Binghamton, NY – After more than 30 years in business, Wagner’s Cakes & Cookies has closed its doors, leaving customers scrambling for kosher baked goods.
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The business, which has been closed for vacation for two weeks, was scheduled to reopen today, according to the business’ answering machine. Attempts to contact owners Jim and Lori Wagner were unsuccessful.
One local bakery — The Black & White Cookie Co. in Binghamton — is working to produce some of the kosher goods, company President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua Auerbach said.
“We’re doing everything we can,” he said.
The company is in the process of working with Orthodox Jewish officials to prepare the bakery to produce the kosher goods, Auerbach said.
The business produces kosher dairy goods, he said, but the new products will need to adhere to strict kosher guidelines, which means separate mixers, ovens and other items must be used to produce the two types of kosher baked goods.
Auerbach said he’s hoping he can meet all of the regulations at his current location on Griswold Street.
With two upcoming holidays, Rosh Hashanah in September and Yom Kippur in October, there is an urgency to have a facility that can handle the orders, he said.
Hillel Academy of Broome County alone typically orders 30 loaves of challah, a traditionally braided kosher bread, each week, Auerbach said.
“We’re doing as much as we can as fast as we can,” he said.
ok…. now I got a business.. selling challahs on ebay?!?!?!?
Mayby we can open a Kosher Bakery up there.How far is this from Flatbush??
where is Binghamton?
Is there a large demand for kosher food?? Mayby we can open a Kosher supermarket.
this place was not with a CRC hashgacha this should~nt be open for business
Listen i don’t know if it pays to open a store there Just fill up a truck load of all the goodies from Sterns,Bagels,Gombos etc. & sell it from your truck.How does this sound??
Wow good idea??
You sound like a great Financial advisor.Do you have any other ideas??
Sure But now I will charge for it
There must be a large demand 30 challas week.wow!
It’s funny how everyone came up with the same “KUPSHTICK”!!!!
Its very sad, one by one the Jewish Institutions in Upstate New York are slowly closing and dying out.
it 300 miles from ny
Anon 3:09, its 143 miles from Boro Park.
So I guess the gas will cost too much for that Bakery Truck
maybe you can attach the load to your bicycle??
Not a bad idea !!
The Chabad Rebbetzin, Rivki Slonim bakes dozens of challah every week. They have 300 kids there every Friday nite during the school year from SUNY. The town isn’t very Jewish otherwise. So don’t go rushing up there with trucks, supermarkets or bicycles.
it does not pay a business upstate you could have it write her in nj near ny
ok chas v’sholam I didn’t know there is a Bais Chabad there.Kol Hakovod Rebetzin Slonim !! No one is taking this great mitzvah away from you.
the business is slow this year cause of the flour!!!!!!
Hasshem needs to help!!!
every one!
Let me correct the previous post. I remember when they kashered the bakery and the re-opening of the bakery as kosher.
Thanks for all the support from friends and family.
A combination of high taxes, rising water rates and a sour economy led to the closing of Wagner’s Cakes & Cookies, It’s just too much for a small business to survive anymore. I can’t struggle no more.
Using top quality ingredients — including butter instead of margarine — and making baked goods from scratch put us at a disadvantage.
We just can’t compete against the supermarkets anymore. I can’t skimp on my recipes.
Being a baker requires a unique skill set, which means we couldn’t hire just anyone or pay them low wages.
All of my guys are skilled labor. … It takes years to make a baker.
The decision to sell the business, which I own with my wife, Lori, also involved health issues.
I recently had a hip replacement, and my wife had two back surgeries.
The bakery’s equipment will be sold at auction in a few weeks, with a date scheduled to be set on Thursday.
At this point, shutting the doors on the business my father created has been a struggle.
I’m so upset. I don’t think I’ll ever bake again.
SHLOME BURECH Says:
I Live in williamsburg on Hewes & Lee Binghampton? which end of earth is that? Could you get a Hitch there? Does the boro park bus go there?
Shlome, just walk to tiferes, it is pretty good challahs. If you dont lik it go to Tiferes on Marcy. es loint nisht to drive 150 miles.
Nu, who’s Hechscher is it under already?!
from lee cor. hewes st.
2: Turn RIGHT onto WILLIAMSBURG ST W. 0.5 mi Map Avoid
3: WILLIAMSBURG ST W becomes WILLIAMSBURG PL. 0.0 mi Map Avoid
4: Merge onto I-278 W/BROOKLYN QUEENS EXPY via the ramp on the LEFT toward VERRAZANO BR. 1.0 mi Map Avoid
5: Take the TILLARY ST exit, EXIT 29, toward MANHATTAN BR/BKLYN CIVIC CENTER. 0.2 mi Map Avoid
6: Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto TILLARY ST. 0.2 mi Map Avoid
7: Turn RIGHT onto FLATBUSH AVE EXT. 0.1 mi Map Avoid
8: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto MANHATTAN BRIDGE. 1.4 mi Map Avoid
9: Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto CANAL ST. 0.8 mi Map Avoid
10: Turn RIGHT onto HOLLAND TUNNEL/HUDSON ST. 0.0 mi Map Avoid
11: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto HOLLAND TUNNEL/HUDSON ST. Continue to follow HOLLAND TUNNEL (Crossing into NEW JERSEY). 1.9 mi Map Avoid
12: HOLLAND TUNNEL becomes 14TH ST. 0.3 mi Map Avoid
13: 14TH ST becomes NJ-139 W. 1.2 mi Map Avoid
14: Merge onto US-1 9 S/US-1 & 9 S/US-1 S/US-9 S. 0.1 mi Map Avoid
15: Take the US-1-TRUCK/US-9-TRUCK exit toward I-280/JERSEY CITY/KEARNY. 0.2 mi Map Avoid
16: Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto US-1 9 TRUCK/US-1 TRUCK/US-9 TRUCK/US-1 & 9-TRUCK. 0.3 mi Map Avoid
17: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto NJ-7 W. 1.3 mi Map Avoid
18: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto NEWARK-JERSEY CITY TURNPIKE/CR-508 W. 1.3 mi Map Avoid
19: Merge onto I-280 W. 16.6 mi Map Avoid
20: Take the I-80 W exit on the LEFT toward DOVER/DEL WATER GAP. 0.5 mi Map Avoid
21: Merge onto I-80 EXPRESS LN W. 1.7 mi Map Avoid
22: I-80 EXPRESS LN W becomes I-80 W (Portions toll) (Crossing into PENNSYLVANIA). 61.9 mi Map Avoid
23: Merge onto I-380 N via EXIT 293 toward SCRANTON. 27.8 mi Map Avoid
24: Take the I-81 N/US-6 W/PA-347 exit toward BINGHAMTON. 0.4 mi Map Avoid
25: Take the PA-347 exit, EXIT 188, toward DUNMORE/THROOP. 1.5 mi Map Avoid
26: Merge onto I-81 N (Crossing into NEW YORK). 56.2 mi Map Avoid
27: Take the RT-7 exit, EXIT 4N-S, toward HILLCREST/BINGHAMTON. 0.1 mi Map Avoid
28: Merge onto NY-7 S via EXIT 4S on the LEFT toward BINGHAMTON. 0.8 mi Map Avoid
29: NY-7 S becomes NY-363 W. 0.7 mi Map Avoid
30: Take the U S 11 ramp. 0.1 mi Map Avoid
31: Turn LEFT onto COURT ST/US-11. Continue to follow US-11. 0.8 mi Map Avoid
32: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto MAIN ST/NY-17C. 0.0 mi Map Avoid
33: End at Binghamton, NY Map
Estimated Time: 3.0 hours 22 minutes Estimated Distance: 180.11 miles
maybe I can sell them just the reciepi ?
I helped kasher the bakery almost 25 years ago. It was under the hashgacha of the local rabbis over the years. The baked goods were simply the best bakery products anywhere, bar none. Far better than what they sell in Teaneck and call bakery goods. The owners and employees were always gracious. They will sorely be missed.
Now there will be less fat Jews in Binghampton BH”
I wish the owners good luck..I’ve been up there from Monsey once or twice myself, beautiful area, but not enough business, 300 challahs sounds like a lot but here the bakeries sell thousands..and the owner is right. I wish him and his wife a refuah shelaimah and all the best..
The place is 170 miles, 2.5 hours from Monsey. 3.5-4 hours from Brooklyn. My recollection is the place was either open shabbos, owned by gentiles, or baked dairy and kashered the non ben yoma oven for challahs. It was very bidieved for “intowners” and typical of way “out of town” heterim. The “frum” locals are by and large the dying members of 112 year old Beth David congregation, who get a new rabbi every few years and he watches the congregation dwindle even further. There is a nice kosher food selection in the local Pic and Pay(?) a block from the bakery, including cholov yisroel cheese, yougart, ice cream, etc. Many travelers on the Toronto-NY route stop in because it’s not too far out of the way. The heimishe Oilom did not use the bakery. That I aside, I would like too wish Mr Wagner a complete recovery and much success in his future endeavors.