Heidi's Finest Bringing Authenticity to Ridgewood

When Edita and Agron Sadikaj, owners of , say authentic, it's no gimmick.

"The main idea was to make an authentic German bakery, from the interior, the stones, the ovens, the machines – all from Germany," Agron Sadikaj said in an interview last week. "The ingredients are all from Germany and we bake fresh every day, several times a day."

The newest bakery, located at 49 E. Ridgewood Ave., aims to provide top-notch quality fare that's healthier than you might think.

"We try to have healthy products, with low sugar," Sadkiaj said. "For example, our bread is made with high protein and the cakes are made with low sugar and fat...if you have quality products, you can taste the product but not the sugar or the fat."

Over 300 items are rotated at their storefront on E. Ridgewood Ave., from cakes, strudels, brownies, rolls and breads, along with a few savory options. The croissants, for instance, are made with real German butter, specially imported.

Fruit cakes take prominence during the summer but you can expect to see a bevy of Christmas products around the holidays.

Prices are pretty mid-range, with most offerings ranging from $2 to $7.

"We want to be a bakery for everyone and every day," Sadikaj said.

Heidi's Finest coffee beans hail from high-end Giordano, a family company based near Milan, Italy. German coffee, favored by the former chancellor, is also available at Heidi's.

It's certainly been a whirlwind few weeks for the new Ridgewood couple, who moved to Ridgewood earlier this year from Frankfurt. They each worked at large pastry companies in Germany before the big move.

On a beautiful Saturday in late July, Mayor Paul Aronsohn cut the ribbon at Heidi's grand opening. Mere hours later, Agron cut the umbilical cord at the birth of their second child at Valley Hospital.

These days, you can often find Edita whispering to the newborn boy in the store.

Owning their own small business and living in a nice community in America is exactly what they've wanted for years, according to Agron.

"We looked for a place we could settle down with nice neighborhoods, a great school system and a place where people look for quality places. That's why we chose Ridgewood."

If all breaks well and they still have time – raising young kids while running a small business has a tendency to eat away at the clock – the Deutch couple might consider opening another store.

"We love to bring our products to the people," Sadikaj said. "So if the people love the products we offer and the business runs well and we still have a little bit of time, we would like to open another one to give people in another town the chance to try our products. Our main focus now is to work on this store with quality service every day."

While there may be competition in the form of coffees and cupcakes down the street, and high-end baked goods at Sook, Sadkiaj insists competition is a good thing.

"I think competition is always good because it brings up the quality of the products," he said, adding the business model doesn't call for competitive price slashing. "We want to stay fair...it's good for the town and the business. The people in this town should know they can find the best of all the products in Ridgewood. It's good for Ridgewood and good for business."