The white cake and pie boxes are piled high in all corners of Tasty Pastries Gourmet Bakery, located at 2327 New Road in Northfield. Then, in a cloud of baker's flour, owner/chef Steve Surman emerges from behind the counter with a huge smile on his face.
"Just another day in paradise," jokes Surman just after 9 a.m. on a warm spring morning. "It seems like I live here."
He's only half-kidding. The work day for Surman, a 47-year-old Egg Harbor Township resident, and his wife Laurie Gitomer Surman, 45, begins at 4 a.m. daily.
Part of it is the nature of the business, but bakeries also are experiencing the economic downturn along with the rest of the food industry. And for a "boutique" bakery like Tasty Pastries, it takes even more effort to ride out the storm.
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