Ever since she was a young girl, Yesenia Rodriguez loved to bake. Growing up in East New York and Cypress Hills, Brooklyn with her Dominican family, Rodriguez watched her mother bake all the time. Her all-time favorite was habichuelas con dulce, a Dominican sweet bean dessert normally consumed around the Easter holiday.
Now, Rodriguez is the proud owner of Sweets & Things, a new dessert and coffee store in Cypress Hills that offers over 40 different flavors of Tres Leches cake, a sponge cake soaked in three types of milk (evaporated, whole milk and sweetened condensed), on a rotating basis.
The bakery, at 2715 Fulton St., opened in November and is already getting buzz for the use of fresh ingredients and the unique flavors Rodriguez has experimented with, including guava and Biscoff.
“Tres Leches is my favorite dessert, of course,” she admitted.
Rodriguez often found the cakes she purchased were too sweet, so she decided to take baking classes to learn how to make her own.
Her home sweets repertoire expanded after receiving a banana pudding recipe from a friend. A few years ago, Rodriguez started to sell banana pudding jars for $5 to family and friends out of her current home in Queens. Unbeknownst to her, this would be the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey.
Now, as the owner of a new bakery, Rodriguez is hoping to share her sweet tooth with Brooklynites.
Rodriguez said she perfected her recipes by first selling her cakes through pop-up shops in DUMBO and Manhattan's Lower East Side. Now, she offers over 40 different flavors, including the popular Four Leches original, Rose Strawberry Shortcake, Coquito, Red Velvet and Gingerbread.
From the first bite of the Rose Strawberry cake, you notice its richness, but the bits of strawberry and edible rose flowering in the cake gave it a freshness that contrasted very well with the sweetness. Eating the dessert frozen is also a delightful option.
Rodriguez’s recipes have received praise on Good Morning America and a show on Telemundo. Beyond the taste, Sweets & Things has also attracted customers because of its unique, Instagram-friendly interior design.
Rodriguez was adamant about creating a colorful space that would make people feel happy. The notes of pink and blue throughout the walls and furniture invite customers to come in, take a seat and soak it all in.
“We just needed something in this area, because when I used to take my son out on little dates… I had to go away from this area in Brooklyn," Rodriguez said. "I had to either travel to Manhattan, or travel to areas in Queens. There was nothing in this area where we could enjoy a piece of cake or a nice cup of coffee, because I love coffee.”
While it may be cold now, Rodriguez is preparing the bakery’s backyard for the spring and summer months so more people can gather together outside.
She hopes to add a cocktail menu and collaborate with other local bakeries in the future.
Sweets & Things, located at 2715 Fulton St., is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm every day.
