Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Colangelo.
Hi Courtney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a baker for nearly two decades, spending most of those years working in other people’s bakeries and learning what it means to make something with your hands, day after day. I grew up in a small town in South Carolina and didn’t come from a family of business owners or entrepreneurs, so for a long time, owning something of my own felt like a very far off idea.
In 2020, I was laid off from my baking job, and within two months, I lost my mom. It was a strange and difficult period that forced me to slow down and really think about what I wanted my life to look like. The idea for Cakette started somewhere in that space, although it would be another four years before it actually became a reality.
When I finally decided to start Cakette, I didn’t have a storefront or a big plan. I started with popups, baking what I could and showing up wherever I could. Little by little, people started finding me. I built a following through those small events, through word of mouth, and through sharing what I was making online. It was a very organic process, and I loved getting to know the people who kept coming back. Eventually, that small community became the foundation for the bakery I have today.
In 2024, I opened Cakette Bakeshop. I wanted it to be more than a bakery. I wanted it to feel like an extension of me: warm, thoughtful, a little whimsical, and intentionally made. I think of Cakette as an art project as much as a business. From the pastries we make to the people and small brands I choose to bring into the shop, every detail is an opportunity to practice care.
Getting here hasn’t been a straight line. Cakette is really the result of years of experiences, mistakes, grief, work, motherhood, and slowly figuring out what matters to me. I’m still building it, still learning, and still surprised that something I imagined for so long is now a real place that people walk into every week.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. I don’t think there’s really a smooth road when you’re building something from scratch, especially when you’re also figuring out who you are along the way.
There have been the obvious challenges of running a small business: money, staffing, long hours, learning the parts of business that don’t come naturally to me, and constantly having to make decisions with limited resources. But some of the harder parts have been more personal. I’ve had to learn how to trust myself, how to make decisions without knowing exactly where they’ll lead, and how to let the business grow at a pace that actually feels sustainable.
I also think there’s a particular challenge in building something that is deeply personal to you. Cakette is very much an extension of myself, so it can be difficult to separate criticism of the business from criticism of me. I’ve had to learn that not every decision will make sense to everyone, and that’s okay.
There have been plenty of moments when I’ve questioned whether I was doing it right. But I’ve come to realize that building Cakette was never really about finding the perfect way to do things. It has been about continuing to show up, paying attention, and making the next decision that feels right. That has carried me a lot further than having a perfect plan ever could.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think of myself as an artist who happens to work in food. Cakette is my medium, and the bakery is the place where I get to bring all of those creative interests together.
Of course, I bake. I make pastries, cakes, and other sweets, but the work goes beyond what comes out of the oven. I’m interested in the entire experience of a place: how something tastes, how it looks, how it feels to walk through the door, the music playing, the things on the shelves, the people I choose to collaborate with, and the little details that make someone feel cared for.
I’m probably best known for the vegan pastries I’ve developed at Cakette, especially our vegan cinnamon buns. Creating vegan pastries that are just as delicious, indulgent, and thoughtfully made as their traditional counterparts has become a really meaningful part of my work. I don’t want vegan options to feel like the thing someone has to settle for. I want them to be something everyone wants.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve built something that feels genuinely like me. There are a lot of wonderful bakeries, but Cakette isn’t really trying to be like another bakery. It’s an expression of my taste, my experiences, and the way I see the world.
I think that’s ultimately what sets my work apart. I’m not interested in creating something simply because it’s trendy or because it’s what a bakery is supposed to do. I’m interested in making something with intention and care. For me, that is the art of it.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The easiest way to support me is to come to Cakette, buy a pastry, tell a friend about us, and keep coming back. For a tiny independent business like mine, those purchases really do make a difference. Every dollar spent at Cakette goes directly toward keeping this little place going, paying my staff, buying ingredients, supporting the other small makers whose work I carry, and giving me the ability to keep creating.
People can also support Cakette by sharing our work, bringing a friend in, collaborating with us, or simply telling someone about us. I’m always interested in collaborating with other artists, small businesses, and creative people whose work feels aligned with what we’re building.
I think there’s sometimes a tendency to think that liking and sharing a small business is the biggest way to support it, and those things absolutely matter. But monetary support matters too. For a small business, choosing to spend your money with us can have a very real and immediate impact. When someone buys a cinnamon bun, books an event, picks up a cake, or takes home something from one of the makers we carry, they’re helping make it possible for Cakette to continue existing.
And honestly, that means a lot to me. Cakette is a small thing, built slowly and with a lot of care. Supporting it helps me keep making it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cakettebakeshop.com
- Instagram: @cakettebakeshop
