Rego Park Woman Starts Baking Business After Pandemic Layoff

REGO PARK, QUEENS — Lisa Costa is no newcomer to professional baking. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America and did stints in the kitchens of Bouchon Bakery, La Boulangerie in Forest Hills and the Museum of Modern Art's Michelin-starred restaurant.

But it wasn't until she was laid off from her job at Planned Parenthood during the pandemic that she got the push she needed to start her own baking operation.

"This is something that I always wanted to do but I always kind of had, not excuses, but other things going on," Costa told Patch. "Had it not been for COVID I probably never would have gone for it."

Last month the Rego Park resident fired up her oven and launched Peace, Love & Dough, delivering sourdough loaves and cinnamon sugar morning buns to residents of Forest Hills and the surrounding area.

Costa's burgeoning baking business grew out of her participation in this summer's Bakers Against Racism initiative, a series of virtual bake sales hosted by professional and novice bakers across the country to raise money for charities benefiting Black communities.

Her virtual bake sale, which supported The Okra Project, inspired her to find a way to combine her passion for baking with her desire to help her community.

"I wanted to do something that was helping other people but also bringing food into that," Costa said.

Costa decided to charge a $2 delivery fee for all Peace, Love & Dough orders and donate the proceeds to Together We Can Community Resource Center, which supports families in Jackson Heights, Corona and Elmhurst — neighborhoods that were among the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

"I knew, whatever I wanted to do, I wanted to keep it local and support a Queens organization that was helping in that area," she said.

Costa's baked goods are available to customers within a 5-mile radius of Forest Hills Stadium, but she plans to soon expand that delivery zone to Long Island and other parts of New York City.

Her hope is to eventually turn Peace, Love & Dough into a full-time endeavor.

"Bringing joy to other people is something that’s really important, especially now with people distanced," she said. "It’s bringing happiness to people’s homes.”