Quality Cakes and More Define Carousel Cakes

      It's good to know Carousel Cakes in Nanuet (845-627-2323) and Cupcakes by Carousel in Ridgewood, NJ (201-389-3090) are within driving distance of my Bloomfield, New Jersey home.

      I just tried a slice (okay, two – okay, three!) of their extremely popular red velvet cake, and – you know where I'm going with this.

      According to owner Nancy Finkelstein," We are very strong on chocolate cakes, especially our chocolate mousse supreme and, of course, my New York cheesecake."

      Wow -- I'm in the car now!

      Carousel Cakes is currently run by Nancy, who handles sales and marketing; her brother Howy, who is in charge of production and the Ridgewood location, where 25 varieties of cupcakes are made; Nancy's husband David, who keeps his eyes on the finances; and third generation and current office manager, Nancy's daughter Jillian. 25 employees work inside the 6,000 square feet, Nanuet location, including mom Marilyn, age 80, who works on holidays by choice.

      I recently visited the wholesale location, and saw the operation in action. All that help is needed.

      "We each have our specific responsibilities, which make a family business easier and more efficient. We have a factory outlet store in Nanuet with close to wholesale prices, we also have a web store where you can ship the cakes nationwide, and we also have our first retail store in Ridgewood specializing in cupcakes."

      This is "endless procession to the counter" stuff, and the story has humble beginnings. Nancy and Howy's dad, Martin, orphaned at a young age, developed a sweet tooth. "Every year he would hang around the bakers and, when he was 16, the baker asked him if he would like to learn to bake. He went from hotel to hotel learning as much as he could." His vision was to open his own business someday, and that vision became a reality when Martin opened an Orangeburg bakery. When his health began to fail, Howy and Nancy bought the business wholesale 30 years ago with many of my Martin's original recipes. The business operated in Orangeburg, and then moved to its current location in 1986.

      Carousel Cakes is a unique concept where each cake is baked fresh and then frozen. Gourmet cakes come in 7" and 10" sizes starting at $14.50 up to $29.00. When you need a cake, visit the store, and you'll have it. Within an hour, the cake defrosts, and is ready to enjoy – as if fresh out of the oven. ("People request frozen cakes even when we have just baked ones," claims Nancy). Sheet and occasion cakes are also available, as are homemade pies, brownies, blondies and bars, cookies and cupcakes.

      Carousel Cakes is also a very busy place, for a very good reason: its customers, many who are regulars. And they love the product. "We have hundreds of customers, a very loyal following for many years. Some of our customers were kids in Orangeburg who have fond memories, and now are feeding our cakes to their families."

      "Just to help and to see all the customers my Mom has known over the years is wonderful. We started selling one chocolate fudge rum cake in New York City and said we would be the happiest people if we could sell 100 cakes a week. Hard to believe 30 years later, we're still going stronger than ever!"

      And speaking of strong, nothing matches the sales during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. Get those orders in, and pick up your cakes early.

      Is retirement every a consideration for the Carousel Cake folks? "No," responds Nancy, "it's what we do. Cakes make people happy. The industry is always changing; desserts put a smile on people's faces. Eventually we would like to retire, of course, but it's a hard but fun, happy business."

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