Park Slope is about get a taste of Bay Ridge.
Leske’s Bakery, which has been selling Scandinavian sweet treats on Fifth Avenue between 76th and 77th streets for over 50 years, will open a second location 60 blocks north next month — and the owners are betting that their old-fashioned danishes and black-and-whites will be just as hot in notoriously picky Park Slope as they are in Bay Ridge.
“We’re old-school Scandinavian, we do things a little bit differently, but we think we have a great product and we thought this would be a great fit for us,” said Leske’s manager and culinary consultant Harry Hawk.
Hawk said Leske’s will move into the former location of the Sweet Treasures bakery on Fifth Avenue between 16th Street and Prospect Avenue before Valentine’s Day, and plan to sell their famed marzipan cakes and kringler at the same prices as in their old spot. Hawk said the new shop will also feature romantic red velvet cakes and black-and-red cookies in honor of the Feb. 14 holiday, items that Slope residents can start ordering now.
Hawk said he likes the trendy flavor and eclectic mix of stores in Park Slope, and believes the neighborhood will welcome Leske’s with open arms — and mouths.
“I love the real foodie Brooklyn. Not only do you have centuries-old businesses, but you see all these new businesses. That’s what really attracts me to that area. It’s diverse and wonderful, and we think they could use a great bakery,” said Hawk.
The expansion represents an incredible reversal of fortunes for the Bay Ridge staple.
In 2011, the bakery’s former owner closed shop amid a squabble with the landlord. But a group of childhood friends who had grown up loving Leske’s one-of-a-kind treats bought the shop’s name, re-hired the old pastry chefs, and re-opened to a crowd of over 1,000 customers in Aug. 2012.
Reach reporter Will Bredderman at wbredderman@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4507. Follow him at twitter.com/WillBredderman.
