If you have a sweet tooth and want a taste of confectionary perfection, take a drive down Manetto Hill Road. Set far back in a shopping center you will find Sweet Karma Bakery. No matter where you park in the lot, your nose will be greeted by the scent of freshly baked cakes and cookies.
Owner and pastry chef Brian Fishman graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 1991. He was a savory chef for eight years before he chose pastries over pâtés.
“I always studied art and design, painting and drawing and the bakery was more of an artistic outlet for me than the ‘get it done, make the food, get it out,’ deal,” said Fishman, who is classically trained.
The bakery started out in the summer of 2003, when Fishman and his staff were doing wholesale for restaurants and caterers.
“We turned into a retail store because people were looking for a higher end quality of pastry,” said Fishman, who currently resides in Oceanside with his wife, Jenn, and his son. “We had the bakery in East Meadow for 10 years and recently relocated to Plainview last August. That’s when we decided to make Sweet Karma into a business.”
As a pastry chef, Fishman had worked for a lot of people for a long time, and wanted to open a bakery because he figured, if he was going to work this hard, it was going to be for himself. But he would not be this successful without the help of his staff.
“Our manager Theresa books all the cake consultations; she’s great with customers and really gets to know you and your family,” said Fishman, who along with his staff, aims to have a personal relationship with his clients. “We have a small staff but they are the most hardworking people I have ever met in my life. They’re like my family.”
Sweet Karma bakery is one of the few bakeries on Long Island that specializes in gluten free items. If a pastry is gluten free and doesn’t look or taste as good as regular mainstream pastries, Fishman will not put it in his case, but will instead, make it again.
“We’re more along the lines of a boutique bakery or a French pastry shop,” said Fishman. “We use Belgian chocolate, we use butter, and most of the ingredients are imported but when I can, I use local ingredients.”
Fishman felt there was a need for better quality pastries and wanted to separate himself from the bakeries that sold the staples; black and white cookies, rainbow cookies, cannolis, etc.
“I wanted to give people something different that they wouldn’t be able to find, but I wanted things to be familiar,” said Fishman, who looked back on the treats he enjoyed from his childhood like s’mores, caramel apples and banana cream pie.
“We just did a pumpkin bread pudding but we added smoked bacon, homemade fluff and candied pumpkin seeds. I want to be creative, but still familiar,” said Fishman, adding that he does carry the traditional cookies and sweets recognized in every bakery.
Sweet Karma is also known for its macarons, which of course, don’t come in too many traditional flavors.
“I do have chocolate, pistachio and raspberry macarons, but we also do a butter salted caramel popcorn macaron that is insane, and my favorite,” said Fishman, “It was one of those things where I was eating Cracker Jack’s and I was like what would happen if I put popcorn in a macaron? We put dulce de leche and sea salt with butter cream and that’s the filling,” he continued, also naming pumpkin pie, birthday cake, cotton candy and root beer float among other unique macaron flavors.
For the holidays, the bakery does decorated cookies, pumpkin bread and gingerbread houses, but puts a twist on tradition when it comes to other baked goods.
“For Halloween we did a white chocolate pumpkin mousse that was just delicious,” said Fishman. “During the Jewish holidays, we do a traditional honey cake and bake challah bread, but we also bake one loaf with raisins and another with chocolate chips,” he continued, adding that the bakery ends up making pans of the bread because customers use it for French toast.
Fishman’s favorite part about owning and operating a bakery is just that. He also enjoys the creative aspect, which is the perfect way for him to channel his art.
“I can make my own hours and stay as late as I want, but I’m not my own boss; every customer that walks in here is my boss,” said Fishman, who has been embraced in the neighborhood by a very diverse clientele who have become regulars. “Customers challenge us; they bring in a picture and say they want this but better and we do it for them. We treat people the way we would want to be treated.”
Fishman participates in many charity events including AIDS, Cerebral Palsy, cancer and a lot of work with the Morgan Center in Hicksville. It is here where they get the chance to give customers a taste of Sweet Karma.
“We’re hitting hundreds of foodies at one time and when people come up to me and compliment my stuff, it’s awesome,” said Fishman, who always bakes cupcakes for the kids. “We do a lot of shot glass desserts and call them ‘Karma Cups.’ We did it to use leftovers, like if we had leftover mousse from a cake, and we serve them with a little spoon. It makes people feel like little kids again.”
Fishman and his staff are thinking ahead for the future. They are planning on making a school out of the bakery to teach people how to bake and decorate, with potential classes offered two nights a week. They are also hopeful about their Karma Cups; trademarking the name and taking it nationwide.
“The future for us is ever changing. I’m the creative mind and my wife and Theresa are the business minds,” said Fishman. “We take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. We’re not your everyday bakery.”
Sweet Karma Bakery is located at 136 Manetto Hill Rd., Plainview. For more information, call 516-794-4478 or visit www.sweetkarmadesserts.com.
