Hotplate bakers dominate the New York Times’ Top 22 Bakeries list
The New York Times’ 22 of the best bakeries in the country - published on December 24, 2024 - features three that started out, scaled their businesses, and/or continue to sell through Hotplate. If you haven’t heard of them yet, let us introduce you to Lagniappe Bakehouse, Bánh by Lauren, and The Place.
Bánh by Lauren
First drop on Hotplate: Thursday October 14th, 2021 12:01pm
Most popular item sold: Whole Loaf of Bánh Bò Nướng
The story
Before the pandemic, Lauren Tran was a pastry cook at New York’s Gramercy Tavern under Chef Miro Uskokovic. Just a month into the job, she reluctantly entered Miro’s annual pie contest with a coconut pandan pie topped with lemongrass whipped cream. To her surprise, she won and her pie earned a spot on the Tavern’s menu. At the time, Lauren’s goal was to spend five years training in Michelin-starred kitchens and then open her own bakery.
That plan changed overnight when COVID hit and Lauren was laid off. She began baking from her apartment kitchen and sharing her creations on Instagram. Each week she introduced a “bánh box,” reimagining classic French pastries with Southeast Asian flavors.
Bánh boxes on Hotplate
She began popping up across the city, where her fans lined up for her pandan coconut chiffon cake and other French desserts with Vietnamese twists. As demand scaled, orders outgrew Instagram DMs and she began dropping her bánh boxes on Hotplate and selling out in minutes.
Bánh by Lauren today
In June 2024, Lauren and her husband Garland opened their storefront in the hear of New York’s Chinatown, delighting guests with lychee raspberry macarons, bright green chewy pandan honeycomb cakes, and of course, the pandan coconut chiffon cake. Check out what’s on their menu right now and read about them in the press.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
First drop on Hotplate: Thursday October 21st, 2021 9:36am
Most popular item sold: Lagniappe king cake
The story
A native New Orleanian, Kaitlin Guerin moved to San Francisco after college to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Off the stage, a part-time job in food service sparked a love for desserts and pastry, and led her to enroll at the Culinary Institute of America. She went on to intern at two Michelin-starred restaurants: Restaurant 108 in Copenhagen and State Bird Provisions in San Francisco.
Lagniappe on Hotplate
Kaitlin’s return home in early 2020 coincided with the pandemic. She began baking for friends and family and then started selling pastry boxes inspired by Southern staples and seasonal ingredients. These quickly sold out through social media and then through drops on Hotplate. In addition to monthly pastry boxes, Kaitlin did holiday pre-order drops like Sourdough Brioche King Cakes, Mother’s Day lemon tarts, Thanksgiving pies, Panettone, Galette de rois, and Easter hot cross buns.
After nearly 4 years running as a pop-up, Kaitlin and her partner Lino Asana opened Lagniappe Bakehouse on Euterpe Street, in Central City in September 2024.
Lagniappe today
Lagniappe is where French technique, Southern food, and West African roots meet. Kaitlin uses Tanzanian single-origin chocolate from Piety & Desire in her pain au chocolat and features Creole-style sausage from Vaucresson Sausage Co., a local 4th generation sausage maker, for her signature "Vaucroissant."
In her own words, “The philosophy of the business is highlighting and celebrating Black foodways of the South through pastries.”
Lagniappe Bakehouse was named Best New Bakery by Eater New Orleans in 2024, and was also featured in The New York Times’s “The Golden Age of American Bakeries Is Upon Us.” More recently, Kaitlin was honored as a James Beard Award finalist in the Emerging Chef category, the only New Orleans nominee in 2025.
The Place
First drop on Hotplate: July 7 2023 1:03pm
Most popular item sold: croissant cinnamon bun
The story
When Chelsea and Chris packed up their lives and moved to midcoast Maine in 2023, they hoped to find community and a way to, in their own words, “spend [their] days happy, full of pastries and laughter.”
“We’d both always dreamed of moving to Maine and opening our own food businesses. We were burnt out and looking for sustainability and a higher quality of life while still doing what we love. We found a home in Camden, Maine with an old workshop — a whopping 650 square feet — and realized immediately it had the potential to become our bakery.”
In just two weeks, with barely any budget, Chelsea and Chris converted their garage into a commercial grade bakery kitchen. They specialize in “sweet and savory comfort pastries” and rely on local flours, dairy, and seasonal produce. Depending on the time of year, you’ll find a wide range of treats on the menu from wild blueberry pie and apple cider caramel kouign amann to french onion danishes, bbq pulled pork hand pies, ginger ripple cookies - oh, and sourdough bread, too.
The Place on Hotplate
Chelsea and Chris have been offering pre-orders through Hotplate alongside walk-ins since they opened doors.
This summer, when waves of eager visitors overwhelmed their driveway and caused traffic jams, they knew they needed to do something to manage the demand and keep customers and vehicles safe. They eliminated walk-in ordering and currently sell exclusively through Hotplate.
Amidst all the attention and success, they remind their customers that they “set out to be a neighborhood bakery and that’s still what we want to be.”
At Hotplate, we’re here to make the food industry more accessible, profitable, and diverse. Lauren, Kaitlin, Chelsea and Chris are at the forefront of this. They are proof that you can take a lay off, a pandemic, a nonexistent budget - add passion for your craft and plenty of grit - and become the best of the best. We love watching their businesses continue to grow and their work earn this well-deserved recognition.
