3 treats to try at Carissa's Bakery, Long Island's only James Beard contender

Life is a tad sweeter lately for the team at Carissa’s in East Hampton. The bakery, which opened on Newtown Lane in 2017, is Long Island’s only semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard award for outstanding bakery. Final nominees will be announced April 2 with winners awarded at a June 16 ceremony in Chicago.

"We’re so excited to even be talking about it," said owner Carissa Waechter, who operates two additional locations in East Hampton and Sag Harbor.

Those who want to taste for themselves what makes Carissa's a standout bakery might start with some of its most popular treats:

Cardamom sesame croissant ($7.50)

The beautiful, braided croissant made with blood oranges, sesame seeds and tahini is fluffy and tart. There's a subtle kick of spice from cardamom balanced by the nuttiness of the sesame seeds. Waechter said the recipe came about one day when she was being resourceful in the kitchen. "That’s how a lot of our stuff is born, with whatever is around, whatever is available," Waechter said. "Whatever a farmer drops off that day, it becomes something I’d never planned."

Black fennel bread ($10)

While Carissa’s black fennel bread is aesthetically pleasing, it tastes just as delicious. Baked with black cocoa, coffee, fennel seed and parsley, it also has buckwheat, rye and other classic bread flowers. Waechter called it "an ode to Scandinavian-style bread."

Linzer tart ($55)

This lavish, cake-like winter season treat is baked with Linzer shortbread dough and almond cream topped with fresh raspberries, marmalade and Linzer cookie.

Carissa's other treats range from pistachio chocolate croissants stuffed with ganache ($8.50) to citrus tarts made with yuzu curd, blood orange marmalade and fresh berries ($8).

The James Beard awards were established in 1990 with a mission "to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive," according to its website. Carissa’s Pantigo Road, East Hampton, location received the James Beard award for outstanding restaurant design in 2020.

Carissa’s the Bakery, 221 Pantigo Rd., East Hampton, 631-604-5911, carissasthebakery.com

By Melissa Azofeifa

melissa.azofeifa@newsday.com

Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.