Robicelli's

It’s a big news day!  I’ve had so much news lately that it’s been extremely hard to write a totally idiotic blog post that has pretty much nothing to do with the actual business.  This is weird for me too, guys.

First item of business…

Photography by Eric Isaac

This week, we’re the featured food sale on Fab.com! You can get up to 25% off our signature hot cocoa, brownies & loaf cake assortments, and have them shipped to you no matter where you live. This sale lasts only until inventory runs out, and our prices will not be this low again this year, so get while the getting is good.

Of course, Robicelli’s baked goods are the perfect gift for any of your friends, relatives, co-workers, next door neightbors, business associates, girlfriends parents, friendly lady who runs the laundromat, mailmen, receptionist at the dentists office, or friends whose pants you desperately want to get into but can’t because you’re socially awkward and fear rejection. But what if you don’t want to just send a box of brownies to their front door- what if you’re showing up at their door, in person, and want to be holding a big box of cupcakes?

If that’s the case, you can place your order directly with us and we’ll bring the cupcakes straight to you! We’ve already put up the Hanukkah ordering, which allows you to order cupcakes for any day from this Friday to the next one. And today, I’ve officially opened Christmas ordering, and this years Christmas menu officially determined by our fans on Facebook.

This year’s Christmas flavors, as chosen by you, are:

• Cranberry Gingerbread: gingerbread cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh cranberry compote
• Creme Brulee: vanilla buttercrea, vanilla custard buttercream, caramelized sugar
• Port Poached Pear: Pear cake, vanilla buttercream, port wine poached pear, port wine reduction
• Chocolate Candy Cane: Mint chocolate chip cake, peppermint buttercream, crushed candy canes

But wait…..there’s more!

• Classic Vanila Marshmallow Whoopie Pies
• Chocolate Chestnut Whoope Pies: filled with vanilla buttercream, chopped roasted & candied chestnuts and chocolate chips
• Eggnog Whoopie Pies: filled with eggnog & bourbon buttercream and freshly grated nutmeg
• Classic Sea Salt Brownies
• Moverly Brownies: with Scotch whiskey, roasted walnuts & a touch of espresso

Order a box or two of those for Christmas Day, and just see how nice your Christmas presents get the following year. 

Now to today- we’ve got a bit of a holiday over here in the Robicelli’s household today: Matt’s mom’s birthday. My mother-in-law is one of the best home bakers I know, someone we’ve implored to enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off more times than we could count, someone who’s Christmas cookies are anxiously anticipated 11 months out of the year. My favorite is a cookie she makes that starts off with a lemon & almond dough which she wraps around Hershey’s Kisses, bakes, and then rolls in powdered sugar. I’ll eat an entire tin of those cookies in a matter of minutes.

Lucky for you guys who think that sounds delicious but aren’t related to us so you can’t get those cookies- in honor of her birthday, we’ve turned it into a cupcake (of COURSE we did!). This will be available this week only, so go out and find the Gramma Jean. It will make you wish Jean was YOUR mother-in-law.

NEW! Gramma Jean: Lemon almond cake, chocolate pudding, vanilla buttercream, roasted almonds, chocolate chips

Bourbon Caramel Apple: Apple cake, bourbon salted caramel buttercream, roasted apple, bourbon caramel drizzle

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, fall spiced crushed chocolate espresso beans

Chocolate Candy Cane: Mint chocolate chip cake, peppermint buttercream, crushed candy canes

Every year I do a Thanksgiving post that mentions all the things I’m thankful for.

I don’t even know where to begin this year.

I’m of course thankful for the usual things: amazing kids, doing what I love for a living, incredible customers, and being married to an incredibly hot piece of ass. You all already know about those things. I’m also thankful that my business, while set back a tad, wasn’t completely destroyed. That Bay Ridge was spared when so many neighborhoods I love weren’t. That my family is safe.

I have lived in Brooklyn all my life, as did my father before me, and his father before him. Crazy thing about kids from Brooklyn- this isn’t a “place” to us, it’s not simple a hometown. 

It’s sticking your head out of the window and screaming at your friends on the street- many times while in a moving vehicle. Now that I’m thinking about that one, that’s really not smart. We should probably stop doing that.

The knowing everyone’s mother and grandmother. Particularly the ones who barely spoke English, but knew enough to always tell you that you “looked too skinny” and would feed you a little something.

The fact that “a little something” is a giant plate of meatballs, or stuffed cabbage, or pernil, or a nice fat slab of spanikopita.

The riceballs. Not “Oh, you don’t really know how it’s done until you go to Italy like I did when I backpacked through Europe and had authentic (say in randomly ethnic accent) arrrrr-an-CHEEEE-neeee”. Not “arancini”. RICEBAAAAAAWWWWWWWLS. Big fat stinking riceballs the size of a small child’s head, covered in globs of sauce, ricotta and mozzarella.  You hit Joe’s of Avenue U if you want to know how the f*** it’s done.

Knowing that if anyone says “Meh, Joe’s is good, but it isn’t that good”, you will punch them square in the face, and no cop in Brooklyn would blame you. This also applies to Brennan & Carr, Randazzo’s, and Lioni’s. Don’t ask about pizza unless you want to hear us yelling amongst ourselves for hours on end (though the correct answer is Totonno’s. Yeah, I said it).

Also that you pronounced the riceball description as “covered in globs of sawce, riGOAT, and MUHTzarell”. You call anyone who says different a “mar-ah-KONE”, even if your family has, like mine, been in Brooklyn 100 years.

The accent. Years of speech classes as a teenager have made mine almost disappear, but you get me angry (or drunk) enough, and I sound like an extra in a Jimmy Cagney flick. Also, you should know if you know if you ever hear my accent you are possibly in imminent danger and should run away as quickly as possible.

The hip-hop and freestyle. Especially George LaMond. I don’t care how many hardcore and metal albums are in my collection- “Bad of the Heart” comes on, and I lose it every. single time. He’s also TOTALLY playing tonight in Bay Ridge, and I am TOTALLY going to be at home on my laptop working on getting holiday ordering up for you guys (December schedule’s up by the way!)

Biohazard, Indecision, Type O Negative, Candiria, Beastie Boys, and DEBBIE FREAKING GIBSON. We also gave the world Barry Manillow and Neil Diamond. YOU’RE WELCOME, REST OF THE WORLD.

The fact that you live in a place with over 3 million people EVERYONE finds a way that the’re connected. Everyone went to school with someone’s brother, or your first cousin watches some kid after school whose grandma lives next door to your best friend. You think I’m popular? You should meet my mother. One time when I was a kid we went to Disney World, and the guy driving the train on “The Great Movie Ride” knew who she was. Woman’s not even on the internet and she has more fans than any of us ever will. She runs a dental office in Bay Ridge.

Deep down, we’re all the take-no-prisoners tough guys and gals of legend, the type who will throw down any time and any place if someone or something goes after one of our own. 

I am so thankful that in this lifetime, I get to say that I am from Brooklyn. And I am thankful for every single one of my brothers and sisters here and in Staten Island (if you didn’t know, everyone from Staten Island is originally from Brooklyn. They even have their own Joe’s of Avenue U over there!). Sandy came for us, and we are standing together and swinging back. You DO NOT mess with Brooklyn. Ever.

I love you, Brooklyn, and I will never stop being proud of the person you made me, and what you have always been. Even before the New York Times found out about you.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge buttercream, chocolate cake crumbs

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, chocolate espresso beans

Bourbon Caramel Apple: Apple cake, bourbon salted caramel buttercream, roasted apple, bourbon caramel drizzle

Sweet Potato Casserole: Sweet potato cake, toasted marshmallow buttercream, demerera sugar

Today is the absolutely, positively LAST day you can place a Thanksgiving order for the NYC area (our online store will start shipping out again next week).  So, you know, do that right now so I can put the Holiday ordering up and start bothering you guys about that. Seriously, Hanukkah is like 2 weeks away or something. Calendar’s all the way across the room and I don’t feel like getting up to check, but you can take my word for it.

I’m already all-in on the holidays- listening to Christmas carols, placing sugar cookie scented air fresheners all over our apartment, replacing all liquids in my diet with eggnog etc. I don’t want to hear anyone complaining about “Oh, the holidays start earlier and earlier every year! Blah blah blah Scrooge blah blah!”- there’s 47 weeks a year of the same old same old, and only FIVE where it’s all magic and sparkles and mistletoe and Hallmark Channel Christmas movies starring Candace Cameron Bure.

I LIVE FOR THIS CRAP AND I WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO RUIN IT FOR ME.

As sad as it is that our fall flavors are going back into the vault for another year, we’ve now got only a few short weeks to enjoy the magic of Robicelli’s Christmas: holiday flavors like Creme Brulee & Cranberry Gingerbread, manic Tumblr posts that alternate between being swept up in the magic of Christmas and being six seconds away from selling my children to the circus, and live-tweeting lousy made-for-tv Christmas movies as if people who are reading actually have the faintest idea what I’m talking about (heads up: I will also be live-tweeting this Sunday’s world premiere of the Lindsay Lohan tour de force “Liz & Dick” if you want to follow along with me! @robicellis).

Right at this moment, let’s be happy that fall flavors are still here and eager to be eaten for a few more days til next September! They’re in lots of our locations today, so go grab one (or a few) and pre-game for Thanksgiving- or shove some in the freezer in in the event after dinner with your family on Thursday you’ll need to eat your feelings. That’s pretty much my plan every year.

Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge buttercream, chocolate cake crumbs

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, chocolate espresso beans

Bourbon Caramel Apple: Apple cake, bourbon salted caramel buttercream, roasted apple, bourbon caramel drizzle

Sweet Potato Casserole: Sweet potato cake, toasted marshmallow buttercream, demerera sugar

The cupcakes have gone to stores! Yay! And Allison’s going to be back blogging on Monday! DOUBLE YAY! And our online store is open for business! TRIPLE YAY!

Dom DeLuise: Pistachio cake, cannoli cream buttercream, chopped citron, roasted pistachio, mini chocolate chips

Tiramisu: Espresso soaked cake, espresso ganache, mascarpone buttercream, cocoa powder

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge, chocolate cake crumbs

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, crushed chocolate espresso beans

I totally spazzed on writing the Tumblr Wednesday, and even though my last post was about us crossing the 30k mark I figured nobody would notice. Then I called my mom today and the first thing she says is “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TUMBLR?!?!!”. So, I’m sorry. And all of you can sleep easy now that you know that my mom is totally on top of this.

Why did I skip writing the Tumblr? Because I was working on getting our Thanksgiving ordering together. Yes, THANKSGIVING. I know we’re barely out of September, but over here at the Robicelli’s camp we need to plan ahead. Right now, we’re putting the finishing touches on our hot cocoa packaging so it’ll be ready for store shelves when the temperature drops, designing new loaf cake flavors for the holidays (and debating the legality of our fruitcake since it’s 5% fruit and 95% bourbon), and getting our baked goods packaged for the holiday markets (yup! Just because we’re not personally going to be there doesn’t mean our stuff won’t be- stay tuned for news on that!).

I’ve already started listening to Christmas music on Pandora to sort of get me amped up for all of this, which I could potentially be a very dumb move as I’ll be sick of it before Columbus Day. I find it hard to believe that with over 100 years of popular music, and far longer with traditional music, there are exactly 10 Christmas songs that are played over and over and over again. Luckily for me, through the power of Facebook, this past year I got to reconnect with an old friend from Stuyvesant High School- Liz Chan.

Back in high school Liz was the only 15 year old I knew with a major label record deal. She grew up not to be a musician, but a media executive. And while most people would envy a girl who ended up being an exec at places like MTV and Conde Nast, she always regretted not following her dream- writing a world famous Christmas song.  

Isn’t that the best dream ever? Creating something that will make people smile year after year? I mean, Matt’s #1 lifelong dream was to eat at a real Pizza Hut with a full salad bar. I really wish I was joking about that.

Aaaaannnnd this is a pretty spot-on representation of how I felt through the fulfilling of said lifelong dream.

Last September, Liz managed to snag a spot on Failure Club, the web documentary from genre-master Morgan Spurlock. In the past year, she committed to writing a Christmas song every single day, quit her job at Conde to follow her dream (seriously), and this week, released her first five songs on iTunes.

Am I plugging this project just because she’s an old friend? No. I’m plugging it because I listened to track one, “A Christmas Song”, and I CAN’T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD. And it would be nice if you all knew the song, because then I won’t look so crazy for singing it incessantly.

Also, if it becomes a hit, then maybe we’ll convince the radio to start playing it instead of that infernal “Christmas Shoes”. Oh man, I hate that song so freaking much. Christmas should be a time of love, compassion and good feelings- not a time where I think of tracking down whatever suck-ass band wrote that song and breaking their kneecaps. 

Go check out Liz’s vastly superior Christmas carol, then check out these cupcakes. They’re perfect for when you want to eat your feelings because you thought about a song where they kill a little boys mom just so some self centered jerk can learn the true meaning of Christmas.

*sniff*

Clockwise from front: S’Mores, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pecan Pie, Car Bomb

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, fall spiced ground chocolate covered espresso beans

Car Bomb: Chocolate Guinness stout cake, Jameson whiskey ganache, Bailey’s buttercream

S’Mores: Chocolate cake, speculoos pudding, toasted marshmallow buttercream, graham crumbs, ganache

Pecan Pie: Pecan molasses cake, vanilla buttercream, glazed pecans

It’s another one of those “I’ve been working on so many super incredibly awesome things that I’m not yet at liberty to talk about, but when you guys find out about them you’re going to be marginally excited because, let’s face it, there’s only so excited you can actually get about a bakery, I mean it’s not like we’re making talking dogs, and let me tell you THAT is something that I think we can all get behind and get super excited about, but back to the point I’m going to get really excited about them because it’s my company that’s I deal with 24 hours a day, and you’ll all be like ‘Wow, that’s pretty awesome news!’ for like three seconds and then go back to looking at Pinterest (or porn)” days!

As you can imagine, it’s very difficult for me to write Tumblr posts when I’m busting at the seams with news I can’t totally announce for super-duper-realz yet, so I’m going to fill this post with “Lite News”. Pretty much stuff you already know, but I’m just going to remind you about. Though heads up- to make all this secret magic stuff happen I’ve been skimping on the sleep, and therefore am so shot that I don’t know how to make it thrillingly exciting enough for a Friday post. In consolation, here’s a picture of an eggplant that looks like Richard Nixon to get your adrenaline pumping:

That was enjoyable, wasn’t it?

Rosh Hashana begins on Sunday night, and the last day you can get your orders in for our special L’Shanah Tovah cupcake (plus others) or Pomegranate Walnut brownie is TODAY. We’re delivering on Sunday afternoon after 3pm, pick-ups will be available at Robicelli’s at Gourmet Guild by early evening. 

If you’re looking to place an order for a party next month- the entire October schedule is already up. You may notice that even though we’re known for releasing new flavors relatively regularly, we’re pretty much not doing that at all this fall. We just have so many seasonal flavors we love- including Matt’s favorite (Pecan Pie) and mine (Butternut Spice)- and such a limited time to release them all (til Thanksgiving), that we’re putting a hold on our MASSIVE development list (because seriously, there’s a good amount of flavors still on deck)(also we’re skimping on new flavors- but NOT on parenthesis. We’re still chock full of those).  Maybe next year we’ll release a few, but this year? You guys need more opportunities to make love to Tarte Bourdelou and Sweet Potato Casserole and all those other good ones that came and went so quickly last year.

You know, it just occurred to me- what if that eggplant really was Richard Nixon? Like, one minute you’re the President of the United States, then you’re publicly disgraced, and next thing you know you get reincarnated as an eggplant and end up in some guys hero covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella.  What if this happens to all the Presidents?!?!?! Is anyone out there on the internet looking into this? (ok- it’s officially time for me to shut the laptop and get some sleep)(or it’s time to stay up all night looking for corn on the cob that looks like Gerald Ford)

Clockwise from front: Bourbon Caramel Apple, Turtle, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Tiramisu

Bourbon Caramel Apple: Apple cake, bourbon salted caramel buttercream, roasted apple, bourbon caramel salt

Turtle: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted pecans, ganache, salted caramel buttercream

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, crushed chocolate covered espresso beans

Tiramisu: Espresso soaked cake, espresso ganache, mascarpone buttercream, cocoa powder

I can’t write a lengthy Tumblr today because I’m totally busy working on something in MS Paint. More soon. 

Also, I don’t know if MS Paint needs a spokesperson, but that should TOTALLY be me. I can totally vouch how with several hours of hard work, anyone can make a drawing that looks like it was crafted by a very, very dumb child. OR a very, very smart monkey! Yeah, that last one sounds totally better.

Clockwise from front: Bourbon Caramel Apple, Pecan Potato Chip, Chocolate Graham, Pumpkin Spice Latte

Bourbon Caramel Apple: Apple cake, bourbon salted caramel buttercream, roasted apple, bourbon salted caramel

Pecan Potato Chip: Potato chip cake, vanilla buttercream, roasted pecan, crushed potato chips, salted butterscotch

Chocolate Graham: Chocolate cake, graham cracker buttercream, ganache, graham crumbs

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, crushed chocolate espresso beans

At this time two years ago Matt and I were broke, almost homeless and begging for food.  We had two clients, Hom and Blue Apron, and were selling maybe 120 cupcakes on a good week.  That Christmas, I had to ask my mom for money so I would be able to buy presents for my family.  My parents would send over leftover food so we never went hungry, and never made it seem like charity.  My extended family, who owns the building we live in, allowed us to stay rent-free until we could get back on our feet.  

This Thanksgiving, we are back on our feet.  We have a new store. We are working on a book.  We’ve in stores through Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island.  We are making jobs for this country. And we are growing faster than we can keep up sometimes.

I am incredibly thankful for my parents, who even though it pained them to watch me go to hell and back, stood behind me and supported us 100% every step of the way.  If it wasn’t for them, this company wouldn’t function.  They are always there when we need them, helping raise our kids, backing us up when we need help being in six places at the same time, letting us sleep on their floor when our apartment floods (only twice this year!), and still making sure we eat well (we’re Italian- it’s what we do).

I am thankful for all the people who have helped us believe in ourselves, lent us a hand so we could keep going, gave us an “in” where they could, and sat there and listened during every nervous breakdown and panic attack I’ve had.

I am thankful my children still love me, even though we are not typical parents, and we don’t live a typical life.  I am thankful they are turning out to be such amazing little boys, no doubt thanks not only to Matt and myself, but the vast number of people who pitch in to help raise them on a daily basis.

I am thankful to Matt for staying married to me, because I know that I’m nuts and a pain in the ass, but he still loves me.  He also makes me laugh harder than anyone on earth, challenges me as a chef and a human being, and is pretty much the best dad in the whole wide world.  I never for a second forget just how lucky I am.

And most of all, I am thankful for YOU. Because you guys are our everything.  Seriously.  You have been supporting us, rooting for us, inspiring us and making us believe we could do this since day one.  We want to be the best at what we do because you deserve nothing but the best- I don’t think we’ll ever stop being in awe of the fact that people are fanatical about the food that we make.  It is a gigantic honor to be allowed to feed someone, and we are humbled by it.

We love you guys so much. Happy Thanksgiving.

Clockwise from front: The Ebinger, Pumpkin Pie, Bourbon Caramel Apple, Sweet Potato Casserole, Pumpkin Spice Latte

NEW! Sweet Potato Casserole: Sweet potato cake, toasted marshmallow buttercream, turbinado sugar

Pumpkin Pie: Pumpkin cake, vanilla buttercream, crushed pie dough

Bourbon Caramel Apple: Apple cake, bourbon salted caramel buttercream, roasted apple, bourbon caramel sauce

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, fall spiced chocolate covered espresso beans

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge, cake crumbs

AVAILABLE AT:

Robicelli’s at Union Square Holiday Market

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: 138 Willoughby Street, Downtown Brooklyn

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: 76th Street and Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

Hom: Third Avenue & 88th Street, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

Blue Apron Foods: Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

Joe Columbia University: West 120th Street btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Red Hook Lobster Pound (Whoopie Pies Only)

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Well we’re here- the first day in a good long while where I will not be nagging you about Thanksgiving ordering, because now that window has closed.  But fear not!  In only a few short days, I shall be harassing you incessantly about holiday ordering!  

If there’s one thing Sicilian-blooded women are really good at doing, it’s nagging. I’m really just making my ancestors proud- I can’t help it.

We had a FANTASTIC opening weekend at Union Square, and loved seeing so many friendly faces return (especially all our friends from Madison Square Eats whom we’ve missed so much!).  However, the downside to these markets for me is that as much as I love seeing all of you, I REALLY miss my kids.  And they apparently have missed me too, because they’re in bed with me right now and won’t leave, and I feel too guilty to kick them out.  I’m trying to explain to them about how I really DO need to work right now, and they want to help so I can get done earlier so we can get back to cuddling (how do I say no to logic like that?).  

So without further adieu, here is Toby’s first contribution to the Robicelli’s blog!

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Toby Beckett Robicelli ladies and gentlemen!  Only three years old and still writes a better Tumblr than I do half the time (and much better than the one I let the cat do).  He’ll be running this company one day!

Now to run and get to cuddling.  But first, here’s the flavors, and what do you know it’s the Thanksgiving ones!  That’s right, we know how many of you are the last minute types, or the renegades who are all “I don’t need to preorder- I live on the edge! I take my chances when it comes to things like dessert!”.  We know you better than you know yourself sometimes, don’t we.

To ensure you all get what you need this week, the entire Thanksgiving menu will be available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at all our locations (plus some extras at Union & DeKalb).  Thanksgiving isn’t a time for recklessness.  It’s a time for calories and napping.  

And for thanks…..that too.

Clockwise from front: The Ebinger, Pumpkin Pie, Bourbon Caramel Apple, Sweet Potato Casserole, Pumpkin Spice Latte

NEW! Sweet Potato Casserole: Sweet potato cake, toasted marshmallow buttercream, turbinado sugar

Pumpkin Pie: Pumpkin cake, vanilla buttercream, crushed pie dough

Bourbon Caramel Apple: Apple cake, bourbon salted caramel buttercream, roasted apple, bourbon caramel sauce

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, fall spiced chocolate covered espresso beans

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge, cake crumbs

AVAILABLE AT:

Robicelli’s at Union Square Holiday Market

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

Aloha Grinds: 77th Street and Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: 76th Street and Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza Cafes: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Cake Shop: Ludlow Street btwn Stanton & Rivington, LES

Sons of Essex: Essex Street btwn Stanton & Rivington, LES

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

Joe Columbia University: West 120th Street btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Red Hook Lobster Pound (Whoopie Pies Only)

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

The 21st is finally here, which means it is out LAST DAY OF MADISON SQUARE EATS.  We don’t have any wholesale outlets in that neighborhood, so in theory this may be the last you see of us in Flatiron til next spring.  

*sniff*.….we’ll miss you so much………..

But if you can’t make it for our last day, you can always catch us on Sunday at

The Grub Street Food Festival at The Hester Street Fair! We’ll be serving Ionas, Ebingers, Butternut Spice, lots and lots of brownies, and……

CHICKEN N’WAFFLES!

And to answer this question in advance: YES, that’s real chicken. Please please pleeeeaaaasssseee do not come up to us this weekend and ask us if it’s real chicken.  It’s called “Chicken n’Waffles”.  Our menu says “Topped with a piece of buttermilk soaked fried chicken coated in maple syrup”.  It has been in Food and Wine, it has been on the Today Show, and there is very obviously a piece of chicken on top of it.  We would not have done all of this if it was actually a piece of octopus, or toast, or a rock. It’s chicken. We can move on.

Also, YES, it’s really good. I don’t understand why we are constantly asked this question.  Why would we make it if it was disgusting? It’s good. It’s better than good. It’s far and away our most popular cupcake.  We are not trying to poison you America- you need to trust us.

If you would like to ask us any of the other popular questions we are asked about this cupcake, such as “No really- is it chicken?”, or “Seriously? NO! It’s not chicken. What is it?”, or “Do people buy that?”, then please head on over to our Facebook page and ask us.  We’re happy to help!

In the meantime, we’ve got these awesome cupcakes at our retailers, DeKalb, and Madison! And they are also delicious!

Clockwise from front: Pumpkin Spice Latter, Sweet Potato Cake, The Julia, German Chocolate

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, fall spiced chocolate covered espresso beans

Sweet Potato Cake: Sweet potato cake, vanilla buttercream, brown butter bourbon glazed pecans

The Julia: Pear brandy cake, brandy buttercream, brandy snap cookies

German Chocolate: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted coconut

Available at:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: Corner of Flatbush & Willoughby, Downtown Brooklyn

Robicelli’s at Madison Square Eats: Corner of 25th Street & 5th Avenue, Flatiron District

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

Aloha Grinds: 76th and Third Ave, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: 76th and Third Ave, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Ave off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Blue Apron Foods: Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope

Court Street Grocers: Court Street off Luquer, Carroll Gardens

Eastern District: Manhattan Ave off Eagle Street, Greenpoint

Brooklyn Standard: Nassau & Jewel, Greenpoint

Cake Shop: Ludlow St btwn Standon & Rivington, LES

Jem: Broadway off Franklin Street, TriBeCa

Joe Columbia University: West 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island 

Red Hook Lobster Pound: Van Brunt Street, Red Hook; Brooklyn Flea; Smorgasburg; Roving Food Truck (Whoopie Pies Only)

Aaaaaannnnd I’m done.

Seriously, I am at the point where I don’t think I can perform a single iota of more work. Today I worked on the book proposal (getting there), fought with MS Word (getting nowhere), answered about 5000 emails, booked 5 weddings for next year, made some modifications to the website……you ever get to a point where you’re pretty sure you’ve heard a part of your brain pop? I’m there.

I’m in bed watching the Golden Girls. I can’t bring myself to do a damn thing more. So since I’ve checked out, I’m bringing a guest star onto the blog.

Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you the very reason the internet was invented! A duck eating a Pizza Hut pizza!

Now- cupcakes! Remember there’s only three more days at Madison Square Eats, so hurry Manhattan!

Clockwise from front: Sweet Potato Pie, Pumpkin Spice Latter, Bea Arthur, Maple Walnut

Sweet Potato Pie: Sweet potato cake, vanilla buttercream, maple bourbon pecans

Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, fall spiced ground chocolate covered espresso beans

Bea Arthur: Black coffee infused chocolate cake, cheesecake buttercream, espresso ganache

Maple Walnut: Maple walnut cake, vanilla buttercream, maple glazed walnuts

Available at:

Robicelli’s at Madison Square Eats: Corner of 25th and 5th, Flatiron District

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: 138 Willoughby Street, Unit #18, Downtown Brooklyn

Hom: Third Avenue and 88th Street, Bay Ridge

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off Third Avenue, Bay Ridge

Blue Apron Foods: Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope

Tazza: Henry Street off Atlantic AND Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

Radish: Bedford Avenue off North 8th, Williamsburg

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook (Whoopie Pies Only)

The day has finally arrived…..at 11am today, we will be open for an entire month on the corner of 25th and 5th as a part of Madison Square Eats!

In case you didn’t know by now, fall is my absolute favorite season.  And my favorite part of my favorite season is an official Robicelli holiday: “Apple Picking Day”.  Since I was a kid, one day in October we’d drive to an orchard either upstate or in Jersey, eat donuts, drink cider, and pick bags upon bags of apples that we’d take home and let rot in the bottom of the fridge.  It’s not really about the apples- it’s about that magic you feel when the air gets a certain cool crispness to it, how you feel when you wrap your hands around a warm mug and inhale the vapors of hot apple cider, how you are suddenly compelled to listen to acoustic singer-songwriters all the time as you snuggle under a blanket in front of the fire- or in my case growing up in Brooklyn, in front of a metal radiator who’s surface is the approximate temperature of the sun.

When we designed our Madison space, we wanted to make something that felt completely out of place in the slick, fashionable Flatiron district.  Something more homespun and cute- like when you go into the farm store to pay for your apples, and they have those cutesy signs that say “Bless this Mess”, checkered curtains and lots of things that have ducks printed all over them (why do people from the country like ducks so much?).  A city girl’s imagining of Americana- a world where people leave their doors unlocked, milk comes in glass bottles, one in three people is wearing overalls, everyone knows how to whittle, and folks are always stopping what they’re doing to have spontaneous hoedowns.  

We wanted to carve out a tiny little sliver of NYC and make it so when you came to visit us, if you covered your ears and squinted a bit while unfocusing your eyes and making everything a little blurry, you’d feel like you were in one of those country stores upstate.  Then you can buy a whole bunch of cupcakes or brownies, sit in Madison Square under the changing leaves in your fuzzy sweater, and listen to Willie Nelson on your IPod.  Even though we’re selling sweets instead of apples, we wanted to give you a chance to experience Apple Picking Day every day, if even for only just a few minutes.

And DO NOT FORGET about those spontaneous hoedowns, people.  We better be looking across 5th Avenue at all of you in the park, a-hootin’ and a-hollerin’.  

Madison will be serving brownies, whoopie pies, and rotation cupcakes- plus getting all the special DeKalb flavors on the weekends.  And here’s what you’ll be seeing tomorrow!

NEW! Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, fall spiced chocolate covered espresso beans

RETURNING AFTER OVER 2 YEARS IN THE VAULT!

The Duckie: Peanut cake, peanut butter pudding, marshmallow buttercream, roasted peanuts

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge, cake crumbs

Irish Coffee: Bailey’s espresso cake and buttercream, ground white and dark chocolates

Available at:

BROOKLYN

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: Flatbush Avenue Extension & Willoughby, Downtown Brooklyn

Aloha Grinds: Third Avenue & 76th Street, Bay Ridge

Cafe at Sam’s Bakery: 94th Street off 3rd Avenue, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: Third Avenue & 76th Street, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Ave off 9th Street, Park Slope

Blue Apron Foods: Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope

Court Street Grocers: Court Street off Luquer, Carroll Gardens

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry off Atlantic, Brookyn Heights

Eastern District: Manhattan Ave off Eagle Street, Greenpoint

Brooklyn Standard: Nassau Street off Jewel Street, Greenpoint

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook- Brooklyn Flea, Fort Greene- Smorgasburg, Williamsburg- Roving Food Truck (Whoopie Pies Only)

MANHATTAN

Robicelli’s at Madison Square Eats: Corner of 25th St and 5th Ave, Flatiron District

Cake Shop: Ludlow Street btwn Stanton & Rivington, LES

Battery Place Market: 77 Batter Place, Battery Park City

LONG ISLAND

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Yesterday, Zagat released it’s list of the 140 Foodie Twitter Accounts to Follow, and guess who made the list?

NOT US.

That’s because you make cupcakes! Don’t you know they’re over now? You were bumped for the artisan herring people.

Once again, snubbed for the genius content I put out on a daily basis in less than 140 characters, like when I offer special discounts at DeKalb Market, or that time I showed you guys pictures James Beard’s bathroom with the floor to ceiling coke-mirrors and closet full of polished river rocks, or when I’m at the vegetable store and I see an eggplant that looks like a fat man with a big nose hugging a baby koala and need to show you all a photo of it.  And let’s not forget the epic time I live-tweeted Circus of the Stars 1985 because I really didn’t want to work on my business plan (still not done, btw).

Sure, any chef can tweet out their specials, but it takes a certain type of crazy to share the crap I do.  If it wasn’t for Twitter, you never would have experienced Bea Arthur in a sliver lame tree skirt, seeing where James Beard used to tinkle, or the fat man eggplant.  Are those the sort of things you want to be missing in life, Zagat?  Really, why do I even bother to do things if I’m not going to be lauded with endless praise and attention for every single little freaking thing?!?!?!  HUH, ZAGAT!?!?!??! WHY DO I EVEN TRY ANYMORE?!?!?!

**sniff**…..it’s so lonely outside of the top one hundred and forty. So terribly cold and lonely.

Anyway…..I should probably talk about cupcakes or something. Everything will be ok, Al.  Keep telling yourself that.

Moving on…..

A big HELLO to all our new friends out in Patchogue, who helped Queen City Cupcakes sell out during the first two days of her super-soft opening!  New cupcakes should be arriving at any moment! (See! Long Island loves me, ZAGAT!). And she’s planning a Grand Opening for early October, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

We are still looking for new locations in Long Island and Queens since we have the new delivery route, so if there’s a place you patronize where you can help us make the introduction, either email me at Allison at Robicellis dot com, or even better, send us a note on Facebook.  If you help us bring cupcakes to your neck of the woods, we’ll give you a few dozen on us as a commission! 

And speaking of soft openings- we’ll have one on Friday when we set up at Madison Square Eats- the month long food pop-up in the middle of, well, Madison Square. For all you people who are always bemoaning how we don’t have enough Manhattan locations (blame your traffic which makes deliveries hell on earth), we’ll have a shop there for an entire month.  Then we’ll close down for a bit and move 10 blocks south to Union Square for the holidays.  

Does this mean we’ll be opening a shop in Manhattan one day? I honestly don’t know.  We said that we wouldn’t even consider going into retail again until the kids were in school, and we opened DeKalb sort of as a trial since they just started preschool.  Next year is Kindergarten, and we didn’t realize that time was sneaking up on us so fast.  We’ve been talking about it a lot recently, but it’s very theoretical- really, we’re going to see how successful Madison and Union Squares are, how stressful they are, and take it from there.

If ANYONE was under the assumption that it was easy trying to do the right thing by your family while simultaneously running a business, you are so so sooooo wrong.

What we still love, and will always love, is wholesale. It lets us be in lots of places at once, lets us bring cupcakes to people in different ethnic neighborhoods, different boroughs, and now even to Long Island.  And it allows these delicious cupcakes you see to be closer to you!

Clockwise from front: Boston Cream, The Ebinger, Pumpkin Spice Latte, German Chocolate

NEW!!! Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pumpkin cake, espresso mascarpone buttercream, chocolate covered espresso beans with fall spices

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, homemade fudge glaze

German Chocolate: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted coconut

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, homemade fudge glaze, cake crumbs

Available at:

Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market: 138 Willoughby Street, Downtown Brooklyn

Hom: 3rd Avenue and 88th Street, Bay Ridge

Bagel Schmagel: Third Avenue & 76th Street, Bay Ridge

Blue Apron: Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope

Tazza: Henry Street off Atlantic AND Clark Street off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

Flying Saucer Cafe: Atlantic Avenue btwn 3rd Ave & Nevins, Boerum Hill

Radish: Bedford Ave & N8th Street, Williamsburg

Brooklyneer: 220 West Houston Street, West Village

Joe at Columbia University: West 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam, Morningside Heights

Battery Place Market: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchouge, Long Island NY

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook and Roving Food Truck  *Classic Whoopie Pies only*

Also at DeKalb Market: 

Cupcakes: Banana Cashew, Maple Walnut, Bourbon Caramel Apple, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel, Butterbeer, Horchata 

Whoopie Pies: Classic, Nutella w/Hazelnut Praline

Brownies: Toasted Almond, Classic with Sea Salt, The Moverley

Marshmallows by Kitty Lee Thomas: Banana Fluffernut