Blue Rose
Cheesecake & Bake Shop
About us
Blue Rose Cheesecake and Bake Shop was inspired after forty years of baking in the restaurant business. It all began in the early 1980s with the “little diner that could”, Blue Ribbon! During that time the bakery department was a one-person operation, baking and serving American classics like apple pie, muffins, Danish, and of course, New York-style cheesecake! All of the baked goods were a hit, but it was the cheesecake that was in a league of its own. It was so good in fact that the family was encouraged by customers to participate in some local baking competitions. They did, and the results were award-winning! After placing first at both Finger Lakes and Vermont fall festivals, the Blue Ribbon owners decided their cheesecake may have a chance to win on a much broader stage.
In 1981, they entered their cheesecake at a much higher competition that was being held at the New York Coliseum in Manhattan, known today as the Time Warner Center. The judges just couldn't resist! Blue Ribbon's cheesecake won FIVE FIRST PRIZE AWARDS from 1981 to 1985!
Out of Blue Ribbon
Grew a Blue Rose!
The Blue Ribbon made local and statewide headlines with their first-prize cheesecake. In the decades that followed and to this very day, customers from near and far traveled to Schenectady to purchase not only cheesecake but other amazing pastries and delicacies.
The demand for more homemade baked goods was high. And so renovations to the restaurant in 2012 focused more on expanding the bakery department. The bakers and several family members began working diligently to bring the dessert selections to a whole new level. Greek cookies and Italian pastries hit the scene after hours of recipe lessons from the family's grandmother, mother, and aunt. With each new creation, another would quickly follow. More and more specialty cheesecakes, cakes, and European pastries were now available for patrons to purchase; the bakery demand was growing and work space was very limited!
The time to expand had come once again! Only this time, the bakery would have its very own location! In the winter of 2018, the family acquired the brick building next door to the restaurant, and out of Blue Ribbon grew Blue Rose Cheesecake & Bake Shop!
The new building shares the same parking lot as the restaurant and provides a cozy atmosphere for bakery shopping and coffee sipping. Fully remodeled, the bakery features a much larger variety of homemade baked goods than the restaurant. It serves coffee, fresh bread, gelato, mini cheesecakes, cakes, European cookies, pastries, chocolates, and so much more! We look forward to presenting our new creation, Blue Rose Cheesecake and Bake Shop!
We appreciate everyone's support, especially the Woodlawn Community and the patrons of Blue Ribbon Restaurant!