Local Flavor: Lulu's Custom Cakes Is Love at First Bite for Brides

Brides with Champagne tastes and Prosecco budgets are in luck! (Those with Carlo Rossi budgets, the jury’s still out.)

Lulu’s Custom Cakes of Scarsdale will happily swoop in as a bride’s knight in shining armor – or construct one, out of crème fraiche vanilla cake and layers of dulce de leche buttercream, should the need arise.  

“We provide a really competitive price point for hand-crafted, custom-made wedding cakes,” Vanessa Alsondo, Lulu’s manager, told Scarsdale Patch. “We also put real care into each client’s experience. We want everyone to leave here feeling happy and taken care of.” 

Lulu’s harks back to a more civilized, pre-Bridezilla era, in which engaged ladies were visions of elegance, refinement and elevated taste instead of whirlwinds of tacky, screechy chaos. Lulu’s exudes Zen calm and fun-loving whimsy, and a glance in the window reveals classic tiered wedding cakes that embrace avant-garde artistic flourishes, without being aggressively outré.

Accolades are posted on the wall behind a counter brimming with confections that look as good as they taste: awards from every regional publication – and even some props from everyone’s culinary lodestar, the Food Network – speak volumes about the store’s commitment to deliciousness and customer service.

Not in the market for a five-tier fondant experience? No prob. Lulu’s also has a treasure trove of treats to delight the fussiest sweetzilla.  

On a typical Sunday morning, Alsondo is perched behind her desk, which is literally and figuratively an extension of Lulu’s colorful counter display. She and her colleague Sarah split managerial duties, and both bear the dual mantle of interpreting and designing the bride’s sugary illusions. 

“Sarah or I will sit down with the bride and go over her ideas,” Alsondo said, thumbing through thick portfolios of Lulu’s delectable-looking custom cakes. “Sometimes, she’ll come in with her own stack of photos, and we’ll execute anything that’s physically feasible, but even if we’re going from a model of another cake, we try to inject the couple’s personality in there somewhere. We want to make sure every cake we produce is unique, and that the couple feels like their lives are somehow reflected in the cake itself.” 

Lofty talk for a little more than a conglomeration of flour, eggs, milk and butter? Who knows? But if you are what you eat, Lulu’s is onto something. 

“Right now, we’re working on a wedding for a couple who bonded over the Super Mario Video Game,” Alsondo said, laughing. “It’s going to be a gorgeous cake! We’re making a classic white cake with graphic elements that reflect the characters in the game in fondant.” 

Alsondo and Sarah use their pastry and art backgrounds to sketch their conceptual visions of sugar-plums, get the approval of the happy couple and then turn over the designs-in-work to the kitchen, where theory gets spun into substance.

The brains and brawn that served as the impetus for Lulu’s resides in the duo in the kitchen, Alsondo tells Scarsdale Patch. Jay Muse and Victor Gonzalez opened the shop in Scarsdale 10 years ago (they now have a “very successful” new outfit in Manhattan devoted to traditional patisserie and a kosher custom cake kitchen in Brooklyn), and they have always devoted the vast majority of the time to making and expediting Lulu’s trademark creations.

“It really is an act of engineering sometimes,” Alsondo said. “Jay and Victor put an incredible amount of energy and creativity into making each cake for the client. We get all kinds of requests and we try to accommodate all of them. If it’s physically possible to turn it into a cake, we’ll do it.”

Lulu’s also has an amazing array of handheld retro treats, from homemade chocolate dipped Yodels to white chocolate covered red velvet Twinkies to homemade Oreos. Standard-issue cookies, scones, croissants, brownies and, of course, the ubiquitous cupcakes, abound, but each one is crafted so meticulously their taste transcends the ordinary. And while the price ($3-4) may induce sticker shock in some more old-fashioned souls, their size alone merits the modest outlay.

“One of my favorite things about Lulu’s is the fact that we’re a destination for brides from all over the tri-state area – but we’re still a neighborhood pastry shop,” Alsondo said. “A lot of our counter staff are students at Scarsdale High School, many whom are interested in art or pastry. One, a former assistant manager, was just accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. We’re so proud of her!”

Prices for wedding cakes start at about $575. Engaged couples are encouraged to schedule tastings and come to the store with ideas. Lulu’s always has a freshly baked array of specialty cakes available at retail, with prices starting at $30.00.

Located at 40 Garth Road in Scarsdale, New York, Lulu's is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bridal consultations can be scheduled with Vanessa or Sarah. Call (914) 722-8300 for more information.