“Perhaps they did not like my politics,” said Goldberg, a Democratic stalwart who, along with the five other hosts of The View, backed Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
Goldberg did not name the bakery on air. But viewers recognised the packaging — a red polka-dot cardboard cup — as the work of Holtermann’s, which is operated out of a weathered storefront in the Great Kills neighbourhood by the great-grandchildren of Claus Holtermann, who founded the bakery in 1878. Many locals have been patrons for decades.
Customers line up outside Holtermann’s Bakery on Staten Island in New York on Saturday.Credit: NYT
The Holtermanns dispute Goldberg’s insinuation. The bakery’s boiler was broken when the call came in, said Bill Holtermann, a co-owner.
“It was a misunderstanding,” Holtermann said. “I don’t even have a cellphone. I’m just trying to bake.”
While Holtermann said that the bakery’s refusal was not politically motivated, on Staten Island, where Donald Trump trounced Harris by more than 30 percentage points, Goldberg’s umbrage has been a windfall for the bakery.
On Friday, the island’s Republican borough president, Vito Fossella, held a news conference outside the store to “stand up for one of the best families and businesses not just Staten Island but this country would appreciate.”
He called on Goldberg to apologise: “Just say you’re sorry so we can put this behind us and look forward to a great Thanksgiving and keeping this country great again.”
On Saturday afternoon, the line snaked out the door. People had come from as far away as Philadelphia. Coffee danish rings, cupcakes and coconut custard pies in old-school blue-and-white boxes flew off the shelves. Each fresh batch of charlotte russes sold out in minutes.
“We want to get The View cancelled,” said Barbara Volpe, 73. “All they care about on that show is politics. They’re always degrading Trump, and we love him here.”
Anthony Saltarelli said he did not buy Goldberg’s account.
A customer wearing a “Women for Trump” hat inside Holtermann’s Bakery.Credit: NYT
“What she’s insinuating wasn’t true, and I think it backfired,” said Saltarelli, 58, who lives miles away on the island’s North Shore. “I never come to this part of Staten Island, but today I did.”
In an Instagram post Friday, Goldberg apparently remained unswayed by the Holtermanns’ explanation.
“It does seem a little odd,” she said. But she didn’t let the contretemps ruin her special day — or her charlotte russes.
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“I enjoyed my delicious dessert and I had a happy, sweet birthday,” she said. “Nothing better than that.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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