■FEATURE sweet romance Couple creates ‘nerdy’ treats at LIC’s Entrepreneur Space BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO One East Elmhurst couple is using their love for all things “geeky” and “nerdy” to create delicious treats for every occasion. Hannah Maldonado and Matthew McNamee met in 2012 and felt an instant connection with their interest in comic books and video games. One day they decided to drive around looking for “something nerdy to snack on” and couldn’t find anything they could get enthusiastic about. “I’ve never had a tolerance for normal. I’ve always been the black sheep of my family,” Maldonado said. “When Matthew and I met, our friendship was based on all the nerdy things we liked.” Not finding what they were looking for sparked the idea to start a business in which Maldonado, who studied pastry arts and was not content in working at other bakeries, would create her own treats. McNamee, an aircraft mechanic for Jet Blue Airways, would be in charge of any construction. The idea then transformed into the 8 Bit Bakeshop, which at first started out of their house. The name refers to the beginning of video games and the products sold are inspired by video games and comic books, such as Super Mario, Pokémon, Deadpool, and others. In 2013 they started to test their product at New York Comic Con to see if people would be interested. To their surprise they were met with thousands of people congratulating their work. “Oddly enough the fan base is there and it is a lot bigger than we thought it would be,” Maldonado Photo by Darryl Brooks
LIC022015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above