Chef Anna Gordon comes from Silver Spring, Maryland where she grew up experimenting in the kitchen. When she moved to New York in 2006, she decided to take her passion for baking one step further and she went to the Institute of Culinary Education. After graduating, she worked in kitchens like Diner and Marlow & Sons. But soon the idea for The Good Batch hatched.
Her husband Steve Hartong now acts as manager, but he started out as cookie tester. Steve has a Juris Doctorate degree from Brooklyn Law School, but he and his family missed their favorite treat from their Native home of Holland: the stroopwafel. This Dutch treat is a caramel syrup sandwiched between two thin waffle cookies. It's so good (and ties into the first European settlers in New York) that we give it out as a first tasting on our Tenements Tales and Tastes tour. Anna decided to start making them for Steve and his family and that was the start of something great.
The What:
Anna grew her business at Smorgasburg by selling stroopwafels, cookies, and Vendy Award winning ice cream sandwiches. You can always find the Good Batch stand because of the long lines every weekend.
While the treats are still available at some of those outdoor markets, Anna and Steve expanded the business into a brick and mortar bakery in 2014. At the neighborhood spot in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, they bake all their goodies and serve Counter Culture coffee.
The recipes use high quality ingredients and local and seasonal ingredients whenever possible. Anna also makes custom ordered cakes for weddings, parties, or a family dinner. You can also find The Good Batch treats at coffee shops and grocery stores around the city.
The Why:
We have been enjoying Anna's cookies and stroopwafels from the early days and we love to see a small family-owned local business grow. Her original Dutch cookie also relates to the very beginning of New York back when it was called New Amsterdam. Those early Dutch settlers were probably not eating stroopwafels, but after tasting Anna's and visiting the bakery, we have no doubt they would have been big fans.
The Where:
The Good Batch
936 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, New York 10036
(718) 622-4000