Nina behind Tall Poppy

When Nina moved to the city from Australia, she found herself on a mission: to track down a fresh, straight-from-the-oven croissant — “the way a croissant should be.” While plenty of bakeries sold them, few were homemade daily with the kind of quality ingredients she craved.

So, she solved the problem herself. She opened Tall Poppy, a bakery dedicated to doing it right.

In Australia, the phrase “tall poppy” refers to someone who stands out for their success. With her shop now home to what The New York Times calls one of the best croissants in the city, it’s safe to say she’s living up to the name.

You might expect a well-established bakery owner to have spent their whole life in the pastry world, but Nina’s path was anything but traditional. Before opening her shop, she spent a decade in Australia practicing law.

Baking, however, has been part of her life since she was five, when she and her father would whip up box cakes together. Over the years, she experimented with all kinds of baked goods in her spare time. It wasn’t until recently that she took the leap, trading legal briefs for rolling pins and turning her lifelong hobby into a full-time career.

Another of Nina’s passions, one she’s happily shared with her customers, is reading. Alongside Tall Poppy’s sweets and savories sits a community library, where visitors can give or take books at will. What began as a single shelf has since grown into a beloved feature of the shop and many stop by just to drop off a book, and grab a pastry in the meantime.

Carrying the same waste-conscious ethos from the library into her kitchen, Nina runs Tall Poppy with systems that ensure as little as possible is thrown away each day. In fact, you can find Tall Poppy on Too Good to Go, an app which allows customers to score deals while helping reduce waste.

Bites to Savour

What’s the hardest and most rewarding parts of owning a bakery?

“The hardest part is the early mornings. We start baking at 5:00am, which means we have to be up early, and I would say just managing all of the different personalities in your staff…

The most rewarding, I think it’s just watching people enjoy the product. When someone walks out with a smile on their face and a fresh pastry. And sometimes people come back in to tell us how amazing it was. Overall, just providing people with delicious pastries. Having been a lawyer, everyone's much more happy to deal with a baker than a lawyer.”

How do you want Tall Poppy to be remembered?

“A lot of people say that it's the best croissant they've ever had and that's a pretty high compliment, so something like that. A friendly customer service, a place where Australians can come and work as an interim thing when they first get to the city...

I think I'd like to be remembered as having one of the best croissants in the city.”

If you could only have one item on your menu, what would it be?

“It would either be the plain croissant because I think that's just a classic, or the Everything Cruffin. That's the only pastry I eat on a regular basis.”

What are your favorite spots in the city?

“I think Pastis is amazing. I also recently tried Binx in the West Village—it’s Australian owned too.”

Visit Nina and Tall Poppy in Chelsea at 156 W 20th St daily from 8am to 2pm (or sold out)!

With Compliments to the Chef,

Jenn & Jonathan

Co-Founders, Shortlist