The first Asian-inspired Italian pastry shop of the city, Angelina Bakery, announced that it will be franchising. Five new storefronts should pop up in the city this year.
New Yorkers can expect new locations to come to downtown Brooklyn, Grand Central, Port Authority, Bryant Park and NoMad. It currently has two outposts with its flagship in the Garment District that opened in 2019 and its second outpost in Times Square that opened in 2021. Its first-ever Brooklyn store will be a 2,800-square-foot space on 660 Fulton Street with two floors and a rooftop patio, according to the New York Business Journal. Its other addresses have not been publicized yet.
The popular pastry shop pays homage to owner Antonio “Tony” Park’s Sicilian grandmother, Giuliana “Anna,” who taught him how to cook and bake, using her passed-down family recipes, while also nodding to his Korean heritage.
Park started his career in Italy, studying the art of the pastry at Palermo’s Scuola Alberghiera. He emigrated to the United States in his 20s, where he has pursued hospitality and real estate endeavors.
Park, 45, is also involved with various other restaurants in the city. He owns Katherine, a cocktail bar in Midtown; Antoya BBQ, a Korean BBQ joint in Koreatown; and Anto, a Korean steakhouse in the Upper East Side, which just opened in March, according to Forbes. He also co-owns a real-estate firm, PD Properties, which he told Forbes is the backbone of his hospitality group.