From Poland to Brooklyn, Talia Tutak Is Giving Prunes Their Moment at Sixteen Mill

At Sixteen Mill Bakery in Gowanus, Brooklyn, the pastry case tells a story long before the first bite. There are sourdough scones, donuts, breads, waffles, and treats that happen to be vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free—but never, as owner Talia Tutak puts it, “pleasure free.” For Tutak, baking is not about restriction. It is about abundance, memory, flavor, and making people happy.

Tutak, who was born and raised in Poland, did not originally come to the United States planning to open a bakery. “It’s actually a crazy story,” she says. “We came here for a completely different reason. Our plan didn’t work out, so I basically started baking in my home.”

What began in 2016 as a small home-baking operation for friends eventually became a brick-and-mortar bakery in Brooklyn, now open for just over two years.

A Childhood Surrounded by Baking

Her love of baking started much earlier. In Poland, she says, baked goods were not something people bought as often as they made. Weekends meant cakes at home, family recipes, and the kind of kitchen rhythm that turns flour, fruit, and time into tradition.

Her grandmother always had fresh cakes waiting when the family visited. Her father was “a great baker,” and her mother baked often too, partly because, as Tutak laughs, her dad was always craving something sweet.

That Old World influence still runs through Sixteen Mill, but Tutak’s menu reflects a wider map of her life. After growing up in Poland, she lived in England for 11 years, bringing British inspiration into the bakery. Her partner is British-Filipino, so Filipino flavors appear too.

The result is a bakery that feels personal rather than precious: European-style baked goods, sourdough, seasonal flavors, and playful combinations that welcome people in.

Prunes as Memory, Not Medicine

For Tutak, prunes are not a punchline or a medicine-cabinet relic. They are childhood. They are Christmas. They are snacks from her mother, Polish sweets tucked into luggage, and a deeply familiar ingredient that belongs just as much in a bakery case as chocolate, banana, gingerbread, or maple.

“I grew up eating them,” she says fondly about prunes. “I never knew any health aspects when it comes to prunes or the nutritional value. We were just fed prunes no matter what, all year round.” Her mother would give her prunes as a snack instead of sweets, and during the Christmas season, prunes appeared often in Polish baking.

At Sixteen Mill, prunes usually take the spotlight in winter. One of the bakery’s seasonal favorites is a gingerbread, prune, and chocolate donut: fully vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and sweetened only with maple syrup.

The batter is flavored with Tutak’s house-made Polish gingerbread spice, a bold blend of at least 12 spices, including white pepper for a little kick. The donut is filled with house-made prune jam or prune butter, dipped in a maple-sweetened chocolate glaze, and finished with maple sprinkles.

People, she says, love it. The donut stays on the menu for about three months, and when it disappears, customers ask when it will return.

Changing the Prune Conversation at Sixteen Mill

That reaction matters because Tutak knows prunes can require a little reintroduction.

“People associate prunes with one thing only,” she says. But in many places around the world, prunes are a pantry staple. Concerning the perception of her clients, she says,  “We are trying to encourage them to try them in our baked goods and just change the prejudice towards prunes. Once they try it, they are completely converted.”

Her strategy is simple: pair prunes with flavors people already love. Chocolate. Gingerbread. Banana. Maple. Suddenly, the prune is not the thing to be avoided; it is the thing that makes the bite richer, softer, deeper, and more interesting.

A European Treat with Deep Roots

Her fondness also comes from a distinctly European view of prunes as a treat. Tutak still thinks of chocolate-covered prunes from Poland, the kind she grew up eating and still buys when she goes back.

In her telling, Europe’s love of prunes comes from practicality and abundance: plum trees, summer harvests, jam-making, drying fruit, and a deep dislike of waste. Families dried plums and apples to enjoy all year, sometimes turning them into Christmas Kompot, a Polish drink made with dried fruits.

That background helps explain why Tutak sees prunes differently. They are not an odd ingredient. They are a delicious one with history, purpose, and flavor.

A New Banana-Prune Muffin at Sixteen Mill

In the gingerbread donut, the prune filling adds a gooey center that balances the spice and chocolate. In a new banana-prune muffin, the prune butter complements the banana, bringing natural sweetness without making the muffin overly sweet.

Tutak describes it as a lighter, more summery flavor profile compared with the heavier winter gingerbread donut. The muffin is sprinkled with maple crunch, adding texture to the naturally sweet banana and prune combination.

Part of what Tutak loves most about prunes is their versatility. Prunes can become jam. They can be chopped and folded into baked goods. They can bring sweetness, moisture, and depth without demanding complicated technique.

“They are just so versatile and very easy to use,” she says.

Make Talia’s Banana Prune Muffins at Home >>>

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free at Sixteen Mill — But Not “Pleasure Free”

Sixteen Mill’s broader mission is just as personal. Tutak’s bakery became gluten-free and dairy-free after she was diagnosed with health issues and her doctor suggested removing gluten and dairy from her diet. Refined sugar had already been absent from her baking because she could not eat cane sugar herself. Becoming fully vegan, she says, simply made sense.

Still, she is aware that labels like vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free can make some customers skeptical.

“A lot of people when they hear that we are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, first thoughts they have is that we are pleasure free,” she says. “It’s not true.”

That might be the clearest expression of Tutak’s baking philosophy. Her work is thoughtful, but not austere. Inclusive, but not apologetic. Health-conscious, but still joyful. At Sixteen Mill, a prune-filled donut is not there to prove a point. It is there because it tastes good.

Even with a window-service setup, Tutak wants people to feel cared for. Customers can ask questions, get help choosing a pastry, sit outside, or take something home to share. The experience is casual, but the intention behind it is deeply generous.

Why She Keeps Baking

Visit Sixteen Mill the next time you’re in NYC