Scratch Bakeshop opens on Park Ave.
Park Avenue just got a little sweeter.
After a year of custom orders and growing popularity on Instagram, Scratch Bakeshop opened a store at Park Avenue and Meigs Street. Co-owners Molly Hartley and Kate Cassels threw a grand opening party Sunday to celebrate a day they have long been waiting for.
"It's totally surreal," said 26-year-old Hartley. "I've always been a believer in thinking positive and trying to manifest your reality — and it's really coming together just the way I've always imagined it."
Scratch Bakeshop was packed with patrons eager to try cake truffle samples — regular, gluten free and vegan — from the free dessert bar, mingle and take silly pictures with inflatable cupcakes at a photo booth in the back of the store.
"It feels like stepping into a bakery in New York City — young, fresh and energetic," said Amy LaRussa, 51, of Brighton, who said she had been looking forward to the opening since she ordered one of their custom vegan cakes for her birthday.
While the bakery carries traditional sweets like macaroons and mini-pies, the vast vegan and gluten-free selection seemed to make a good impression on foodies with different dietary needs.
"This rocks, it is so rich," said Charles Worl, 24, of Mumford when he bit into a vegan chocolate chip cookie. "It's been hit or miss at other bakeries so I've been looking for a dependable cookie source."
The festivities at Scratch Bakeshop felt more like a holiday party than an opening since the owners had already established their brand and reputation in the community through classes, social media and word of mouth.
"We went to their cake decorating class at the Rochester Brainery in September, said Lauren Stucki, 26, of Rochester. "They said they were opening a bakery so we've been following them on Facebook and waiting anxiously for them to open."
Cyndi Gowan, 38, of Brighton has custom ordered lots of items from the bakery and was impressed by the overall skill and workmanship.
"Their cakes are some of my favorite cakes and we are kind of bakery snobs," she joked as her son ate a New York shaped cookie (Rochester was marked with a red heart, of course). "Some bakers can do cakes, frosting, or filling — but here they do a miraculous job of pulling it all together."
Hartley said she and Cassels have a strong partnership because their differences complement one another.
Hartley likes baking with color and sparkles, while Cassels likes baking in black and white. Hartley went to culinary school, Cassels went for art and design. The pair used a Kickstarter campaign in October 2013 to raise $10,000 to put toward commercial-grade equipment and to help pay their lease. Hartley and Cassels currently don't take a profit for themselves and plan to keep their full-time jobs until Scratch Bakeshop takes off a little more.
"This is an overwhelming opening," said Laura Wilkinson, 32, of Rochester, who came to support the new local business. "If this is any indication of how it will be, I'm excited for them!"
NUPADHYE@Gannett.com
Twitter.com/Neeti_U