Odette D’Aniello is the Founder and CEO of Celebrity Cake Studio, a family-owned and operated retail cake boutique. The company has received numerous awards, including winning Best of Western Washington several times. With experience in the food industry, business strategy sales, and marketing, Odette has obtained additional skills in product desig…

Nancy Becker and Bridget Greaney are the Co-founders and CEOs of 2Betties, a wellness company dedicated to crafting delicious and nutritious snacks. Their journey began when Bridget, a college student, created the product during breaks between classes after noticing a lack of nutritious snack options. The positive peer responses inspired Bridget, a…

Lucy Damkoehler is the Founder and Owner of Sweet Lucy's Bake Shop in Bernardston, Massachusetts. Lucy’s journey began at age 16 when she worked at a local bakery, sparking her love for the culinary arts. Pursuing her passion further, Lucy enrolled in the New England Culinary School in Vermont, where she honed her skills. Following her education, s…

Molly Ott is the Owner of Corina Bakery, an award-winning establishment nestled in the heart of Tacoma. With a passion for culinary arts and a keen eye for creating delightful confections, Molly has transformed Corina Bakery into a beloved local gem. Boasting a diverse array of delectable treats from artisanal cakes to freshly baked pastries, Molly…

Stephanie Kriebel is the Co-founder and CEO of OMG! Pretzels, a family-owned company making bite-sized sourdough pretzel snacks. The brand concept originated as an after-school snack her mother prepared for her and her siblings while growing up in Pennsylvania. Before founding her company, Stephanie was an award-winning educator and program develop…

Brittany Despi is the Co-owner of Despi Delite Bakery, which specializes in Filipino cakes and pastries. Brittany and her brother inherited the family-owned business from their parents, who share a baking legacy that originated in the Philippines. Located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Delite Bakery has been serving up traditional Fili…

Sophie Evanoff is the Owner and Operator of Vanille Patisserie, a French-inspired patisserie specializing in French macarons, pastries, and cakes. She has been an innovator in the pastry world since 2011, when she acquired the company from her pastry school instructor. Since then, Sophie has successfully run multiple locations in Chicago. In 2016, …

Melanie Daniels is the Owner of Mickey’s Pastry Shop, a bakery located in Goldsboro, NC, serving various baked goods, including pies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, muffins, and more. Melanie is America’s first third-generation certified master baker and one of only 250 in the country. Her paternal grandfather Mickey purchased the pastry shop over 75 years…

Odette D’Aniello is the Founder and CEO of Celebrity Cake Studio, a family-owned and operated retail cake boutique. The company has received numerous awards, including winning Best of Western Washington several times. With experience in the food industry, business strategy sales, and marketing, Odette has obtained additional skills in product desig…

Brooks Nguyen is the Director of Operations at The Food Connector, a B2B marketing specialty provider for the food industry, helping generate leads, sell products, and scale brands. As a 20-plus-year veteran in food service, she has created strategies to define operational goals, maximize profit, and support management. Brooks began her pastry care…

Phebe Rossi is the Founder and CEO of Nuflours, Seattle’s premier gluten-free bakery serving various baked goods, including cakes, donuts, tiramisu, and quiche. Through Phebe’s strategic vision, Nuflours grew from a single brick-and-mortar location to a West Coast baking brand with an online presence and wholesale division. Phebe and Nuflours are d…

Shahira Marei is the Founder and CEO of The Dirty Cookie, a gourmet dessert company renowned for its one-of-a-kind cookie shot glasses. The concept was inspired by Shahira's favorite dessert — cookies and milk. Having worked as a project manager at Boeing, she admits she is not the Betty Crocker type. After witnessing poverty during a trip to her n…

Laura Briscoe is the Founder and CEO of Laura’s Gourmet, an all-natural, artisanal, and gluten-free granola brand. With over 18 years of experience in hospitality, private dining, and specialty food development, she is also a culinary instructor, mentor, and public speaker. A thought leader in the culinary industry, Laura’s a regular contributor at…

Amie Smith is the Founder and Owner of AMIE Bakery, a Cape Cod-based bakery offering baked goods and a full breakfast, lunch, and bar menu. Her love for baking began as a child, making cookies with her father — also a baker. Amie enrolled at the Culinary Institute of Education in New York after working for over two decades as a corporate marketing …

May Ee Fong is the Founder and CEO of Bob the Baker Boy, a Singapore luxury cake brand creating custom cakes for special occasions. Although May Ee Fong isn’t a classically trained pastry chef, she leveraged YouTube to master the art of cake baking. Her humble beginnings as a one-person home baker evolved into one of the most revered bakeries in Si…

Sara Brook is the Founder and CEO of the Dessert Gallery Bakery and Cafe, an establishment serving old-fashioned cakes, cookies, and other popular pastries. Though Sara has been baking since the age of four, she didn’t take the traditional chef’s path. She graduated from college and began pursuing law before following her passion to open a bakery. …

Janice Jucker is the President and Co-owner of Three Brothers Bakery, an award-winning bake shop and Houston staple with 75 years in business. Three Brothers is notorious for its traditional Jewish breads, cookies, pies, custom cakes, and more. Under Janice’s tutelage, the bakery has withstood multiple natural disasters. As a result, she’s become a…

Deborah Tuggle is the Owner and President of Bite Me! Cookies, a manufacturer of clean-label and high-indulgent cookies that sell for wholesale and retail. Deb’s first bakery, Friday’s Cookies, was an ode to her college days when she sold homemade cookies on campus every Friday. In 2004, Deb purchased Bite Me! Inc., merging the two brands under the…

Becky Palermo is the Co-owner of Creative Cakes, a Chicagoland-based bakery specializing in gourmet pastries, including cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, brownies, tarts, macarons, and donuts. In 2002, Becky and her sister, Beth, purchased Creative Cakes 10 years after the original owners hired Becky as a cake decorator. By 2005, the sisters moved the …

Canadian-born baker Bronwen Weber is the Co-owner and Chief Designer of Bronwen Cakes, a Dallas-based bakery specializing in cake design. Bronwen is a 30-year cake-decorating veteran who started baking in her grandmother’s kitchen at 14 years old. Her resume includes many facets of the baking industry, including roles as an executive chef, general …

Megan Wagstaff is the CEO of Lady Yum, a Washington state-based pastry shop specializing in assorted-flavored macarons. She began her love affair with baking as a child growing up in a remote Alaskan village. After a brief career in investment banking, Megan followed her heart to open her dream bakery shop. Her adoration for baking and champagne in…

Marlene Goetzeler is the President and Owner of Freeport Bakery, a 40-year-old Sacramento-based bakery specializing in cakes, danishes, and German-style pretzels. With her husband Walter, Marlene and her staff grew the bakery into an award-winning business and Sacramento staple. She is an active member of the Retail Bakers of America, where she ser…

Patti Stobaugh is the Owner of PattiCakes Bakery, a Central Arkansas-based pastry shop serving European-style cookies, cakes, and pies. Patti left her corporate accounting job in 2005 to start what she calls her “encore career” as a bakery owner. The first PattiCakes opened in Russellville in 2006. Later, she decided to close it to concentrate on t…

Odette D’Aniello is the Founder and CEO of Celebrity Cake Studio, a family-owned and operated retail cake boutique. The company has received numerous awards, including winning Best of Western Washington several times. Experienced in the food industry, business strategy sales, and marketing, Odette has obtained additional skills in product design an…

Olga Sagan is the Owner of Piroshky Piroshky Bakery, a Seattle-based company serving original recipes and handmade baked products for over 30 years. Under Olga’s leadership, Piroshky Piroshky continued to expand locations and partnerships. She is a serial entrepreneur and experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the food and bev…

Natalie Bleifuss is the Owner of Pie Bar, a Seattle-based dessert bar specializing in sweet and savory pies and craft cocktails. Since launching in 2013, Natalie has expanded her business, opening multiple storefronts and food trucks. She is passionate about supporting women in business, offering female employees opportunities to franchise their ow…

Katie Poppe is the Co-founder and CEO of Blue Star Donuts, a gourmet donut concept utilizing fresh herbs, spices, fruits, and liquors to appeal to pastry lovers of all ages. Katie was also the Co-founder of multiple acclaimed restaurants, including Boxer Ramen, Boxer Sushi, and Little Big Burger — which sold for $6.2M in 2015. She is an industry le…

Odette D’Aniello is the Founder and CEO of Celebrity Cake Studio, a family-owned and operated retail cake boutique. The company has received numerous awards, including winning Best of Western Washington several times. Experienced in the food industry, business strategy sales, and marketing, Odette has obtained additional skills in product design an…