New York Press
October 14, 2003

GABRIELLA GERSHENSON

 

Cookie baking season is beginning, and along with the supremely edible moist-and-chewy-practically-falling-apart-tender-fresh-baked variety lie those at the other end of the spectrum–seasonal novelty biscuits, often shaped like Christmas trees, turkeys or jack o’ lanterns, that for all of their bright icing and cellophane covering are about as appetizing as that sachet of Jordan almonds from your second cousin’s bridal shower.

Thus we have long been resigned to the fact that while some sweets are meant to be enjoyed, others are to be acknowledged for their festive contributions–and not much else.

When Bertilla Baker (yes, that’s really her last name) elected to start her own decorative cookie business, which she named–of course–The Artful Baker, she knew that she was going to have to prove herself.

Baker, a petite woman with strawberry-blond hair and pretty blue eyes, recently told me over an oatmeal cookie at Amy’s Bread, "When you buy those decorative cookies, they don’t taste very good. We want to make a superlative cookie."

Along with her charismatic partner, Sharon Wilkins, the ladies behind The Artful Baker are no strangers to having to show what they’ve got. Both women are Broadway performers and met one another singing in the choir, Broadway Inspirational Voices. Wilkins, who describes her roles in films such as Two Weeks Notice and Maid in Manhattan as "the heavy-set black woman" (which was actually her character’s title in Bad Boys II) was made 50 percent partner in the business when Baker wanted to step it up from bake sale to wholesale.

"I decided last year, Christmas, that it was time to do it in earnest," says Baker.

"Bust Out Bertilla," which is how, according to Wilkins, they refer to the vocally endowed Baker in their choir, pulled out all the stops in order to make certain that she had the best-tasting and highest-quality decorative cookies on the market. Natural ingredients such as the intensely delicious muscavado dark brown sugar from Africa (try it sometime in your coffee) and fresh-squeezed ginger juice, give Bust Out’s decorated gingerbread a deep flavor unusual for such a prissy sweet.

"Next to the mixer I have two juicers," reports Ms. Baker. "One for lemons and a Champion juicer for ginger."

These days, the pair is hard at work filling orders for the holidays. Their cookies, which are also available in a very good shortbread, will appear in seasonal shapes such as gingerbread people, pumpkins, bats, owls, ornaments and autumn leaves, at the upscale Manhattan stores Tartare, Winstead’s, Marche Madison, K & D Fancy Foods and Le Petit Chateau. Their signature floral disks–round cookies with brightly colored icing and dainty flowers–are available year-round. At $7 per cookie, they also come at Broadway prices.

At the mention of autumn leaves, one of Wilkins’ favorite designs, she and Baker burst into song–"The autumn leaves were falling…" You can catch these two exercising their choral chops in a Broadway Inspirational Voices benefit with Patti La Belle and Star Jones at Town Hall on October 19.

Wilkins, who owned "at least" two Easy-Bake Ovens when she was a girl, said that apart from her dream to act, she always wanted to own a sweet shop. "We’re determined," she says. "If we can make it in show business, we can definitely make it in the cookie business."

The Artful Baker
212-695-0426