Business of the Week: sherry b dessert studio, Chappaqua

There may be plenty of people today who are health conscious and counting calories, but there is still room in the American diet for a high quality dessert.

That is a key reason why sherry b dessert studio in downtown Chappaqua has been thriving since it opened in September 2012.

Sherry Blockinger, its owner and executive pastry chef, said she looks to make her desserts, whether it’s her cookies, brownies and bars, cupcakes. ice cream or any of the other delectable treats, a special experience for her customers.

“One of the reasons why I turn out the level of product that I do is that I feel like with dessert it is an indulgence and it does need to be worth it,” Blockinger said. “That’s why I have the best quality product and I really do, I take it seriously. I feel like if you’re going to invest the calories in my dessert, it should be worth it.”

Blockinger regularly heads into her kitchen to come up with new concoctions or to put a new twist on old favorites. For the summer, customers can find new additions to sherry b’s own ice cream and an ice cream sandwich selection. There’s the strawberry shortcake sandwich (roasted strawberry ice cream between layers of vanilla cake); the fluffernutter (marshmallow ice cream with flecks of creamy peanut butter sandwiched between banana bread); the Suzy Q (sweet cream ice cream between layers of chocolate cake); and the Sherry-O (vanilla ice cream between two sherry-o cookies.)

There are always at least six flavors of ice cream available. The roasted strawberry (roasted fresh strawberries pureed and blended with buttermilk) and the blueberry crisp (vanilla bean ice cream with a fresh blueberry sauce swirled in along with chunks of fresh baked streusel crisp) are new this summer.

Customers may also create their own cookie or ice cream sandwich by choosing any two flavors of cookie and choosing their own filling or ice cream.

Then there are the staples that have been around since Blockinger opened the business. All of sherry b’s cookies, the Oreo cheesecake brownie, the Blonide Ate a Brownie bar, cheesecake, pound cake, pies and tart are available on a regular basis.

Blockinger also offers a full line of beverages—hot and iced coffees and teas, their own sodas, shakes and floats, and the old-fashioned egg cream.

“We make everything here from scratch, including our own soda syrup and obviously all of the ice cream and all the baked goods,” said Blockinger, a French Culinary Institute graduate who also has restaurant management training.

Blockinger, who grew up in Rockland County and now lives in Katonah, calls her business a studio because her kitchen isn’t just where desserts are baked but where she creates. Also, the interior of the King Street space is similar to an artist’s café, with a couch and smaller and larger tables. Customers can come in, order a beverage and dessert and have a relaxing place to sit and enjoy their treat.

She said she loved baking but when Blockinger was ready to open her own business she wanted to do something different than a commercial bakery.

“I really use my kitchen like a studio,” said Blockinger. “I’m always creating new things, and approaching it in that way and then it was what else could a studio aspect offer.

“So it was the idea to involve people in it and then launch this other program where we could have other chefs come in to do demos and really use it as their studios as well,” Blockinger said.

She also holds events such as artists’ exhibits and book signings. Most recently sherry b hosted an exhibit featuring the work of photographer Jesse Frohman, who photographed musician Kurt Cobain’s last session.

“I’m very lucky. I love what I do and I get to do it every day,” Blockinger said.

For more information, call 914-238-8300 or visit www.sherryb.com. It is located at 65 King St. in Chappaqua.

Martin Wilbur

Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/