Kelly Mencin

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

Kelly Mencin has a way of baking you out of the winter blues. On a gray New York morning, her Passionfruit Tart at Radio Bakery feels like a sudden hit of sunshine—bright, tangy, and just indulgent enough to stop you in your tracks. The Cleveland-born baker and owner has quickly turned Radio Bakery into a neighborhood essential, known for desserts that balance precision with heart, nostalgia with surprise.

This winter, that balance shows up in the form of a 9-inch passionfruit tart layered with silky curd and softly whipped crème fraîche, finished with fresh seeds for a little crunch. It’s light where holiday desserts are usually heavy, and transportive when the city feels at its coldest. We caught up with Kelly to talk about the tart, the memories that shape her baking, and what growth looks like when you’re focused on building something that lasts—starting with a really good crust.

Full name, age, and where are you from?
 Kelly Mencin; Cleveland, Ohio. 

Can you walk us through the inspiration and development of your Passionfruit Tart this holiday season?

We knew we wanted to do two different sides of the flavor and weight spectrum. I'm a chocolate (and espresso) lover, so that flavor combination came easy. To offset rich, dark chocolate, we immediately went to passionfruit. It's in season during our winter months, the flavor is bright and transportive, and it's very special. We had done a version of a passionfruit curd with a passionfruit jelly in the past. Whenever we revisit a flavor or recipe, we always test and test and test. We ultimately paired it down as simply as possible: a perfect crust, perfectly cooked passionfruit curd, just sweetened whipped creme fraiche, and fresh passionfruit seeds for crunch.

Holiday desserts can be nostalgic for many people, when you imagine someone biting into your Passionfruit Tart, what feeling do you hope it evokes?

I hope the Passionfruit Tart evokes the feeling of sunshine and summertime. It's so cold and grey in NYC right now- we really wanted a menu item that would bring a jolt of warm sun to everyone.

You’ve talked about nostalgia and heart in your baking. Is there a particular dessert from your upbringing that you’ve reinterpreted (consciously or unconsciously) at Radio Bakery?
Our Stollen Buns. I didn't grow up making Stollen, but I did grow up eating it every Christmas morning. My favorite part was the little bit of marzipan in the center of each log. With inspiration and help from Toad Bakery in London, we've made our own version of Stollen into a light, fluffy bun that has marzipan in every bite.

Radio Bakery has already become a neighborhood staple, when you think about the next few years, what does growth look or feel like to you?

Right now, I am trying to focus on two big items- mentoring and growing our team and developing systems that make everyone's job easier. As unsexy as that sounds, I feel Radio is very successful for those two big reasons: having an amazing team of managers that can love to be here and teach but also having the right systems in place that allow us to scale up while still making consistent, crazy delicious product.