Ole & Steen’s Head Of Baking Is Rising In His Role At Their NYC Locations

Matthew Sivulich hasn’t been to Denmark yet but this New York baker has been leading the day-to-day operations at Danish bakery’s stores in Manhattan.

The Danish import Ole & Steen opened their newest U.S. location in Tribeca in mid-April 2023. It’s now their fourth outpost on their NYC list featuring Bryant Park, Midtown East and Bryant Park. Additionally, the all-day bakery brand has over 20 locations in London, and over 100 in Denmark but under the name Lagkagehuset.

Sivulich’s culinary link to Ole & Steen began in June 2020, when he was hired first as their U.S. bakery lead. He was promoted to Head Of Baking in January 2022.

“It’s been amazing to see the company grow and make it through [the COVID pandemic],” said Sivulich. “We’ve been through a lot, the company and I and all of our workers, but it’s very exciting to be able to bring this fourth store to fruition.”

What Sivulch says about Danish-style breads that appeals to him is that they are very flavorful and have a unique texture due to the addition of ingredients including seeds and nuts.

Sivulch says Danish pastries also stand out because of their flavors, due to the use of cardamom, clove and other spices, make them stand out. “[With] other European countries, their breads can be pretty one note, but at Ole & Steen, we try to push the envelope of flavor.”

One example of this pastry’s piquancy is Ole & Steen’s lemon cardamom swirl, with a citrusy filling and a crispy texture. “You have the brightness of the lemon, then you have the warmth from the cardamon that follows right behind the pastry,” said Sivulch. “It’s really just an amazing mix of flavors and textures.”

Sivulch’s favorite is the soft Kløben Bun, having a mix of raisins, cardamom and almonds and made with clumps of butter. “When they bake, they just give off this most amazing aroma,” he said.

While the bread and pastry recipes are Danish, baking ingredients for the NYC Ole & Steen locations are local or regional sources. “Some of our rye flour comes from Maine Grains, which is a company in Maine,” said Sivulch. “They have different wheats and ryes [flours] and we use those in our breads.”

Sivulich said his draw to baking stems from his childhood. He was introduced to the art by baking alongside his grandparents and developed an early hankering for bread and pastry.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Sivulich has been baking professionally for about a decade. His resume lists roles at Dean & Deluca, Maison & Kaiser and Patisserie Chanson, with continuous duties of training bakers and managing baking equipment and daily production.

“As my career progressed, I liked to get in contact with different cultures and learn different breads,” explained Sivulich, “and I think Ole & Steen offered a new aspect of baking that I hadn’t encountered before. And that really appealed to me.”