One of our favorite commercials of all time features a smiling nuclear family sitting down to breakfast. The mother is pouring cereal, and when she sets the box down, the cartoon character comes to life, jumps off the box, and sings a greeting. Rather than follow the obvious script, the family runs screaming from the table.
The next time you’re walking down Pondfield Road, don’t be surprised if you come face to face with a 3-foot tall Easter Bunny in the vicinity of . But have no fear, it’s not a deranged mascot come to life. The 20-pound behemoth is a handmade chocolate wonder and was crafted, like many of the 80-year-old bakery’s bunnies, in a nut-free environment.
Store owner Jaqueline Lachman says the demand for nut-free products has increased in recent years. Since creating nut-free products in a bakery is unwieldy, they moved production of the chocolate bunnies offsite, and seal them before bringing them into the shop.
We were impressed with the monster bunny when we stopped in Monday night, but even more intriguing is the store’s collection of antique chocolate molds, which hail from Germany and Austria, and date to the early 1900’s. They range from the standard “sitting bunny” design to the more elaborate—bunnies pulling wagons, bunnies holding flowers, and bunnies piggy-backing (riding rabbit?) on other bunnies.
The modest-sized bunnies are a unique addition to your child’s Easter basket. As for the big bunny, you might want to start here first.
