Rose water shortbread cookies from Cafe Washafsky (Photo by Sarah E. Crowder courtesy Cafe Warshafsky)
When Mai Warshafsky couldn’t find the perfect butter cookie to pair with her coffee, the home baker began to make her own. With exotic flavors from matcha to rose water, her shortbreads caught the eye of coworkers — and eventually retail shops. Six years ago, the restaurant industry veteran debuted Cafe Warshafsky. Previously featured in Nordstrom holiday pop-ups and garnering coverage in the Wall Street Journal and Food & Wine, the classic treats with carefully curated packaging can be found at the Birdhouse and St. Stephen's Farmers Markets, Little House Green Grocery, Union Market and online.
Mai Warshafsky (Photo by Jay Paul)
Richmond magazine: Where are you from originally?
Mai Warshafsky: I grew up in Woodstock, [New York,] which is two hours outside of New York City in the Catskills. My dad is from Brooklyn, born and raised, and my parents met in the city. I went to NYC for art school. I worked in restaurants my whole life; I started bussing tables at 16 and [had restaurant jobs] throughout college and after college.
RM: Why did you decide to relocate to Richmond?
Warshafsky: On the way back to New York from Greensboro, [North Carolina,] we made a pit stop in Richmond. We went to The Veil, Brenner Pass and Sub Rosa. My husband and I looked at each other like, “This is a really cool place.” We both work in the restaurant industry, and it kind of made sense for us. We wanted to start something new together. With Hatch Kitchen, I also saw a really great opportunity.
RM: Can you describe your relationship with cooking and baking?
Warshafsky: I grew up eating really good food. My mom’s a great cook, a savory cook. She’d make multicourse meals, and my friends always wanted to come over to my house to eat dinner. I think that set the bar for me in terms of baking. I always did it in my free time. After I finished a really busy shift, I would go home and bake, and it calmed me down. I love coffee and pastries and treats — it brings me small happiness.
RM: How did Cafe Warshafsky come to fruition?
Warshafsky: I was waitressing at a busy restaurant. By 4 p.m., your ears were ringing, and I would go home and bake. When you go to coffee shops, there’s always sweet, decadent desserts, and sometimes that’s not what I want. I don’t want to just have coffee — I want to dunk something, and the thing I wanted wasn’t there, so I started tinkering with a classic butter cookie. I brought them to a staff meeting, and then they began to sell them at the restaurant. I started going out and getting more accounts, and it turned into a business. That was in 2014.
RM: Did you ever imagine your business would grow so exponentially?
Warshafsky: No, and honestly, the bigger the gets, the more I feel like it chose me. The Wall Street Journal article 2 1/2 years ago really changed the e-commerce aspect of the business. My phone would not stop lighting up. I started thinking about the website and packaging. I knew this was something I could do, even though it was really scary at first, and now I ship all over the country, and I make caramels.
