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From humble beginnings, a husband and wife team has created a fresh baked goods emporium that continues to innovate and expand

by Laura D.C. Kolnoski • Photos By Eric Taylor

Alex Gori didn’t start out wanting to own his own bakery; like the thriving business he now runs in Tinton Falls, it was a vocation turned avocation that evolved over time. Today, in addition to a bustling retail operation (his Pastry Chef produces 1,200 to 1,500 wedding cakes annually), the business supplies two Atlantic City casinos and a major supermarket, along with a range of delectable treats for hotels, country clubs, restaurants, specialty stores, caterers, and event halls throughout South Jersey.

It all represents a level of accomplishment beyond Gori’s wildest dreams when the New York native began working in his brother-in-law Rocco Russo’s Bronx bakery at age 12, performing multiple jobs—from porter to front-of-house.

“I was making money and things just progressed,” he recalled. “As teenager, I got better, enjoyed it more, and decided it could be a permanent way to make a living.” After high school, Gori and Rocco were offered and accepted a partnership in another Bronx bakery. Soon the time came to open their own location in New Rochelle, New York. In 1987, an arson fire that began in a tavern on the block destroyed all ten businesses there, including the bakery. The two then built anew in Mount Kisco, New York in 1990, where they worked together until 1996.

“I decided I wanted to do my own thing,” said Gori, whose hunt for a solo location led him to Tinton Falls where he found a bakery that had recently closed. “It was fully equipped, so for a small investment I could create the type of bakery I wanted.” After several years there, it was time to expand; in 2005, he moved to a larger, 3,200-square-foot location three doors away.

“As an owner, I enjoy the freedom to do my own thing and create whatever I can think of with no restrictions,” Gori said. “It’s all on me. I take the credit when things are good and the blame when they aren’t.”

That determined individuality is reflected in the décor of The Pastry Chef, which feels more like a colorful specialty store than a traditional white-on-white bakery.

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“As an owner, I can think with no restrictions. It’s all on me. I take the credit when things are good and the blame when they aren’t.”

“I customized what I would need to grow and spent a few months sketching it out on graph paper, making changes to each room before handing it to my architect. I had grown as a person. I’ve seen enough to create something a little different with a more cultured look.” Italian tile, custom colors, a large window, and neon signs help create that boutique shop feel.

An especially crowd-pleasing component of the store is the Pastry Chef’s coffee bar, selling a variety of gourmet coffees and teas (flavors change seasonally, just like Gori’s baked goods). For fall, decorated cakes and cookies in traditional themes are the most popular items, followed by gingerbread houses, decorated pastries, and gooey Italian honey balls.

Among its 30 employees, The Pastry Chef has four professional cake decorators. And with all the beach-themed weddings at the shore, the most popular cakes echo ocean themes with edible sandcastles, seashells, sand, and other appropriate embellishments. Halloween cakes, sprayed purple and green with “scary” ghosts, ghouls, and pumpkin decorations are “pretty cool and very popular,” the owner said, adding that the most unusual cake The Pastry Chef produced was a rendition of NASCAR, complete with a track and cars. Novelty cake sales continue to grow.

Gori’s partner and wife, Teresa, serves as inspiration. Throughout the year, she decorates the bakery for different seasons and holidays. Looking toward the future, the owner is ever thinking about expansion and is contemplating building a solely commercial facility, and hinted that a new line of goodies will likely debut in 2015.

The Pastry Chef
4057 Asbury Ave., Tinton Falls / 732.922.8111 / pastrychefnj.com