Brooklyn Life

Citing Stresses of City, Beloved Bakers the Robicellis Leave Brooklyn for Baltimore

Allison and Matt Robicelli, lifelong Brooklynites known for their creative cupcakes (chicken and waffles, anyone?) and Cronut-level novelties like Nutellasagna, are closing up their Bay Ridge shop and moving their family to Baltimore. The company’s wholesale business, which distributes to shops around the city, will stay in NYC, but the bakery, at 9009 5th Avenue…

by Laura Leebove

10/27/2015 4

The company’s wholesale business, which distributes to shops around the city, will stay in NYC, but the bakery, at 9009 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, will close on Christmas Eve, Allison Robicelli told Brooklyn Magazine.

“The costs of everything just got to a point where we had to ask ourselves, ‘Is this really worth it? Is this what we want from our lives?'” she said.

There are no set plans for the move to Baltimore, but Robicelli said they have a developer and a partner, and are “99 percent certain” they’ll be leaving Brooklyn within the next year.

They’ll be missed in Bay Ridge, not only for the cupcakes and other sweet treats, but for their commitment to the community — they led weeks of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts — and their willingness to open a shop not in one of the borough’s trendiest neighborhoods, but in the place they live.

The shop opened in 2013, but the duo was already well known for its longtime wholesale bakery business. They also ran Robicelli’s Gourmet Market in Bay Ridge from 2008 to 2009.

Robicelli’s was regularly featured in lists of the city’s best desserts, and Allison has done countless cooking demos on networks like the Cooking Channel and VH1.

The couple released a cookbook, Robicelli’s: a Love Story, with Cupcakes, in 2013, a self-proclaimed “recession survival story.” They wrote about the struggles of running a mom-and-pop business in Bay Ridge. It’s sad to see those hurdles couldn’t be overcome.

Allison blamed the rising costs of living and change throughout the city for the closure, but no single event such as increased rent.

“I can’t keep telling my kids they can be whatever they want when they grow up, then have them look at their parents working 60 to 70 hours a week to pay their bills. To have them know they’ll have to work on Wall Street to have a good life, or else work two or three jobs,” she told Brooklyn Magazine. “The city we grew up in is gone. And if it’s coming back, it won’t be in time for them.”

Update: Allison Robicelli took to Twitter to give further explanation on the move and the shop’s remaining months:

Being succinct: you'll still find our stuff in NYC. It's going to get easier. Without the shop over our heads, we get to do more stuff.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

I just spent the last few hours working with the chef of a new wine/small bites/dessert bar. We're making the last part of that.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

Had two other meetings this week with other well known Brooklyn food concepts about launching new products through them.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

And, yes, Baltimore. That's happening next fall. We're moving down there, but will still have a wholesale kitchen up here.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

Robicelli's retail shops will only be opening in Baltimore and the surrounding areas, because we have PARTNERS! No more us doing EVERYTHING!

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

I've said it a million times: want us to open in your hood/city/country? Make us a good offer. Now, somebody did. We're stoked!

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

We're going to be making jobs. Investing in communities. Making people smile. Easy to do when space goes for less than $20 sq/ft

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

But let's talk final days in Bay Ridge. Last day is Christmas Eve. Thanksgiving ordering is open on our website, & yes, we will sell out.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

Week of thanksgiving, open. Closed thanksgiving day and Black Friday. Then 7 days a week til Christmas Eve.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

Then we move into a kitchen in an industrial zone where it's far cheaper to produce things. Not moving to Baltimore til summer.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

Projected opening of the Maryland commissary is next fall. But I'm not giving firm anythings because if you make plans, God laughs.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

There will be more Baltimore news in January. Lot is everything news, in fact. And cool new projects announced in the next few weeks!

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

But for now, let's focus on saying goodbye to the shop, and with it, my four minute commute. Will miss that.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

Truth: we are happy again. Really, really happy. We're B2B people. I don't need panic attacks bc someone forgot to order straws.

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015

This is the final weekend for the Pain au Halloween- the croissants we stuffed w/ candy Good kickoff to goodbyes! pic.twitter.com/4rC24Q6skm

— robicellis (@robicellis) October 27, 2015