Gourmet cookie delivery business opens Westfield bakery

Kirshenbaum Baking Co., an online gourmet cookie delivery service, opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in New Jersey.

Located at 62 Elm St. in Westfield, the bakery and café offers hearth-baked breads, artisan sandwiches, seasonal pieces, handcrafted pastries and signature cakes by the slice, all made in house. The menu also includes coffee, tea, lattes, espresso, hot chocolate and cold brew.

The sweet spot is co-owned and operated by Uyen Kirshenbaum, a classically trained French pastry chef with over two decades of experience in the industry, working in some of the top bakeries and restaurants from Paris to Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

After Kirshenbaum found herself furloughed during the pandemic, she, along with her husband, Jeff, a hospitality and operations expert, decided to launch an online cookie delivery business.

The service went on to become known for its dairy- and gluten-free offerings as well as its classic cookies, such as salted chocolate chip, vanilla lavender, snickerdoodle, lemon poppy and peanut butter chocolate swirl.

After relocating from California to New Jersey to be closer to family, the couple wanted to open a storefront for their bakery in downtown Westfield.

Uyen Kirshenbaum said, “Our shop is more than I could have hoped for and the response from our community inspires me to strive even harder to build a strong business for my family as well as the community. Moreover, the support we have received in Westfield, from locals and fellow business owners up to the mayor, herself, has been incredible. We have cheerleaders in every corner and that has been such a welcomed surprise.”

She went on to say, “Most of the time, my emotions jump from profound gratitude to profound disbelief. The ultimate dream for most chefs is to become business owners and to have something of their own that reflects their passion and life’s work. “

Jeff Kirshenbaum said, “Being back in Westfield, where I worked all through high school, is surreal but also extremely meaningful to me. After living away from N.J. for over 20 years, it’s a special experience to be back and contributing to the town’s growth now as a small business owner.”

“We have a handful of high school employees on our team and I hope their time here will be as consequential as mine was growing up and working in this great town,” he added.

Kirshenbaum Baking Co. is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.