WESTPORT, CT — Westporters, you no longer have to trek to Fairfield to enjoy Alina Dancho’s delicious cakes, cookies, breads and treats.
Dancho, who opened her Fairfield bakery, Alina’s Cakes & Cookies, a decade ago, recently opened a new store, her second location, at 1252 Post Road East. It is in the same shopping center with Greens Farms Spirit Shop, Fortuna’s Deli and a Gofer Ice Cream spot.
“It took me 10 years to get here,” Dancho told Patch. “It’s been a long process.”
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The shop has been open for a few weeks, but held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, attended by First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker, state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Matthew Mandell, and from Hartford Dana Bucin, Connecticut’s Honorary Consul of Romania.
“Westport has a long history of welcoming local businesses, and specifically women-owned businesses which we’re very proud of,” Tooker said. “We’re very supportive of our business community, and with an owner like Alina, we know they give so much to our community. That’s why we’re so delighted you chose Westport.”
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Dancho estimates that nearly 40 percent of her customers at the Fairfield store, located at 2480 Black Rock Turnpike, were from Westport, so opening a shop in the town was a natural fit.
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“It’s been humbling how many people have come in to say ‘thank you for being here,'” Dancho said.
The shop is a full service bakery that specializes in custom cakes, gourmet cupcakes, pastries, breads, cookies and desserts, all with a European flair. Some items are baked on the premises, some are make at the Fairfield store, and others are made in a separate cooking space.
“I do not use preprocessed fillings, frostings and only use fresh eggs, butter, sugar and flour,” Dancho said. “I refuse to use any ingredients that I would not use when cooking for my own family at home. This additional effort and cost results in not only superior tasting products but also in healthier products for you and your family.”
Bucin said she is proud of Dancho, her fellow Romanian, who survived years of Communism and has been so successful in the United States.
“Alina is the quintessential example of a successful immigrant,” Bucin said, adding that Dancho’s mother, who also bakes, has also been a large part of her success. “It wasn’t easy, Alina came from the cruise ship industry, working hard from the bottom up, and everything she’s done, she’s earned.”
Steinberg said that he and his wife stumbled on the Westport shop a few weeks ago, after he picked his wife up from the Greens Farms Train Station.
“We picked up some cupcakes and bread, which we demolished in a few hours, because they were so good,” Steinberg said. “This is very representative of what we think makes Westport special. We have great, ambitious entrepreneurs and business owners who are really focused on serving the community.”
Dancho has provided cakes and cookies to events at the Westport Museum for History and Culture, and other organizations, and she said the community has been very welcoming.
“It’s been great, the whole community. We’re very grateful. Thank you,” Dancho said.
Alina’s Cakes & Cookies in Westport is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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