As a beloved tradition for more than 70 years, Gambino’s Bakery is well-established as the place to go for a sweet treat, whether you’re looking for an elaborate cake for a major milestone or a handful of cookies for a casual gathering. That ongoing commitment to quality has earned Gambino’s two honors in this year’s Best of Baton Rouge awards – the Gold prize for Best King Cake and the Bronze prize for Best Dessert.
“Anytime a customer is satisfied and leaves here with a smile on their face, that’s the most rewarding part of the job,” said Gambino’s Owner Eli Tate. “Our staff thrives on making other people happy. We’ll even have customers start crying when they see the finished product because they love the work so much. It truly warms the heart.”
Tate shared more about how Gambino’s continues to meet customers’ evolving expectations while keeping quality at the forefront.
What attributes do you look for when hiring employees?
We definitely want people with a positive attitude and an outgoing personality. We do look for technical skills, especially for decorators. However, we have found that if people have a desire to learn and a team mentality, we can train them on the technical aspects of the job more easily than we can teach somebody how to have a good personality and work well with others.
What are some recent trends you’ve noticed in customer requests?
We’ve seen more people who want simplistic cakes with straight lines and splashes of color, especially metallic shades. We’re seeing less people who want the heavy draping on cakes. People want a clean and modern look. Flavor-wise, more customers are going toward milder or subtle flavors rather than something big and bold. They want a hint of flavor without it being overpowering.
It’s important to us to keep up with those kinds of trends. Sites like Pinterest and Instagram changed things a lot because as soon as something new is posted, we’ll have people come to us to ask for it. I would say 90 percent of our custom orders start with someone bringing in a picture they saw online and asking us to replicate it.
Gambino’s king cakes are always popular. How do you start to prepare for the Carnival season?
We actually start preparing for the following year the day after Mardi Gras. In the summer, we start ordering additional supplies for boxes and other packaging. In August or September, we start coordinating with our suppliers for ingredients and training our king cake crews. We bring in some extra staff around Christmas because we do some Christmas king cakes. By the last week of December, we have our full Mardi Gras crew trained, prepared and ready to go for the first week of January.
What are some of the most popular items that you keep stocked in the bakery on a regular basis?
We keep a variety of cakes in the showcase. These are typically 8-inch round cakes that serve 12 to 15 people. We generally have these in popular flavors like red velvet, carrot, fresh strawberry and German chocolate. Our Doberge cakes are probably our biggest sellers. We also have a few larger cakes that can serve 25 to 30 people. Our grab-and-go items are smaller and include things like cake squares, cookies, Danishes and cinnamon rolls. We can also put together party trays for office gatherings or a casual get-together.
Gambino’s Bakery is located at 8646 Goodwood Boulevard in Baton Rouge. Additional locations are in New Orleans and Lafayette.
