Oct. 6, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
Two brothers are opening a new café/bakery in Sunnyside Saturday.
The new establishment, called Maison De Gateaux Bakery, will open on the corner of 43rd Street and 48th Avenue and will offer a wide range of baked goods such as cakes, pastries and muffins.
Maison De Gateaux Bakery is owned by Ahmed Rezk, 44, and his brother Mac, 37, who are originally from Egypt. Ahmed currently lives in Westchester, having previously resided in Astoria, while Mac lives on Steinway Street.
The new eatery will be the pair’s first café—and is an extension of a wholesale baking distribution business called Gotham Bagels and Pastries that they established in Manhattan in 2001.
The duo have taken over two empty storefronts on the corner block and renovated those spaces. One of the spaces was previously home to the John Vincent Daniels Jr. Veterans of Foreign Wars post, or Post 2813. The other was a medical practice.
The brothers have been using the space since December after they moved their entire distribution business to the location. The café marks the next step in their enterprise.
Rezk said that the most popular baked items in their distribution business are strawberry and plain-flavored cheesecakes.
He said the new café will offer those cheesecakes as well as fruit tarts, berry tarts, cake pops, cupcakes and pastries such as eclairs and Berry Napoleon’s — which consist of layers of lemon mousse and pastry stacked together and topped with fresh fruit. There will be a variety of cakes such as chocolate mousse, red velvet, tiramisu and strawberry shortcakes. Some of the baked goods will also include vegan options, Rezk said.
The establishment will also offer large cakes for special occasions like birthdays, as well as coffees and teas.
The café, which is around 1,500 square feet in size, will seat around 20 people, Rezk said. The owners are looking to have outdoor seating along the establishment’s 43rd Street sidewalk next summer.
Ahmed Rezk said the brothers decided to open in Sunnyside having become familiar with the area on their delivery routes.
“I used to pass this location every day and it was brought to my attention that we could do something good here,” Rezk said. “I also didn’t see many bakeries around here.”
Rezk said there is a growing demand for baked goods which the brothers are looking to capitalize on.
“A lot of people began eating comfort food during the pandemic,” Rezk said. “I feel there is excitement about it in the neighborhood because a lot of people have been stopping by asking, ‘When are we opening?’”
Opening hours will be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Do you know of a new establishment opening in Queens? Let us know by emailing news@queenspost.com with the details.
10 Comments
will there be lower sugar options?
Egyptian men opening a bagel place? Only in NY…
Looks delicious. Good luck Ahmed and Mac.
Can I get a cake with my face on it?
Awesome! We need a good bakery in this part of Sunnyside! Good luck! Can’t wait to check it out!
It’s in Woodside.
Check a map. 43 St and 48 Ave is almost dead center Sunnyside.
Bonne chance et bon courage!
Now if somebody would just open a decent bagel shop in the area. I have to go to Astoria for a quality bagel now.
Yes I agree theres no real bagel place around here The Bagel place on 58 St is awful . Please can we get a decent bagel store in Woodside ?
YES WE need Brooklyn Bagel to open a place here in sunnyside. I always tell them when there.
I have to travel by bus to Astoria just for the best Bagels.