Rose + Rye

It’s official. We’ve entered a new stage of quarantine. Gone are the days of at-home bread baking and absurdly large novelty puzzles - much like Taylor Swift doing songs with Bon Iver, we’ve been thrust into a new era: Distract us. For the love of God, distract us.

In this new era, we need food to be exciting. We want it bigger, better, prettier - and preferably served with a side of radical justice. Rightfully so; food is political, and it has real power, so yes, it’s also nice for it to be made by ethical people - and for it to be so rich and so indulgent that it feels like we’re eating… well, the rich.

It’s a pretty tall order, but somehow, Rose + Rye is able to fill it. Created by Armenian baker Kristine Jingozian, this baked goods pop-up has only been around since the end of May, but it’s already managed to hold cake auctions in honor of Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain, participate in the Pies For Justice bake sale, and educate their followers on issues like The Breathe Act, Black Lives Matter, and the importance of democratizing of food.

Oh, and yes, the desserts are really f*cking good.

You’re obviously going to want the banana Nutella pie - admittedly, it’s a bit of an undertaking (it’s only sold whole and you’ll have to drive to Granada Hills to get it), but if you’ve got the time and the willpower, this decadent behemoth should be a no-brainer. If you’re not in the mood to eat an entire pie, there are plenty of other things that deserve your attention as well. Namely, their sweet, vegan Persian halvas and flaky, bite-sized nazooks. Each comes in a beautiful box wrapped with twine and attached to a handwritten note.

So whether you’ve got a special occasion coming up, or just want to distract yourself in the most delicious way possible, head to Rose + Rye’s Instagram, place an order, and then… we don’t know. Go for a walk? Delete the Twitter app from your phone? Call us, we’re worried about you.

Food Rundown

Banana Nutella Pie

Duh. Baked into a golden, flaky crust and filled with (what seems like) 80 pounds of chocolate pudding, this pie is Decadent with a capital D. It’s essentially a banana cream pie, but with a dash of hedonism - it’s dense and delicious, with thick layers of Nutella cream and gold flakes on top. If you have anything worth celebrating, order this pie.

Vegan Persian Halvas

Dense little squares made with sugar, saffron, and cardamom, this dessert is reminiscent of both shortbread and caramel fudge, and that’s all good. It comes in either 15-piece or 40-piece boxes… guess which one we’re going to recommend?

Brandied Date + Walnut Nazooks

This traditional Armenian pastry/dessert/treat also comes in vanilla, but we like the way the dates and walnuts add a little extra crunch to the crisp, flaky pastry. Perfect with coffee at breakfast, a bite after lunch, or as a stress snack while you destroy your whole room, searching for a lost W-2.