Autumn Stanford is the Queen of Kolaches.
No clue what a kolache (pronounced ko-la-chee) is?
That’ll hardly come as surprise to Stanford — the owner of the upcoming Brooklyn Kolache Co. in Bed Stuy — whose mission statement is to get the borough hooked on the sweet and savory Czechoslovakian pastries so popular in her home state of Texas.
“Kolache’s are an obsession there — you can find them in any donut shop or gas station at the side of the road,” Stamford said. “They’re made with a slightly sweet, chewy, yeasty dough wrapped around fillings like strawberry, cottage cheese, poppy seed or cherry, or even ham, egg, hot dog, or jalapeno.”
“It’s like an ultra-portable, grab-and-go, self contained breakfast sandwich — perfect for New York, really,” she added. “I was kind of amazed I couldn’t find them anywhere here.”
That’s why Stamford decided to take matters into her own hands, signing a lease on a 1,000 square foot space (with additional backyard) with the hopes of opening her own shop by the end of March.
“I want to make this a great place for the neighborhood,” Stamford said. “One that can be used for meet-ups and community board meetings. A place where moms can put their kids down for a second and relax with a good cup of coffee and something delicious to eat.”
That being said, Stamford fully expects the bulk of her business to come from harried morning commuters.
“The other thing that makes kolaches perfect for New York is that they’re made in advance and just kept warm — it’s not like ordering a breakfast sandwich and having to wait five minutes while someone fries the eggs,” she said.
“You can eat these on the run. You can eat them on the train. You can order up a few kolaches along with a cup of coffee and be out the door seconds.”
Brooklyn Kolache Co [520 DeKalb Ave. between Skillman Street and Bedford Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant]. For more info, visit www.brooklynkolacheco.com.
