Before there was the now beloved Babka Bailout, there was Michal Prevor, looking to help out a friend in need by raising money for her through baking babka. This babka fundraiser bloomed into a full business, and now, Babka Bailout is officially opening up a storefront in Jersey City — though this is not a solo venture. Boomerang Bites, a woman-owned artisanal bakery founded by Australian-born Andrea Rizvi, is opening up alongside Babka Bailout in a shared brick-and-mortar space. Boomerang Bites specializes in small, sweet bites that come in a variety of flavors. This exciting collaboration started with a soft opening in July, and now, it will officially be opening its doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The event will be held at its storefront location (476 Central Avenue in Jersey City) on September 14th from 1PM to 5PM, the duo announced via a press release. The event will include yummy treats and a goody bag. Read on to learn more about Babka Bailout x Boomerang Bites’ new storefront, celebrating its grand opening this month in Jersey City.
(Photo credit: @babkabailout)
About Babka Bailout
Before the pandemic, Michal was the President of Zotexa, a manufacturer of agricultural products, a job that required her to travel ten days out of the month. Like many, she made a pandemic pivot and found that she was able to help her community by baking and selling delicious babkas. Babkas are a sweet braided bread or cake that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. Michal taught her housekeeper how to make the babkas as a way for her to earn money while her customer base shrank because of the pandemic. The business was a success and Michal has been able to hire others as bakers and delivery drivers. Originally, the babkas were sold solely through the company’s Instagram page and at Hybrid Coffee.
Now, the babkas are sold at many other shops in Hoboken and Jersey City and through the company’s Instagram page. The shops include Grind General, Cangiano’s, all three bwe kafe locations, Hybrid Coffee, Treehouse, and Froth On Franklin. Michal has a commercial kitchen where all the magic happens.
(Photo credit: @babkabailout)
Michal shared on Instagram last year that she and her business partner, Andrea Rivzi of Boomerang Bites, were planning to open a storefront in Jersey City Heights and that the store would be on Central Avenue in The Heights.
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About Boomerang Bites
(Photo credit: @boomerangbites)
Hoboken Girl caught up with Boomerang Bites owner Andrea Rizvi to learn more about her business. Andrea is a transplant from the land down under, originally from North Australia. Boomerang Bites is an artisanal bakery specializing in delicious bites packed with flavor and made with one-of-a-kind recipes based on traditional Aussie “slice” recipes. Aussie slices are a treat baked in a large tray like a bar cookie. There are few things more proudly Australian or ubiquitous than the slice. They are not as cakey as a brownie, but denser than a cookie and are often composed of multiple layers.
In Australia, families will have their favorite slice recipe that they will carefully guard and hand down from generation to generation. It is a treat that they will make for family gatherings, backyard “barbies”, coffee with your best mates, or just about any type of celebration. These Australian treats can currently be found in Hoboken at The Hive, The Little Local, and at the Not Ur Regular Coffee stand; and in Jersey City at Maggie’s Farm Espresso as well as numerous NYC locations. Gift boxes are available to order online, and the team is available for catering and custom requests.
Andrea got the inspiration to start Boomerang Bites from her own family. She is a mother to four boys and wanted to share her childhood treats with them, so she started baking her favorite traditional Aussie slice recipes at home for her sons, friends, and family. Boomerang Bites was then founded in 2018 to spread her passion for the goodness of Aussie treats and to create a socially conscious business.
(Photo credit: @boomerangbites)
Andrea arrived in America in her early 20s to study and work in international development. Over the next two decades, she built her home in the US while traveling extensively, advising on projects to bring water, sanitation, electricity, and roads to underdeveloped communities across the globe. From the slums of Mumbai to remote outback Aboriginal communities to war-torn Saravejo, Andrea has seen firsthand how local people can make a difference.
Boomerang Bites was founded not only to be good but to do good. At least 20%of every dollar made is given to charitable causes with a focus on education through organizations such as Room To Read, and Girls Write Now, amongst others.
The Storefront
Andrea and Michal were introduced by a mutual friend, another Hoboken mom, who saw that they were both running similar businesses and thought they should connect. They met over coffee and found that they were each looking for storefront spaces and decided to go in together. The duo joined forces to open a storefront on Central Avenue in The Heights in Jersey City and decided to call it Babka Bailout/Boomerang Bites.
Both Andrea and Michal looked all over Jersey City to find the perfect spot in the Heights. They both really love the Heights and thought it would be a perfect spot for their new venture. The two women believe in giving back to the communities they live and work in and were hoping to have a colorful, warm, and happy storefront to carry out that mission.
After a soft launch in July and a series of pop-up openings, the duo announced via a press release that Babka Bailout/Boomerang Bites would officially be opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 14th. The event will be held from 1PM to 5PM and will include lots of treats and a goody bag.
Boomerang Bites will continue to give 20% of its proceeds to charitable causes focusing on education. Babka Bailout was founded on a mission to give back to a friend in need, and both businesses are aiming to work together on a local Jersey City cause now that the space is officially opening.
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At the shop, Babka Bailout is planning to offer a variety of babka flavors, rugelach, hamantaschen, and other Israeli baked goods. Boomerang Bites is planning to sell a large variety of the decadent dessert bites in flavors such as salted chocolate caramel, chocolate cherry, raspberry coconut, passionfruit, and date caramel, to name a few, as well as a few vegan and gluten-free options. The space will be mainly a production and pickup spot for the two businesses, so customers can pick up orders fresh from the oven.
According to the Babka Bailout Instagram, the storefront hours are Wednesday – Friday, 12:30PM – 4:30PM.
You can keep up with Babka Bailout on social media here and with Boomerang Bites on social media here.
