Mandel’s festive “Dronning” kransekake a big hit

Making connections and building business LORI ANN REINHALL Editor-in-chief The Norwegian American When placing an ad in The Norwegian American, you never know exactly what the response will be. If you are a business owner, you hope to reach new customers. With a targeted audience of Norwegian Americans, this works very well for most Nordic vendors. But in the case of Maggie Øyen and Mandel, there were a few unexpected bonuses that came along her way. The idea for Mandel—literally “Almond”—makers of authentic Norwegian kransekake came about during the pandemic, when the Øyen-Ustad family­—mother, father, and daughter—in Rhinebeck, N.Y., found themselves in quarantine,