Rudy's, a Ridgewood Staple Since 1936

One of our readers stopped by Rudy’s Bakery and Café in Ridgewood and sent over some pictures and plenty of history from the owner. We thought that we would share a bit about this long-standing neighborhood institution.

Rudy’s opened on Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens in 1936. The original owner, Rudolph, ran the German bakery until 1954. In 1980, Ralph DiFonzo, an Italian immigrant and a baker bought the shop. He brought in his niece, Toni Binanti to work alongside him. When her uncle passed away, she took over the business and has been running it for the last decade. The interior is much the way it was when it opened in 1936. The wood paneling and terrazzo floors with a giant “R” inset are original. A 1930s NCR cash register is still in use. Staying close to the pastry shop’s roots the bakers still make German cookies and specialties like walnut strudel and bienstich or bee sting cake. And they have added cupcakes, cake pops, gelato and other more recently popular goods. It is one of the last remnants of the time when the neighborhood was predominantly German and one of the few German bakeries left in the area. However Rudy’s is not all about the past. Cristina Nastasi worked at Rudy’s throughout high school and found a lasting interest in pastry. She left for the French Culinary Institute and worked for Danny Meyer’s hospitality group and became the pastry chef at Café 2 and Terrace 5 at the Museum of Modern Art. Last year she returned to Ridgewood to bake for Rudy’s. Click through for more images.

Rudy’s Bakery and Cafe, 905 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood, N.Y. (718) 821 5890 GMAP
Photos: Kermit Westergaard

Rudy’s pastry counter.

Owner Toni Binanti and pastry chef Cristina Nastasi.