Rookie Farm Bakery packs a punch

MILLERTON — Coming up on their first full month in business at 22 Main St., Amy and Jessica Laurie of Rookie Farm Bakery have been pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome they’ve received from the community since opening their bakery in the village business district on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Originally operating in nearby Hillsdale, the mother-daughter duo decided to close their business in Hillsdale after a year there and open in Millerton to meet a call for baked goods in the village. After attending culinary school, Amy said she and her daughter decided to live and work in the area full-time, and when the chance arose, they seized the opportunity to team up and looked for a place to open up shop. 

As far as what sets Rookie Farm Bakery apart from other local confectioneries, Amy attributes the bakery’s originality to its small size, since it’s just her and Jessica handling the operations, including the baking, ordering and production. When it came to naming their business, Amy said they came up with the name as a combination of their dogs’ names — Raymond and Cookie — and as a tribute to the family’s farm and her parents’ legacy. 

Regarding their expectations for the bakery, she said, “It was never really about formality and setting expectations: We just wanted to bake what we bake and have it be as friendly and upbeat as possible.”

Though the bakery offers a mouth-watering selection of cottage cakes, birthday cakes, rugelach, gluten-free cardamom  almond cakes and other delights, the Lauries’ specialty is their cookie tarts, which start with classic cookies from childhood (such as chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin) and take the flavors to the next level. Using their own recipes, Amy said they’ve taken those recipes, tested and tweaked them through time until they’ve got what they wanted.

“We wanted to go from entertaining to making a special treat for children to a special dessert,” Jessica said. “The idea was to create something that could be eaten many different ways, but it’s also something that if you’re going to indulge, it’s going to be worth it, so all the flavors pack a punch.”

“If you’re going to indulge, we wanted to give you the best we could give,” Amy added.

Indeed, customers are in for a treat from the moment they sink their teeth into the velvety smooth decadence of the double chocolate cookie tart. Yet no matter which treat appeals to one’s sweet tooth, all of the baked goods are packaged with care inside the bakery’s signature pink boxes. The bakery also sells an aromatic array of coffee from No. Six Depot Roastery & Cafe in Stockbridge, Mass.

The duo was working out of Hillsdale when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. When the space at 22 Main St. in Millerton (formerly the Little Red Bird Art Studio, which has since moved upstairs) became available in July, they left Hillsdale for Millerton, where they are now working exclusively.

Rookie Farm Bakery’s hours run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. To promote social distancing, along with offering curbside service, the bakery has an online store at www.rookiefarmbakery.com, where customers can order items and pick them up either in-store or through curbside pickup during the bakery’s business hours. Orders must be placed by Thursday at 5 p.m. Both Amy and Jessica wear masks in the shop and ask customers to wear masks when inside; they’ve also limited the store’s capacity to one customer at a time.

When asked if they had any reservations about opening their bakery during the pandemic, Amy said, “Surprisingly no — when is there a good time, really? It’s about trying to live in the moment and do the best that we can.”

To contact Rookie Farm Bakery by phone, dial 518-821-3811 or to email, go to rookiefarmny@gmail.com.

Located at 22 Main St., Rookie Farm Bakery opened for business in Millerton on Saturday, Aug. 1.