Bench Flour Bakers

This month, we're proud to present the Bread & Grains issue—dedicated to all manner of doughs, dosas and baked desserts made in Queens. To coincide with the print issue (you'll be able to pick up a print copy very soon!), every weekday throughout the month of February, we're featuring a different bakery in the borough. Some are old standbys, and some are new and on the rise, but each one reflects the diverse and independent spirit of Queens.

While most people are savoring their precious shuteye at four in the morning, most professional bakers have likely already put in a sizable chunk of work. So it’s no wonder that Christine Yen tends to bubble over with inspiration during those impossibly early hours. In fact, it was during her daily commute to someone else’s bakery that she dreamt up a business plan for her own. The result of those morning pilgrimages to Manhattan? A resolve to remain in her home borough of Queens, and bake her own unique creations. Enter Bench Flour: an online retail/wholesale enterprise, equally informed by childhood memories of helping her grandmother cook traditional Chinese dishes, classic French techniques learned in some of New York City’s top kitchens and staunchly seasonal ingredients, procured from local farms. The result? Organic, all-natural and gorgeously executed cross-cultural treats, such as sweet red bean pop tarts with cinnamon icing, everything brioche piped with cream cheese filling and dark chocolate sweet bread loaves, dripping with Chinese five spice glaze.