Swift sales of Hungarian treats inspire Cranbury Delights to expand

[My Central jersey]

Swift sales of Hungarian treats inspire Cranbury Delights to expand
By GENE RACZ • STAFF WRITER • May 21, 2009

CRANBURY — Tucked away in a modest, white-clapboard storefront on Main Street in Cranbury, master confectioner Agnes Toth whips up homemade desserts, breads and chocolates and what some say is the best ice cream in New Jersey.

At Cranbury Delights, her items are made from scratch with natural ingredients. Steeped in the finest, sweet-toothed traditions of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, Toth learned her trade at the renowned culinary institute in Budapest. After opening the shop with her husband, Steve, in December of 2006, they're now looking to add a second location as their reputation grows with their customer base.
"We picked Cranbury to open our store because it's like old-world Europe with the heartbeat of America,'' Steve said. "This is where America started, so you have to keep old world with old-world pastries.''
Hungarian cuisine draws upon numerous ethnic influences, many gathered during some 200 years of Hapsburg rule (roughly 1650-1850). The variety is reflected in Agnus' dessert menu includes cannolis and tiramisu (Italy) and Black Forest cake (Germany). Hints of Old Vienna can be found in her linzer cookies and then there is that most unique Hungarian speciality -- the dobos (pronounced DUH-bush) cake. With seven intermittent layers of angel food and rich mocha cream topped by a caramelized candy glaze -- it is her No. 1 seller.
As the warmer weather approaches, the Toths are also most proud of their Hungarian ice cream -- handcrafted daily in small batches using only fruit, milk, eggs and, if need be, sugar.
"There is a Web site, www.flickr.com, that rated our ice cream the best in New Jersey,'' said Agnes, or Agi, as she likes to be called. "They sent people around the state to rate ice cream, and they liked ours the best.''
The ice-cream flavor selection has doubled from seven to 14.
Introduced to each other by a mutual friend in New Brunswick in 1999, the Toths were married in 2001 and opened a dessert catering business together in Newportsville, Pa., in 2003, which they still run. Steve was born in Trenton and raised in Pemberton and grew up in a Hungarian household, where his first words were both English and Magyar.
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Agi hails from the city of Miskolc in the northeast corner of Hungary, and she first came to the United States to visit her sister, Sylvia, in New Brunswick. Interestingly, her path crossed several times with Steve's in local malls and grocery stores before they made their relationship.

Steve said he is proud that Agi recently was granted U.S. citizenship. "She came here with nothing and is now living the American dream,'' he said.
That dream includes days which routinely begin at 7 a.m. and end at 1 a.m. But as Agi put it: "We love our work. Sometimes we don't even watch the clock.''
Cranbury Delights is expanding its hours for the summer, staying open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The Toths set up a sidewalk crepe suzette stand on Saturdays.)
The bakery is closed on Mondays, which is when Steve and Agi usually go out shopping for fresh produce.
"We like to get it fresh from local farmers if we can,'' Agi said.


http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090521/BUSINESS/90521110/-1/newsfront/Swift+sales+of+Hungarian+treats+inspire+Cranbury+Delights+to+expand

[Guest]

Best bakery around...and very nice people.