Get Your Pastry Fix at Kelly’s
Earl grey tea cinnamon rolls, chocolate rye and fig bread, kale and cheddar scones, and a green tea and yogurt muffin; those are just a few of the unique pastries and baked goods that one will find at Kelly’s bakery in Poughkeepsie.
Kevin Halim and Darrin Oakley opened Kelly’s in January 2021, and have brought artisan breads, quirky pastries, and delicious brunch options to the Poughkeepsie area. The pair offers less traditional baked goods and brunch options than what locals may find at any other spot.
“I like making weird stuff,” explained Halim, who is a Culinary Institute trained pastry chef. “I like putting a little twist on something and playing around with the ingredients. It can be as simple as putting sea salt on a cinnamon bun and it can change the whole flavor.”
As soon as you walk in the door at Kelly’s, the aroma of sweet and savory pastries such as croissants, babka, and cookies greet you. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans and espresso fill the air, while one will find creative breads such as olive and onion, chocolate rye and fig, sunflower millet and potato and cheddar on the menu.
Oakley and Halim moved to Poughkeepsie from Boston the day that New York state went into a lockdown last March at the beginning of the pandemic. Halim began baking bread as many other bored New Yorkers did during the lockdown. Oakley posted photos on Instagram and Facebook, complaining about how much bread and baked goods were being produced in his home.
Soon, neighbors and locals in the area began asking if they could try some of Halim’s creations, and the two decided to offer curbside pickup outside their home. What started off as just Halim’s bread baking hobby, turned into a successful bakery with a new, trendy vibe.
Originally the couple planned to open up a cafe or a brunch restaurant in Poughkeepsie, but with Halim’s bread baking and the demand for breads and pastries in the area, the signs pointed towards opening a bakery. “Seeing how people are responding to his creative mind is overwhelming. Kevin created the entire brunch menu and as his husband, I get ecstatic about what he is creating,” Oakley shared.
When asked if the pandemic delayed their opening process, the two said that if anything the pandemic pushed them to move forward. Now people are flocking to Kelly’s to try all of the creations from warm sourdough breads, to sweet and savory scones.
One customer described how different Kelly’s is from any other bakery or cafe in the area. “Kelly’s to me is a breath of fresh air. It is trendy, hip and it is where you want to be. I am here all the time, it is a great feeling coming here,” Desaree Foshay shared. Foshay makes a trip to Kelly’s several times a week to have some fresh bread and baked goods.
Oakley and Halim make an effort to get to know the people that they serve and what order they keep coming back for. “We want to make the people feel like this is as much theirs as it is ours. We may be paying the rent, but we are here for you,” said Oakely.
For all Poughkeepsie area residents, Kelly’s Bakery is a trendy spot to grab a delicious cup of coffee, and snack on a sweet and savory pastry with locally sourced ingredients from the Hudson Valley.
