Bea's Bakery
editEstablished by Jules Litwak in 1968, Bea’s Bakery started out as a traditional Jewish bakery located in Tarzana, California on Ventura Blvd. The bakery was run by Litwak and his family until 2022. It then went under the management of Lenny Rosenberg and Adaeze Nwanonyiri in October of 2022.[1] Rosenberg and Nwanonyiri have a long history in working with restaurants and bakeries in helping them to optimize their potential. The duo work together in LARS which specializes in developing and rebranding restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. Rosenberg focuses on operational aspects of the business such as technology, budgets, and staffing while Nwanonyiri covers design, aesthetics, and curation of the menus.
The couple also bought the business with the intention of combining their Jewish and Nigerian heritage to create multicultural desserts at Bea’s and expand it beyond the traditional Jewish fare. They continue to introduce various dishes/ingredients from a range of cultures to expand the menu.[2] For example, the couple has introduced a challah bread made with ube from the Philippines to the menu.[3]Desserts range from areas of Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central America.[4][5] The menu expands beyond culture as well, with an array of gluten free and sugar free options available.[6]
On September 13 “It’s a Sweet World” TV series will debut on Jewish Living TV and will stream on Amazon, Freevee, Zumo, Tubi, Local One and Pluto. Hosted by Rosenberg and Nwanonyiri, the show will highlight the unique recipes and techniques they have brought to Bea’s through cooking segments, food pairings, and ingredient history. The couple will also launch the “It’s a Sweet World” cookbook with 60+ desserts and a foreword by Ziggy Gruber.
About the owners
editLenny Rosenberg was born in Plainview, Long Island.Born into a family of restaurant managers, he quickly became involved in the business and rebranded his first bakery at age 17. After this project, he worked on the East Coast developing various restaurants such as Viking Bakery in New Jersey and Srathmore Bagels in New York. In 2000, he expanded his work to Los Angeles where he met Nwanonyiri and the two started their work together.
Adaeze Nwanonyiri was born in Houston, Texas. She then moved to New York to study at the New York School of Interior Design. Using her degree in interior design, she began to develop her brand by freelancing apartment design and had success. Nwanonyiri’s philosophy of design is to maintain the authenticity, which led her to succeed in the practice of rebranding restaurant aesthetics. After her time in New York, she expanded to Los Angeles where she met Rosenburg at an event.