Bear’s Bakery supports vocational training through the Manhattan Childrens Center.
Bear’s Bakery, the nonprofit bakery on the Upper West Side affiliated with the Manhattan Childrens Center, is now certified kosher under National Kosher Supervision (NKS). The certification covers the bakery’s Columbus Avenue shop, whose motto is “inclusion baked into every bite.”
A Bakery With a Mission
Bear’s Bakery is an initiative of the Manhattan Childrens Center (MCC), a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit special education school serving students with autism and other developmental disabilities. The bakery was founded on the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to grow, contribute and belong. Young adults with disabilities have historically faced limited access to meaningful vocational training and employment. Bear’s Bakery provides hands-on pre-vocational training and inclusive employment for MCC students and the wider neurodiverse community, with the goal of building skills, independence and meaningful work.
“We’re more than a bakery,” the team writes. “We’re a movement toward inclusion; a place where skills are developed, talents are celebrated, and every individual is seen as capable and essential.”
Team members behind the counter at Bear’s Bakery. (Photo: Bear’s Bakery)
The menu includes chocolate chip, rainbow sprinkle and gingersnap cookies at $4 each, pumpkin muffins and lemon poppy loaf slices at $5, and Earl Grey scones at $4. Brownies and bread pudding slices are $5. The bread selection includes focaccia, with challah rolls and loaves available on Fridays. An egg-and-cheese sandwich on a honey biscuit is $9. Drinks include coffee, hot chocolate, tea, cold brew, iced matcha and chai lattes.
A Bear’s Bakery team member with the bakery’s branded coffee and mug. (Photo: Bear’s Bakery)
Kosher Certification
The Bear’s Bakery team outside its 715 Columbus Avenue shop. (Photo: Bear’s Bakery)
The shop is certified dairy by National Kosher Supervision, the national agency headed by Rabbi Aaron D. Mehlman. The certificate notes that the store is Shomer Shabbos, and that items are non-chalav Yisrael and non-pas Yisrael; baked goods may contain butter, milk or cheese. The challah and bread baked for Shabbos are the exception: those items are pareve and pas Yisrael, not dairy. The certificate is not for Passover use and is valid through December 31, 2026.
Location, Hours and Kosher Certification
Bear’s Bakery is at 715 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10025, open Tuesday through Friday, 8am to 3pm, under NKS. The bakery can be reached at bakery@manhattanchildrenscenter.org. Find more kosher dining options in the YeahThatsKosher app.
Correction (November 4, 2026): A previous version of this article implied that the challah and bread baked for Shabbos are dairy. Those items are pareve and pas Yisrael.