not expect her to last.
“A lot of people didn’t even expect us to be lasting in our second year. [I came] from a community in Bed-Stuy where everyone accepted us and rooted for us to come into a neighborhood where everyone was like ‘oh, who are they? Who is she?’ A lot of the neighbors didn’t even think it was my place. “
All it took was one cookie to transform The Pastry Box. Once Eater gave a rave review about one of her signature sweets, customers from across NYC came in droves to try it out.
“I’ll never forget that weekend,” she told Food52. “Our sales were like insane. We like made rent in a weekend and I never had seen it. And that was like the beginning of the change, where we actually started to be in the green.”
While she brought back Black-owned restaurants to the East Village with her bakery, Bennett considers it a part of her destiny. She also believes it is overdue for representation, offering an opportunity to support diverse youth in the area.
“I believe a neighbor told me that it had been like 20 years since a Black-owned business opened in this neighborhood. So, the representation is really important… I didn’t choose the East Village. The East Village chose me, and I’m glad it did. And then we’re here to stay now,” she added.
As she builds upon her success, Bennett has plans for a youth program to help other younger New Yorkers learn about entrepreneurship, kitchen etiquette, and baking techniques.
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