National Rugelach Day

National Rugelach Day promotes the baking and eating of rugelach, a sweet pastry, and celebrates the history, stories, and recipes of rugelach. Chefs, bakers, and pastry lovers share their knowledge about rugelach on the day, both in person and online, including history and family stories about rugelach, their favorite bakeries to find it at, and their favorite recipes.

Alvin Lee Smalls, commonly known as Mr. Lee, the owner of Lee Lee's Baked Goods in Harlem, came up with National Rugelach Day, with the aim of spreading the popularity of rugelach. The first celebration coincided with Mr. Lee's 80th birthday on April 29, 2022. At the day's start, he said, "This day has been designated for everyone to celebrate and enjoy the delight of rugelach wherever you are!" At that time, he had been baking rugelach for over 50 years, and in 2025 he was still at it.

For the first observance, Lee Lee's Baked Goods hosted a day-long rugelach party. They gave away free rugelach for the first 80 minutes of the day, while also sharing info about how to bake rugelach. Free rugelach was also given out online to those who couldn't be there. Similar events were held at Lee's in subsequent years.

Rugelach dates back centuries, coming out of Jewish communities in Poland. As a filled confection, it is made into crescents, with a triangle of dough being rolled around a filling. With a soft and buttery center, it is a pastry but is often considered to be a cookie. Rugelach is made of rolled pastry with flour, butter, cream cheese, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, spices, and fruit or chocolate. Sour cream is sometimes used in place of cream cheese. Other ingredients that have been used include marzipan, poppy seeds, and vanilla. There have even been savory takes on it, with fillings like salmon and Boursin cheese, or chicken and schmaltz.

How to Observe National Rugelach Day

Pick up some rugelach at a bakery! The best bakery to visit is Lee Lee's Baked Goods, where National Rugelach Day got its start. Lee's or a nearby bakery might even be hosting an event today in the holiday's honor! While you're at it, make sure to follow Lee Lee's Baked Goods on Instagram and Facebook. If you can't make it to a bakery, you could order some rugelach online, from Lee Lee's Baked Goods or elsewhere. Making your own rugelach is another great way to celebrate. If you are a chef or baker, or just a pastry lover, use the day to share your knowledge about rugelach, in person and online. Make sure to include the hashtag #NationalRugelachDay with your online posts. Share history and family stories about rugelach, and share your favorite bakeries that have rugelach and favorite rugelach recipes.

Exclusive Content

Enjoying Checkiday? It takes a lot of support from fans like you to run a free website. For exclusive content and other perks, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Thank you!

Sponsor

This event does not currently have a sponsor. If you'd like to increase visibility for this event while gaining exposure for yourself or your brand, you can learn more here!

Something Wrong or Missing?

We would love to hear from you! Please contact us using this form.

Observation Notifications

Would you like to be notified before the next observation? Add this event directly to your calendar with this link. You may also sign up here to be told when other notifications are available!