Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Cheney.
Hi Katie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up Italian, food has always been so much more than something we ate—it was how our family came together. No matter what was going on, we stopped to share meals around the table, tell stories, laugh, and sometimes talk for hours.
Some of my favorite memories are the countless hours I spent in the kitchen with my grandma. She never measured a thing, which made learning from her a little challenging at first! But as I got older, I realized her secret wasn’t in a recipe or a measuring cup. She simply loved food and loved the people she was making it for. Everything she made was made with love, and somehow, it always turned out amazing.
For 13 years, I worked at Costco while baking on the side. It started with bringing in a few desserts here and there, but before I knew it, I was bringing something in almost every week. People began asking if they could place orders, and then came the questions about birthday cakes, wedding cakes, and other special occasions. Little by little, a path I never expected began unfolding in front of me.
I started participating in local pop-ups, and when my desserts began selling out, I realized this could be more than something I simply loved doing. After 13 years at Costco, I made the decision to take a leap of faith, leave behind the career I knew, and chase a dream of opening my own bakery.
Since opening our doors, the support from this community has been incredible. What started in my grandma’s kitchen as a love for food, family, and bringing people together has grown into something I never could have imagined.
At the heart of it all, though, nothing has really changed. I’m still baking the way my grandma taught me—with love, for people to gather around a table and enjoy together.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I can’t say the road to opening our bakery has always been smooth, but looking back, I’m grateful for every bump along the way because each one ultimately led us to where we were meant to be.
One of our biggest challenges was simply finding a place to call home. The first location we found was a charming historic house that had previously been used as a small business. The owner was supportive of our vision and open to converting the space into a bakery, and we were excited about the possibilities.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared that excitement. We faced a surprising amount of opposition from members of the surrounding community, and ultimately, our plans for the location were voted against. At the time, it was incredibly disappointing. We had put so much hope into that space, and suddenly, we were back at square one.
Looking back now, I truly believe it was a blessing in disguise.
That setback introduced me to so many wonderful people who believed in what we were trying to create and genuinely wanted to help us succeed. With the incredible help of Travis Smith, we eventually found our home in the historic Coca-Cola bottling factory—a location that has become such a special part of the Katie Cakes story.
Opening a small business comes with challenges you can never fully prepare for. There are setbacks, unexpected turns, and plenty of moments when things don’t go according to plan. But along the way, you also meet incredible people who offer their support, encouragement, and guidance when you need it most.
Those relationships have been priceless. They remind you that even though you may be building your own business, you’re never truly doing it alone. And sometimes, the doors that close are simply leading you to the one that was meant to open.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Katie Cakes Desserts?
Katie Cakes Desserts is a small, family-owned and operated bakery built from a dream I’ve had since I was young. At the heart of our bakery is a love for family, tradition, creativity, and, of course, really good food.
We’re best known for our gourmet cheesecakes, with a constantly changing selection of unique and creative flavors. But cheesecake is just the beginning. We make a wide variety of desserts from scratch, including pies, cookies, tres leches, brownies, specialty cakes, my grandma’s tiramisu, and so much more. We also bake fresh sourdough daily, offering both classic and rotating specialty flavors.
What sets Katie Cakes apart is our desire to make desserts you may not typically find in a traditional bakery. We love taking familiar flavors and turning them into something unexpected, as well as challenging ourselves with new recipes and combinations. With our cakes, we primarily use Swiss meringue buttercream rather than traditional American buttercream, giving them a lighter, smoother, and less-sweet finish.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that even as the business has grown, we’ve stayed connected to where it all began. Family recipes and traditions are still an important part of what we do. Every Christmas, my grandma’s cookie recipes come out, and we recreate the cookies I grew up with. They are incredibly time-consuming and truly a labor of love, but that’s exactly what makes them so special. Being able to share a piece of my family’s traditions with our customers is something I’ll never take for granted.
We’re also proud to be a small-batch bakery. We make our desserts fresh and put a tremendous amount of care into what goes into our case each day. Our menu is always evolving, so there’s usually something new to discover alongside the flavors our customers have come to know and love.
More than anything, I want people to know that Katie Cakes isn’t about mass-producing desserts. It’s about creating something memorable. Whether it’s a slice of cheesecake on an ordinary Tuesday, a family recipe that brings back a memory, or a cake that becomes part of someone’s biggest celebration, we want what we make to feel special.
For us, food has always been about bringing people together, and that continues to be the heart of Katie Cakes Desserts.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I don’t know that there has been just one important lesson. Owning a small business teaches you something new every day—about yourself, your employees, your customers, and the community around you.
But if I had to choose one, it would be that building something meaningful takes time. There really are no shortcuts, and I’ve learned that trying to take them can sometimes move you backward instead of forward.
Building relationships takes time. Building a brand takes time. Earning your community’s trust takes time. You can’t rush those things, and you shouldn’t want to. I knew when I started this journey that success wouldn’t happen overnight, but knowing that and actually learning to be patient with the process are two very different things.
I’ve had to learn to trust the process, appreciate the small victories, learn from the difficult moments, and understand that every step—even the ones that feel like setbacks—is part of building something that will last.
The journey takes time, but I’ve learned that the things worth building usually do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Katiecakesdesserts.com
- Instagram: Katiecakes_8
- Facebook: Katie Cakes Desserts
