For owner Antonetta “Toni” Binanti, Rudy’s in Ridgewood is more than a cafe. “What is Rudy’s? Rudy’s is my home,” she said. When the German-American bakery opened in 1936, its signage bore the word konditorei, the German word for a pastry shop. These days, a distinctive blue and white awning still displays the word. Treats made from the shop’s original recipes, including black forest cake, sit behind an 80-plus-year-old glass showcase.

“Even though things are changing, people still love the old cakes,” Binanti said. Born in Southern Italy, she immigrated to the United States in 1973. When her family bought Rudy’s seven years later, they brought updates without sacrificing traditional flavor.