Meet the Nonnas
Bisnonna Bakeshop is inspired by the mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers that passed down their recipes— and their sweet tooth— from generation to generation. We’re proud to honor these women in everything we make.
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Maryann ( - 2022)
The first cake Nicole ever baked was with her grandmommy, a boxed chocolate cake mix stuffed with canned cherry pie filling. In true grandmother fashion, she was constantly clipping bits of recipes out of books and magazines to mail to Nicole, and they would talk on the phone about which cooking shows they've watched recently (Giada was always too skinny).
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A New Jersey native, she'd trek to visit her family with honey-roasted nuts in tow, a favorite food memory of Nicole's. Visits to her home, tucked away in the mountains with the occasional wild turkey roaming in the backyard, she'd prepare her signature meals and tell stories over dinner: lasagna with sausage, stuffed cabbage rolls, and her cheesecake that now graces our menu. Dearly missed and always loved, Maryann was the true epitome of our Bisnonna values.
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Phyllis (1914 - 2003)
Nicole’s maternal great-grandmother from North Jersey, for whom Bisnonna is named.
-While we didn’t know her long, our earliest, and strongest, memory of Phyllis is the smell of warm cookies. Her home always smelled of fresh-baked treats: dozens of cookies stacked high to welcome her family. Some with fruit, some with sprinkles, some with chocolate and more sugar than any one person could eat— but eating them together, over coffee and conversation, that’s where home was. BB’s signature kolache cookie is made from the same recipe she passed down through four generations: tender, flaky, and full of heart.
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Joanne
Dominick’s paternal grandmother and first-generation Italian-American, Joanne combines the flavors of her past with the no-nonsense methods of Pittsburgh’s coal country with heavy pewter measuring cups and the same well-worn, flour-covered wooden pastry board she’s been using for decades. She still cranks out the steel city’s cookie table tradition for family celebrations and gatherings and is just a phone call away for when we need the expert’s advice.
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It's Joanne's own recipes that pack our biscotti and pizzelle with flavor, and one day we hope to travel to the tiny Italian town outside of Abruzzo that shares her maiden name.
The Team
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Dominick, Roaming Cannoli Guy™
Hailing from the Jersey Shore where pork roll, egg, and cheese reigns supreme, Dom co-founded Bisnonna with Nicole though likes to call himself more of a silent partner nowadays. Obsessed with nutella and always on the hunt for leftover tiramisu scraps, you can find him movin' & groovin' at weddings filling cannoli fresh to order out on the dance floor!
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Josh, Pro Delivery Driver
A lover of homemade pizza dough and congee, Josh is responsible for getting all of our catering and wedding deliveries on time and where they need to be to make our clients happy! When he's not out on the road, find him scouting the best finds at thrift shops and exploring the best hidden gems of gas station restaurant food.