Photo Credit: Aaron Parham
By Aaron Parham ’26
“My favorite part is making macarons,” says Nelson, who has spent three years honing his craft at Salt and Sugar – a bakery located at 113 E Walnut St, 17602 in Lancaster. When he is not baking, he enjoys cooking the brisket empanada.
According to Nelson, Salt and Sugar started off in New York. He said “Here in Lancaster the community it’s nice” and “We love Lancaster.” He also said, “We are new here in Lancaster”
The beef and cheese empanadas had a nice flaky crust with well seasoned meat, and this wasn’t overwhelmed by cheese which I personally enjoyed.
The strawberry matcha was nice. It had a strong earthy taste, but the addition of strawberry reduced the taste which I think made it more appealing.
The Coquito, a traditional creamy coconut-based beverage from Puerto Rico, had a quite pungent taste so it wasn’t my favorite, and I would not recommend it unless you know you like Coquito.
I did not try the pecan brownie, and it was really small. It costs four dollars, and it did look good – like something I would enjoy.
The flan was good;it had a burnt taste which is considered normal for flan. It has a softer texture to it than cheesecake – almost like it had been soaked in something. Flan is definitely an acquired taste, and it was not one of my favorites.
The pistachio macron had an appetizing and accurate pistachio flavor, which I really enjoyed and would recommend. The crème brûlée macaron with a sweet filling was complimented by the crunch on top. The chocolate raspberry macaron had a pleasant chocolate flavor coming from the chocolate dip on the outside, although I could not really taste the raspberry flavor. Additionally, there was a more subtle chocolate flavor in the cream. The chocolate brownie macaron had the same subtle chocolate cream flavor as the chocolate raspberry macaron which was still good. I also enjoyed the chocolate spread across the top on the brownie macaron, apart from a brownie crumble on top and a chunk of brownie in the middle. The macaron I enjoyed the most was the crème brûlé.
I also enjoyed the berry cheesecake because it had a berry spread across the top which was refreshing. I was able to taste the strawberries soaked in syrup. The cheesecake was good and I absolutely loved the crust. However, it was soft because of a liquid that was at the bottom, possibly resulting from sitting in the fridge for a day.
Salt and Sugar’s clean, intimate ambiance enhances the overall already established positive experience.
I also enjoyed the miniature size of the bakery; it felt more welcoming.