Q&A: Cynthia Barcomi

A Q&A with Berlin ‘Baking Queen’ Cynthia Barcomi…

American ex-pat Cynthia Barcomi moved to Berlin in 1985 as a professional dancer. She opened up her first cafe, Barcomi’s, in Kreuzberg’s Bergmannstrasse in 1994, which sold her own roasted coffee blend and home-made cakes. A few years later she followed up with her Mitte branch, set in a beautiful ivy-covered courtyard close to Hackeschermarkt that sadly closed down during the pandemic. Cynthia has also several cookbooks full of her wonderful baking recipes…

Cynthia Barcomis, Berlin

Where are you from in the States, and what brought you to Berlin?

I am originally from Seattle. I came to Berlin via New York City in 1985 where I’d just received my BA in theatre and philosophy from Columbia University.

In a number of years you went from professional dancer to professional baker—how did that transition come about?

It was 1994 and I’d just given birth to my second daughter. I realized that I simply wanted to do something else in my life—roast coffee beans. The baking was more on the side in the beginning. The customers wanted more and more pastries so I had to adjust my concept a bit in order to find a dialogue with them.

What made you think American-style cake (and roasted beans) could do well in Germany, the ‘land of bakers’?

I just believed in what I was doing. I have always been true to myself. Baking and roasting coffee beans are an extension of that belief. I think, I can.

How long did it take you to learn German: did you find it easy or difficult?

Well, I did find it difficult to learn German. I always carried a little dictionary around with me and wrote down words I didn’t know. At some point, I started to use them! I was also in an international dance company and our common language was German. Sink or swim.

Barcomis, Berlin

What kind of cakes/products did you make at the beginning and where did you sell them?

I began by selling brownies and cookies at KaDeWe and Wertheim when I was pregnant with my second daughter.

Your first venture was Barcomi’s in Kreuzberg: what was the initial reaction when you opened it?

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