Kristen and Stacey Viola, Buttah Bakery
Did you know that New York City has the highest number of women entrepreneurs in our neighborhoods? According to New York City Small Business Services, women across the five boroughs employ over 190,000 people and generate approximately $50 billion in sales. This month, we’re proud to present our annual Women’s issue—dedicated to all the innovative women chefs, food entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, bakers, mixologists and more who help feed the borough everyday.
Coinciding with the print issue (you’ll be able to pick up a copy soon!), every weekday throughout the month of May, we’re featuring a different Queens woman in the food industry. From Flushing’s dumpling maestro Helen You, to Long Island City’s Brazilian baker, Daniela Martins-Schwarzbauer and Last Dragon Pizza’s Nicole Russell in Rockaway, each woman reflects the diverse and independent spirit of Queens. Oh, and did we mention that our woman-owned magazine produced this women’s issue with a team of all-women writers, photographers, illustrators, designers and editors (save for our photo editor, Ed Lefkowicz)? No big deal.
Kristen and Stacey Viola, Buttah Bakery
While technically Williamsburg natives, the Viola sisters have legit roots in Queens, as proud alums of Middle Village’s Christ the King High School. They decided to double down on their borough connection in 2015, with the opening of their first venture, Buttah Bakery.
Drawing from a generational penchant for recreational baking, Kristen spun her sometime hobby into an at-home business, before eventually recruiting her sister to launch a brick-and-mortar. Business-minded Stacey oversees the financial aspects, while Kristen handles the menu, eschewing trendy, Instagram-baiting confections (which could have been a temptation in North Brooklyn-abutting Ridgewood), for classic, lovingly produced treats. Inspired by both their Italian-American heritage and New York City itself, Kristen and Stacey proudly offer nostalgic sweets made with local ingredients (such as honey from Glendale’s Wilk Apiary) like sesame cookies and Charlotte Russe, eaten like a push pop and cradled in a scalloped paper cup.
