South Fork Bakery Holds Bake-Off Fundraiser

The aroma of sweet decadence, the buzz of the electric whisk, the sound of chatter and laughter while the staff packages the delectable treats — must be another shift at the South Fork Bakery in Amagansett.

This month, the South Fork Bakery has “cooked up” its inaugural East End Bake-Off, Competition With a Cause, which is slated for Sunday, May 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Scoville Hall at 17 Meeting House Lane in Amagansett.

The East End Bake-Off, Competition With a Cause will pit top East End bakers against one another in a friendly quest to prepare the most delicious baked bar on the East End, to raise funds for the not-for-profit bakery, which provides meaningful paid employment to disabled adults.

“We’re encouraging our competing bakers to ‘think outside the brownie,’” said South Fork Bakery’s founder and program director, Shirley Ruch. “I can’t wait to see … and taste … what they create.”

Ruch, a speech and language pathologist who has worked with special needs people throughout her career, started South Fork Bakery seven years ago.

“When my clients graduated from high school, they didn’t have opportunities for work,” Ruch explained as the staff were busy packaging and labeling brownies, cookies, and other sugary treats. “I used cooking and baking in my therapy room. I had a little kitchenette because cooking is good for so many skills, plus, I love to bake.”

After meeting with several parents, Ruch realized she could combine her love of baking with helping those adults with disabilities find meaningful employment.

“I started South Fork Bakery to give people opportunities to work. Everyone needs something meaningful to do,” Ruch said. The bakery rents the full state-of-the-art kitchen from the First Presbyterian Church of Amagansett. Its mission extends to the training and placement of adults with disabilities with various employer partners in businesses throughout Suffolk County, through Launch, the bakery’s training and employment program.

South Fork Bakery employs 16 workers with autism and other disabilities, as well as baker/chef Jessica Taccone and retired special education teacher Doreen Green. Taccone, an accomplished personal chef and business partner in The Complete Burger company, has been baking for South Fork Bakery since its launch in 2016 at the Hayground School. Taccone develops and modifies the recipes and manages the kitchen operations. Green provides assistance and oversight in packaging.

The bakery partners with Hamptons Rehabilitation Center in Southampton, and the North Fork Chocolate Company, which this year will hire a few people for their new store on Main Street in Riverhead. Six employees will move on by the end of the year to a new fulfilling job.

“The bakery has also become a training program and people move on to other employment venues,” Stephen Hamilton, interim executive director, said.

Collier Lee of North Haven has also been with South Fork Bakery since the beginning. Chocolate chip cookies are his favorite to bake, he said while on his lunch break. Sometimes, the staff enjoy a treat on their break. “We like to talk during work, but we can’t talk too much,” Lee said, adding that their busy season is from May to August, with farmers markets, online orders, and local shops stocking their shelves with South Fork Bakery goodies. Right after summer, the busy season picks up with the holidays.

“It’s something special. It’s more than just a job. We’re like family and we’re doing this for a good cause,” Lee, who attended college at New York Institute of Technology as part of their special needs program, explained. “A lot of disabled kids do not get a job or get that love and support from family. For us, we’re very lucky because we get to do this. It breaks my heart to see a lot of disabled kids don’t get to have a job when they grow up.”

Sarah Johner began working at South Fork Bakery seven years ago, also during its inception. On Tuesday, she was packaging biscotti one by one, wearing gloves, an apron, mask, and South Fork Bakery hat.

“Cookies are my favorite thing to make,” she said, adding that chocolate chips are especially her favorite.

Johner labeled each bag with the South Fork Bakery sticker and nutrition facts. She helps manage the farmers markets throughout the summer, in Southampton, Springs and Sag Harbor. “I love to bake,” Johner, a 2003 graduate of Southampton High School said.

“I love it,” she said of working at the bakery. “It’s amazing. I meet a lot of great people.”

Johner is also an accomplished artist with some of her work displayed for sale on the North Fork at One for All Gifts in Southold.

Frankie Demarteleire has been working at the bakery since 2016. “I like working here,” he said with a smile on his face, and a tray of cookies in his hands. “My favorites are brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and ginger snaps, too.”

“We have a number of different bakers coming to compete,” Hamilton said of the upcoming competition, adding that the fundraiser to benefit the nonprofit bakery will be held in the large hall upstairs of Scoville Hall.

“We have seven bakeries joining us to compete. We say to people, ‘think outside the brownie,’” he laughed.

Bake-Off competitors include Dorothy’s Baking Company, Hen of the Woods, Jerri’s Cakery and Confections, Loaves and Fishes, The Savory Fig, and Veg on Board. Event sponsors include The Golden Pear and Domaine Franey Wines and Spirits. The Competition for a Cause grand prize winner will be selected by several special guest judges, including Suffolk County Family Court Judge Andrea H. Schiavoni, Kathleen King, the founder of the iconic Tate’s Bake Shop, and Billy Baldwin, cookie entrepreneur of Cookie Island fame. And everyone — parents and kids alike — will vote for their own favorite entry in a special People’s Choice Award.

“This event is a great opportunity for our community to visit the Bakery and learn more about the meaningful employment opportunities that the bakery provides for folks with disabilities on the East End,” said Robby Stein, president of the bakery’s Board of Trustees.

Tickets are $75. Kids under 12 attend for free. To purchase tickets, visit southforkbakery.org or call 631-725-7166.