West Hempstead bakery Sydney's Sweets scored spot at Knicks championship party
Jermaine Perry and his wife, Sydney Perry, co-own Sydney's Sweets in West Hempstead. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Sydney and Jermaine Perry were already Knicks fans when the team’s victory on Saturday night gave them the opportunity of a lifetime: The owners of Sydney’s Sweets in West Hempstead were commissioned to provide baked goods for the championship party at Flyfish Club on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
"We both grew up in Queens," Sydney, the baker, said. She runs the business with her husband, Jermaine. "The Knicks run deep in our families."
During the finals, the shop started selling logo cupcakes and Knicks dot cakes — which, she noted, required little more than getting blue and orange sprinkles — as well as cakes in a jar topped with both sprinkles and the team's logo. "They were selling really well and going viral on Instagram," she said.
That’s how they were spotted by Anthony Totten, hospitality manager for the championship event.
New York Knicks-themed desserts from Sydney's Sweets in West Hempstead. Credit: Jermaine Perry/Sydney's Sweets
"He called us around noon on Sunday and said the party starts at 10 p.m.," she said. "We had to buckle down, but when you get a call like that, you make it happen."
The Perrys made about 150 cupcakes and dot cakes and headed into the city to set up their wares.
"The best part," she said, "was we were able to stay for the event."The invite wasn’t a surprise and thank goodness it wasn’t: "Generally, our delivery outfits would not have been party appropriate!"
New York Knicks-themed desserts from Sydney's Sweets in West Hempstead. Credit: Jermaine Perry/Sydney's Sweets
It was a late night for the couple — they stayed until 1:30 a.m. — but, luckily, Sydney said, the bakery is closed Monday through Wednesday. They’re already back at it today, though. "People are already calling us with orders, getting ready for their parade parties tomorrow. We figure we’re going to be busy through the weekend."
Sydney started baking when she was growing up and kept baking after receiving an accounting degree from Howard University and working in finance. She and Jermaine founded the shop in 2013. It not only retails cakes and cookies but also has a thriving business in custom cakes and event dessert catering.
This wasn’t Sydney’s first brush with celebrity. In 2022, she beat out seven other bakers to win Food Network's "Spring Baking Championship: Easter."
