Wildly Cakes & Flour Power: 3 Westchester Bakers Open Retail Shops Amidst a Pandemic

Take three bakers. Mix in a pandemic that has us craving carbs and sweets. Sprinkle in some dedicated followers. That’s the recipe for two new bakeries that recently opened in Westchester – Wildly Cakes in Dobbs Ferry and Flour Power in Pelham.

In December Wildly Cakes opened its doors. Maria Ramirez is the baker behind her wild cake creations (prompting the name), and the success of her online business prompted her to take the next step. Ramirez started out in customer service at bakeries and wended her way into baking -- moving into cake decorating, earning her Certificate of Pastry Arts from NYC’s International Culinary Center, and building an online presence. “During quarantine I really saw an increase in my online ordering and realized I needed a commercial kitchen.” While Ramirez would have loved to open in White Plains, where she’s a resident, she found the rents too high so she found space on the main thoroughfare in Dobbs Ferry. “The community’s been so welcoming,” she reports.

While continuing to create her amazing cakes (check her out on Instagram @wildlycakes), Ramirez has branched beyond those in her shop. There’s everything ranging from croissants to cannolis, from ubiquitous hot chocolate bombs to perfectly tart lemon squares. “I want to offer baked goods from a wide variety of cultures and tastes,” Ramirez says. She’ll be collaborating on pop-ups with a number of other bakers – look for appearances from Mad Donuts (where Ramirez worked prior to its closing) and Britt & Co. Bagels. 

Pelham’s Flour Power, which opened last month, is a partnership between Miranda Bucciero and Lauren Gibaldi, who graduated together and bonded at Johnson & Wales. They also started from an online business (check out their Instagram @flourpowerny) and Gibaldi says, “Our online sales exploded during the pandemic and we were producing much more than we could comfortably do out of a home kitchen.” She’s currently living in Brooklyn with plans to move to Westchester soon and Bucciero lives in White Plains. The pair focused on Southern Westchester when they decided to open a shop and loved the feel of Pelham. “People are so happy to see a new business opening at this time,” Bucciero says. She notes that the primary purpose of a bakery is to help people share milestones – whether it be a great report card, a birthday, or an anniversary. Of course, Gibaldi notes, “We do also have people lined up in their cars in the mornings to get our croissants fresh out of the ovens.”  Croissants and cupcakes are the big sellers here, but Flour Power also does a brisk business with their dream bars (they are dreamy) and cookies that remain popular online. In store there are specials galore, great gluten-free options, and sweet merchandise such as candles that smell like your fave baked good. 

For Valentine’s Day, the cases at Flour Power will be decked in pink and red and there’ll be plenty of chocolate covered goodies such as Oreos and strawberries, red velvet cupcakes and cakes, and heart-shaped cookies. At Wildly Cakes customers will find such Valentine’s Day treats as mini strawberry mousse cakes, breakable chocolate hearts, and there’ll be cookie kits to do some decorating at home.

Wildly Cakes, 218 Ashford Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, www.wildlycakes.com

Flour Power, 4668 Boston Post Road, Pelham, www.flourpowerny.com