Taste Yoko Ono's Favorite Cookies!

The Deli is an ode to the artisanal food makers of New York. Two weeks ago, we introduced Borgatti’s, a multi-generational Italian-American family pasta business in the Bronx. This week we are spotlighting Brutus Bakeshop, an inclusive Brooklyn-based cake and pastry company by Lani Halliday.

The Product: Always gluten-free, sometimes vegan cookies, pastries, and cakes.
The Deli Pick: Guava Passionfruit Pop Tart
How To Buy: Order online or buy in person at Ursula Brooklyn. Orders ship domestically one week after they are placed. $14-$55.

Classic American baked goods that are more inclusive. Desserts are all about sharing, so I'm like, how can we make the most delicious thing accessible to the most people? Everything is gluten-free, and a lot of things are egg- and dairy-free, too.

The Guava Passionfruit Pop Tart has been poppin’. I just saw my all-time report, and it’s the best-selling thing ever.

The Miso Chocolate Chip Cookie. Yoko Ono said it was her favorite cookie she’s ever eaten.

If you’re going to eat them quickly, keep them in a cupboard container at room temperature. But if you want them to last longer, cut them up and put them in an airtight container in the freezer. That way you can just take little bits out as you want them. The freezer is your friend, it halts the staling process.

I have been baking for a long time, starting in Portland, at Castagna, decades ago. I actually developed my wheat allergy while baking! After I took a six-year hiatus to take care of my kids, I decided to go back to culinary school and give this a real chance. My first gig after that was at BabyCakes [now called Erin McKenna’s Bakery] in New York; I was a neighbor and convinced them to give me a shot. I then became a kitchen manager at Ovenly, running their cake program. I always had this dream of having my own spot, but I was just a scared little bitch. I kept saying it wasn’t the right time. Then I had to either decide, I'm going to get my own kitchen or I'm going to do something else in my life.

Brutus is very much an extension of me. I want it to continue to be this extension of me, and feed back to me. I want it to be successful and run efficiently so that it is making tons and tons of cash and creating all these opportunities for my workers and myself. Ultimately, I want there to be extensions of the brand through media and book deals and TV.

I have a very close knit group of friends that are also chefs: people like Claire Sprouse at Hunky Dory or Eric See of Ursula. There is a lot of support, there is a lot of creativity, there is a lot of sharing of resources on all levels, and that never ceases to inspire me.

Ursula is one of my favorites. And then any place where Woldy Reyes or Tara Thomas are cooking.

Jessica and Trina Quinn have been doing this pop up Dacha 1946, that’s all Russian food. They make this one cake that’s naturally gluten-free. It was one of the most amazing pastries I’ve had in a long time. They are so talented.