‘Baklava Guy’ in New York turns three trays into a $20,000‑a‑month business
A New York street‑vendor model: Jacob Komarov sells baked pistachio baklava from a van, at parks and festivals and online.
Known around New York as “Baklava Guy,” 30-year-old Jacob Komarov has built a profitable dessert business without a traditional storefront. Operating under the brand Good Baklava, Komarov sells from a van, at parks and festivals, online and via deliveries to local cafés.
How a concert impulse turned into a company
The idea began in September 2021 when Komarov bought three trays of baklava at a Middle Eastern shop while on his way to a rock concert and decided to try selling them outside the venue. His friend doubted the plan, but Komarov sold every piece and earned three times what he had paid.
After losing his regular marketing job, he turned the experiment into a business. Komarov arranged monthly shipments of frozen trays from a production bakery in Turkey; the trays arrive with fresh pistachio baklava that he bakes and finishes in New York.
Good Baklava never operated a conventional pastry shop. Instead, Komarov sells directly to customers from his van, sets up in parks and at events, takes orders online and supplies nearby cafés. On busy days he can sell up to 500 pieces of baklava, bringing in about $1,500 a day.
The operation has grown beyond a one-man hobby: within nine months the brand recorded average monthly sales larger than $20,000, and Komarov now employs 11 collaborators for packing, sales and social media.
Komarov calls the project his version of the American dream — a low-overhead, mobile approach that turned three trays and a bet among friends into a full-time business.
Photo: press material from the event
