The smell of apples and pumpkins fill the air inside Homestyle Desserts in Peekskill, as the family-run business gets ready to tackle another fall season.

"We have the pumpkin doughnuts … we have pumpkin cheesecake," said former owner, Rose Sanca.

" The apple cider donuts [are] a big thing," added her daughter, Laura Timmons, who currently co-owns the shop with her brother, Jason Elias. "We try to only do it in the fall, but the customers just keep ordering and asking -- sometimes begging, literally begging. So, we make them [from the] end of summer until January."

The shop has been a community staple since 1969, when Rose Sanca and her husband, Basil Elias, first opened up shop in the Village of Buchanan, celebrating both family histories of baking.

"My husband's father was one of the first pie companies in the state of New York … and my parents had a bakery," Sanca explained. "It's in our blood."

Sanca and Basil moved the shop to Peekskill in 1984. As their bloodline continued with their children, the family tradition of baking followed.

"We grew up here. So as little kids, we always worked, we always helped," Timmons said. "We learned a lot hands-on. We would always introduce new things, and then when my mom retired, we brought in a lot of new things ...You have everything at your fingertips to create and make anything you want. You could be so creative. Nothing goes to waste because you have so much going on. It's a lot of fun."

Sanca officially retired in 2015, passing the business down to both Timmons and Jason. The two of them moved the business to a bigger location in Peekskill, settling across from the Peekskill Brewery. Wanting to continue introducing new things to the business, they launched the shop's dessert truck, which can be booked for events with just a simple phone call.

"We do all kinds of events: weddings, parties, corporate [and more]," Timmons said. "Anything they want in this bakery can be on that truck. We do that a lot."

As the shop grew, so did its place in the community.

" I have people come up to me and they say, 'You've done my wedding cake. You've done my birthdays [and children's birthdays],'" Sanca said. "It's just something really nice to reflect on, and I've always loved people."

With three generations of family ownership, Timmons and Sanca hope they can add a fourth to continue sharing the family tradition with the community.

"We have about five kids between us, so we'll see," Timmons said. " I know my daughter and one of Jason's kids always talk about it, but we'll see how that goes."

Homestyle Desserts' main location is at 24 S Water St. in Peekskill. There is also a second location at 353 Main St. in Cold Spring that opened in 2018.