The Bakers Men Buffalo
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Photo courtesy of The Bakers Men Buffalo
Persistent, creative, fun, self-taught, kind, and organized, these are just a few of the many traits that describe Brian Muffoletto and Nick Napierala, who make up The Bakers Men Buffalo . Together for seven years, they both are school teachers by day (Brian, a 2nd Grade Teacher at Eggert Rd Elementary in Orchard Park and Nick, an Elementary Art Teacher at Elma and Wales in Iroquois) and creative cookie masters by night.
“Creativity can be found in any aspect of your life”
Catch my story with them below on how The Bakers Men Buffalo got started and what they’re doing now.
It all started with their love to host parties. One day after scrolling through social media looking at cookie videos Brian and Nick decided to try something new for their upcoming Easter guests and created some sweet cookie desserts. After teaching themselves through videos online they presented their cookies to their guests and while they looked great, they tasted horrible. Back to the drawing board they gave it a second try for the 4th of July, when the cookies still didn’t taste great, they went back to the drawing board and played with recipes on what they liked and didn’t like. After almost a whole year they came back to their friends and family on the following Easter (in 2019) and presented their new cookies that not only looked amazing, they tasted great!
Photos courtesy of The Bakers Men Buffalo
Their signature vanilla almond flavor is not too sweet but not bland, it’s the perfect combination of deliciousness with soft frosting that compliments a soft, but light crunch cookie. In 2019 during this 3rd attempt at perfecting their recipe they were approached by a casting agency for the Food Network. One of their hashtags is #malebakers so it caught the attention on social media of the show. After an intensive interview process and months that had gone by Brian and Nick were surprised to hear back from the agency in August of 2020. As the months went by they officially launched their business, Nick designed their logo, including the Buffalo Skyline in it, they created their website and did their first business order for a friend of theirs, Genevie, who owns Designing Dish in East Aurora, all while they were busy creating a commercial kitchen in their basement that is NYS Inspected.
Photos taken by Neal Urban Photography
Because of work scheduling Nick had to step back from being on the Food Network but Brian moved forward and competed against four other bakers. The show aired in November of 2020, and Brian’s cookie theme was Christmas of the Future and his design was Space Christmas, think a Christmas Tree on the moon, Santa and Gingerbread. Competing in the first round the judges thought Brian’s cookie flavor was to safe and he came back to Buffalo but not without making new friends from the show and gaining a lot of experience from that opportunity.
As they continue to have fun, they run a successful business and I’m impressed with the motivation both men have with how they self-taught themselves in recipe development, web design, food photography, social media and much more. They are persistent, learn from their mistakes and keep going. All while using the power of creativity, sharing what they do and applying what they know.
Photos courtesy of The Bakers Men Buffalo
Brian and Nick do all sorts of fun cookie orders, from Christmas themes to their signature Buffalo cookies, to custom orders, there is very little they can’t do in my opinion. They have over 700 cutters that are all organized and categorized so if you have an idea they are sure to be able to create it. They also host fun cookie classes in collaboration with other local business owners like Meet and Eat Charcuterie, Lago, Six Friends Cabernet, Shea’s and Designing Dish, and they’re not done, they have a bucket list of people they’d love to collaborate with. If you’re looking to get a hold of them the best way to contact them is through email: thebakersmenbuffalo@gmail.com
When I asked them my signature question - What do they love about Buffalo ? They replied .. the City of Good Neighbors is true here in Western New York. We meet people on social and events and we get to collaborate with them. The art community is incredible and there is always something to do and learn, it gives us an appreciation of where we live. We love the seasons too!
When I asked them what there favorite part of their business is they said they enjoy meeting the people they do business with, they become like part of the family. They also enjoy being able to bounce ideas off of each other and create a theme and from there a design and color palette, textures, playing with images and text. They are constantly learning and looking at new ideas through other cookiery’s on social media.
When you run a business on top of having full time jobs you still have to find time to have a work/life balance. You also have to invest in yourself, especially when you offer a quality product that not only looks good but tastes good, you can’t sell yourself short. You need to charge your worth and learn your limits, two great pieces of advice as I close out this sweet feature on two talented, creative men.
-B
