A cherished New York bakery has found itself in the spotlight after refuting claims made by Whoopi Goldberg that her cupcake order for her birthday episode of “The View” was denied due to her political views. Goldberg, who turned 69 earlier this month, suggested on a recent episode of the daytime talk show that the bakery’s refusal to fulfill her order was politically motivated.
“The place that made these refused to make them for me,” Goldberg said on Wednesday’s show while eating cupcakes. “They said that their ovens had gone down, all kinds of stuff,” Goldberg alleged, “but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them.”
“But that’s OK because, you know what? Listen, this is my mother’s celebration. Pick these up and celebrate with me and my mom. Thank you everyone for celebrating my birthday today,” Goldberg claimed.
The establishment in question, a 145-year-old institution known for its artisanal confections, was quick to reject the allegation. Jill Holtermann, the bakery’s owner, offered a pointed response in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying that the issue stemmed not from political differences but rather from technical difficulties.
“They’d asked us and we were having trouble with our boilers,” Holtermann explained. She said that Goldberg had originally asked for treats for her appearances on a talk show on November 6 and on the November 13 episode of ‘The View.’ Holtermann declined both requests, citing, “I didn’t want to make a commitment that I can’t carry through,” due to the unreliability of her equipment.
“I said to Whoopi, ‘I can’t do it right now,” Holtermann told EW. “We have so many things going on with my boiler,’ because the building is from 1930, so, when she called me, I had no idea [if we could] be baking everything.” She added, “It was not because of political” affiliations.
On Friday, the controversy escalated further during a press conference in Staten Island, where local officials and Holtermann addressed the issue. Staten Island Borough President Vito John Fossella Jr. (R) expressed his support for the bakery and criticized the accusations made against it. “These people are up at 3 or 4 o’clock every morning. The sacrifices they’ve made, the holidays they’ve missed with their families, to make Staten Island better. They have sacrificed for 145 years. Rutherford B. Hayes was the President of the United States, for God’s sakes. And they’re still here, and they’re still strong, and they’re not going anywhere,” Fossella said.
“Frankly, the people who defamed the Holtermann family should apologize to the Holtermann family for making stuff up to suit their needs. Not everybody wakes up every day and thinks about politics. A good business person doesn’t care about anybody’s politics.” He concluded, “If you’re watching this across the country, go online and order something.”
Holtermann took the podium to share her gratitude for the outpouring of community support. “I’m so overwhelmed by the support between finding out yesterday this even happened, getting phone calls, and then people coming in, people from all over just supporting us in every way. We had phone calls yesterday from Alabama. A guy said, ‘I’m going to give you $50, send it to a school, send them donuts, send them cupcakes.’”
“The support has been so overwhelming, and I know how hard my family has worked to keep this business alive. And I wish my father was here today to see this. He would never believe it.”