60 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
dining out
Photo via Instagram/@cakesbynerwan
Delicious — and gorgeously decorated
— treats at Cakes By Nerwan in Astoria
BY JESSICA MILITELLO
It’s hard not to take a peek through the
white-trimmed windows that make up the
façade of Cakes By Nerwan as you pass
by the new 31st Street bakery. Open the
French door, and you’ll fi nd a shop fi lled
with pink chairs and marble tables below
a neon cursive sign that reads, “Sweet
Dreams are Made of Th ese,” an allusion
to the freshly made, delicately decorated
sweets displayed in a glass case in front of
a wall of pink fl owers and trinkets.
Th e bakery is a family business
co-owned by chef Nerwan Khalife, her
sister, Razan Khalife, and their mother,
Aida Khalife. Th e storefront is the fruition
of seven years of building a client base
through social media and word of mouth
about Khalife’s tasty creations.
“I posted my cakes and people started
following me and ordering,” said Khalife,
a French Culinary Institute graduate. “We
really built our clientele and I started to
get a few celebrities here and there. I had
a lot of customers that didn’t want to wait
for a special occasion to have cake. People
started wondering if I would open a storefront,
so my clients really pushed me.”
When she eventually opened her shop,
the interior décor was just as aesthetically
pleasing as the beautiful sweets — and
just as Instagrammable. Th e platform certainly
helped Khalife in building a loyal
customer base over the years, as it was
the ideal place to showcase her impressive
creations, from a safari-themed baby
shower cake to a gambling-themed 30th
birthday cake.
Nerwan was around baking from a
young age. As a child, her mother oft en
made beautiful cakes and she became
the go-to person in their family to make
cakes for birthdays and other special
occasions. According to Nerwan’s sister,
Razan, “Nerwan was always attached to
my mother at the hip, so I think she
gained that talent from her and developed
a career from it.”
Aft er high school, Nerwan knew she
wanted to attend the French Culinary
Cakes By Nerwan
cakesbynerwan.com
23-02 31st St. Unit 4, Astoria
917-745-0071
cakesbynerwan@gmail.com
Institute to further her career. She
enrolled and completed a six-month program.
Aft erward she built a client base
through word of mouth and then through
apps like Instagram. Aft er seven years
of working hard and creating beautiful
designs, she made the decision to open
her shop.
Khalife had a large following in Queens
and she and her sister oft en spent their
free time in Astoria over the years because
they enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the
neighborhood. When it came time to pick
a spot, the choice of neighborhood was
obvious. Th e decision to make the business
a family venture was without question
because of their closeness and support
for each other.
“We’re very close in general that it
would feel weird not to do it as a family,”
Khalife said. “I don’t think I would be able
to do this without their support.”
Th e bakery off ers tiered cakes for special
occasions with any style or theme a
customer may ask for, as well as cupcakes,
like the chocolate chip cannoli cream,
or ones with beautiful designs atop, like
roses. Th e shop off ers espresso, coff ee, tea
and fresh-made lemonade that is ice-cold,
delicious and refreshing.
Another popular and unique treat are
the tres leches jars. Khalife creates this
tasty treat by taking vanilla cake and soaking
it in three diff erent types of milk with
homemade whipped cream. Th e pineapple
tres leches is one of the most popular
fl avors among customers. Th e result is a
sweet, fresh, creamy and airy dessert that
is refreshingly cool and would be a perfect
treat for summer parties and barbecues.
Khalife is oft en keen on taking customer
requests and suggestions for diff erent
fl avors for her sweets.
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